Nvidia Shield: from Tegra 4 to portable game console

When Nvidia announced the Android-based Shield console, it came with a simple promise: the experience you'd expect on a full-sized gaming machine, shrunk to a 5-inch screen and either powered by the Shield itself or streamed from a home PC. The first effort was promising but rough, and it's spent the past year and a half building on that original idea. In late 2013, it started publicly testing a service called Grid, which allowed Shield owners near its San Jose data center to stream eight games for a couple of hours at a time. For the time, the service worked beautifully, but it was never billed as more than a test, and there was no indication of how well it would work on a large scale. A year later, we're about to find out.

On November 18th, Nvidia is launching a revamped version of Grid in North America — western Europe will follow in December and parts of Asia in 2015. If you're using either a Shield tablet or a portable console, you'll have access to around 20 cloud games. This includes some major AAA titles like Arkham City and Borderlands 2, although (as you might have gathered from those examples) you won't find the latest releases; the newest title I noticed during a demo was Ultra Street Fighter 4, an expansion of a game first released in 2008. Nvidia wouldn't say how much it wants its library to grow, but it has promised "new games every week."

Promised two weeks ago and delivered today, Nvidia's big April software update for Shield is highlighted by the introduction of remote game streaming. Until now, the Android-powered handheld was capable of playing graphically intensive games that were being processed by and streamed out of your home PC, but it required that both devices be on the same network. Though still in beta as of now, the remote version of Nvidia's GameStream offers to do the same wherever you are, provided there's a fast enough internet connection. What's more, Nvidia is enabling GameStream from laptops as well, with its latest graphics chips being supported.

Android gaming consoles have interested device makers for a while now, but none of the attempts so far has proven a success. The Shield remains in that category, but with a lower $199 price through April, an update to Android 4.4, and a continually expanding library of supported games, Nvidia is giving it every chance to reverse the trend. Certainly, now that playing your PC games on the Shield has become something you can do via the cloud, the portable console looks like a much more enticing proposition.

We've said it before and we'll say it again: though Android may not be a great game platform, Nvidia is trying its damnest to make the platform better. Today, that means a host of new updates for the company's Nvidia Shield portable game console, updating the system to Android 4.4 and adding the ability to stream PC games outside your house — even waking your PC from sleep and letting you remotely log in, presumably after jumping through a few hoops to set up a compatible system.

The other thing that Nvidia's doing today is dropping the price of the Shield to just $199 through the month of April, with no strings attached, quite a dip from the original $299 MSRP. However, we're not sure if that's an admission the Shield isn't selling well, or simply clearing inventory for a new Tegra K1 powered Shield in the near future.

Today, the company launched an extremely limited beta of Nvidia Grid, a new cloud gaming service exclusively for the Shield. It only works if you live close enough to the company's single data center in San Jose, California. It requires a good internet connection and a fancy wireless router. It's just a test, to be sure.

But if you have all the necessary components in place, you might be surprised at just how well Grid works.

When Nvidia released the October software update for its Shield handheld, it said that the ability to stream PC games at 1080p and 60 frames per second was coming — and now it's finally here. The handheld's December update brings the ability to stream 1080p, 60 fps PC games to your television using the device's console mode and a wired ethernet connection; previously the Shield could only stream PC games at 720p. And a number of big titles already officially support the feature — you can play new releases like Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and Battlefield 4, as well as slightly older titles like Bioshock Infinite and Borderlands 2, while Nvidia says that more officially supported games will be added weekly.

If the only thing stopping you from purchasing an Nvidia Shield was the Android gaming handheld's $300 price tag, now is the time to buy. Starting today for Black Friday, and running through Cyber Monday, you can get the powerful portable for just $249.99.

Nvidia's Shield just leveled up. Today, the Android gaming handheld is getting a huge over-the-air update that tackles several of the device's biggest problems. First off, the system's getting an update to Android 4.3 with all the little fixes and features that brings. The Shield's GameStream feature is out of beta, and PC streaming is more reliable and seamless than ever before. But third and perhaps more importantly, Nvidia's figured out a way to make loads more Android games compatible with the Shield's integrated joysticks and buttons.

How, exactly, did Nvidia manage to cram the guts of a game controller and a smartphone into a portable console? Teardown and repair site iFixit has the answer: it pulled apart the Nvidia Shield to show you the guts of the handheld.

You can see how the cooling system works, pulling air in through the front lip of the device, and using an actual honest-to-goodness fan to exhaust it out the back. iFixit also discovered that quite a bit of room inside the bulky console is devoted to three hefty, cylindrical 18650 lithium-ion batteries. That's a standard, commodity battery type, so you could theoretically replace them with higher capacity cells, but these ones sadly appear to be permanently attached to a circuit board. You'll also find your first glimpse at an actual production Tegra 4 processor, loads of potentiometers, and plenty of modular buttons.

Last summer, I bought an iPad 3. I convinced myself I’d use it for everything: showing off wedding photos, reading all those neglected articles I save to Pocket, and as a second monitor for my laptop.

The only time I actually pick up the iPad, sadly, is to play video games. Perhaps the saddest part is that my iPad isn’t a very good game system. It’s bulky, the touchscreen controls are pretty crappy for navigating 3D worlds, and the graphics are merely okay. But where “real” game systems like the PlayStation Vita are struggling to build a library of game titles, the iTunes App Store continually tempts me with addictive, artsy new games. I wanted the best of both: the physical controls to explore immersive worlds, and a store to convince developers to build them. I wanted the equivalent of a PlayStation Vita running iOS.

Nvidia is announcing that its Shield gaming handheld will ship on July 31st, after the release was pushed back due to an unspecified mechanical issue. The Shield, a handheld that plays Android games and can stream PC games from Steam, was originally due out on June 27th — but problems with a third-party component forced Nvidia to delay its release. Nvidia still hasn't said what caused the issue, but with a new release date the company appears to have sorted out the problem.

"We want to thank you for your patience and for sticking with us through the shipment delay of your Shield," Nvidia wrote in an email today to those who already placed an order for the device. The Verge will review the Shield when we are able to test the final unit, but until then you can take a look at our hands-on preview of Nvidia's new handheld.

Just last week Nvidia announced a June 27th release date for its $299 Nvidia Shield gaming handheld, but that date didn't last for long. Today, the company informed us that it's discovered a mechanical issue with the Steam-streaming, Android-game playing device, and has delayed the portable's launch until sometime in July while it sorts out the issue. The company wouldn't specify what the problem was, only that there was a mechanical failure with a third-party component of some sort. "We want every Shield to be perfect, so we have elected to shift the launch date to July," reads Nvidia's statement.

Since its unveiling at CES 2013, Nvidia's Shield portable console has undergone quite a few revisions. When the company put its Tegra 4-powered Android device in gamers' hands at PAX East in March, it found enough dissatisfaction with its ergonomics to perform a significant physical redesign. Since then, Shield demo units have toured the globe, from Computex in Taipei to E3 in LA, and now Nvidia's addressing the other major concern expressed by those who've tried it: the price.

Shield pre-orders began at $349 roughly a month ago, but Nvidia's slashing that cost to $299 and officially confirming June 27th as the release date for its clamshell console. Anyone who's already put in a pre-order will be charged the lower price, and pre-orders are open at Newegg, GameStop, and Nvidia's own Shield page for the new amount. Back at Computex earlier this month, we got to spend some time with the first production unit to roll off the Shield assembly line, which you can explore in the gallery below. It's actually a direct match for the production prototype that Nvidia demonstrated in mid-May, so for more impressions on its handling and operation, check out our hands-on preview.

Nvidia is starting orders of its new Android-powered handheld console, Shield, today. After announcing a $349 price tag and June release date earlier this week, the gaming company has decided to move its pre-order date forward from Monday 20th. The handheld can be pre-ordered directly from Nvidia, or from retail partners including Newegg, Gamestop, and Canada Computer — Micro Center will be accepting pre-orders shortly.

Shield will arrive with access to Google Play (and the full suite of Google services), TegraZone, Sonic 4 Episode II THD, Expendable: Rearmed, Hulu Plus, and TwitchTV. Nvidia cites "growing buzz" as the reason for the early launch, but the fresh release date also gives the company a few extra days in the limelight before Microsoft reveals its next-generation Xbox plans on Tuesday 21st May.

The biggest surprise at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show is about to go on sale. The Nvidia Shield, a five-inch portable Android game console that can also stream PC games from a nearby gaming computer, will cost $349 at Newegg, GameStop, Micro Center, Canada Computers, and Nvidia.com when pre-orders begin May 20th. Devices ship by the end of June. Technically, you can actually pre-order one today if you sign up on Nvidia's "notify me" webpage — and there's nothing to keep you from doing that right now. Before you plunk down money on the latest gadget, though, why not read what the fuss is all about?

Two days ago, my esteemed colleague Vlad Savov told you why Nvidia's Project Shield will fail. It's a thought-provoking piece, and one you should read.

I just happen to disagree with practically every point he makes.

Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang has confirmed that the upcoming Project Shield handheld console will be the first of many devices from the company. Speaking with CNET, Huang said that future versions of its Tegra processor will debut in Nvidia gaming devices. The CEO then ruled out the company building a smartphone or tablet and implied that there was a need for a compelling handheld console, saying "I wouldn't build a smartphone or tablet because Asus [and other hardware makers] are doing a fantastic job." The Project Shield console will launch this Spring — check out our video preview for more info.

Nvidia already told us that we shouldn't expect the 5-inch Project Shield handheld gaming system to be a loss-leader, but tonight the company's really driving that message home. On the official Nvidia blog, SVP Tony Tamasi explicitly says "we’ll make our money by selling the device to gamers." He continues on:

Or maybe Nvidia's merely hoping to convince us that the Shield's price will be high, so it can pleasantly surprise us once again when it reveals a lower than expected number.

It didn't take long for the first bombastic announcement of CES 2013, with Nvidia's clamshell Project Shield handheld console stealing the Sunday limelight. This morning I got to grips with this wild new Android portable, gleaning an early idea of the green team's future as a consumer hardware vendor, plus a better idea of the performance of the all-new Tegra 4 system-on-chip. Our first hands-on video, photos and impressions can be found below.

A gray-haired but still leather-clad Jen-Hsun Huang ascended the CES stage last night to reveal what may well end up being the most audacious product announcement of this year’s show: Project Shield. The culmination of half a decade’s worth of research and development, Shield is a portable gaming console with no lesser an ambition than the root transformation of the way we play games. With it, Nvidia is hoping to do for gaming what Netflix did for movies or the Kindle achieved with e-books. Revolution, not evolution.

Now let’s talk about why Nvidia’s revolution will fail.

Nvidia has just announced at its CES press conference that its new Shield handheld gaming device can connect to users' home PCs to stream and play games. To work, users need an Nvidia Kepler-based graphics card (GTX 650 or GTX 660M or higher), which utilizes a piece of software in GeForce Experience. Games streamed to the device must also support controller input, though Nvidia says some games without controller support can be played by mapping control buttons to the Shield's inputs. The move will allow PC gamers to extend their game sessions to the handheld or through Shield to their TVs without having to lug their computer towers or gaming laptops over to the living room.

In a demo on stage, Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang played Assassin's Creed III through Steam on the Shield handheld. Nvidia also demonstrated Steam's Big Picture Mode, which passed through the Shield from the PC, ending up on a television. There's no word on a full list of compatible PC games yet, but Nvidia says it will provide one closer to release. And, of course, the Shield won't just play PC games; as a native Android device running the latest version of Jelly Bean, Shield also allows users to play Android games from the Play Store.

Nvidia has just unveiled a new handheld gaming system called Project Shield. Project Shield is powered by the Tegra 4 processor and can play console-quality games while still providing a mobile experience. The processor is capable of pushing 4K resolution video over HDMI to external displays. It includes advanced sound processing that Nvidia says rivals Beats Audio-equipped laptops, and a 33Wh battery that provides five to ten hours of play time or 24 hours of HD video playback. It features a 5-inch, 720p Retinal multitouch display with 294ppi pixel density, and has a slot for micro-SD card expansion. The Shield runs Android — pure Android without a skin, as Nvidia insists — and includes Google's apps for Gmail and the Play Store.

In addition to supporting all of the games available to Android devices and the games in the Tegra Zone, the Shield also has the ability to stream games from a home Windows PC equipped with a GeForce GTX 650 (or higher) graphics card to the handheld device over Wi-Fi, letting users access their library of PC games, including games in the Steam library, anywhere in their home. It access the games on the home PC and run them virtually on the Shield. In the future, Nvidia says that it will add support to stream content from the Shield to a television wirelessly, so you can watch video and play games on your TV display without being tethered by wires. Of course, with support for the standard Android platform, the Shield also has access to the hundreds of thousands of apps that are available in the Google Play Store.

Nvidia has just announced its next-generation Tegra 4 processor for smartphones, tablets, and notebooks. The Tegra 4, like its predecessor, features a quad-core processor along with a fifth, low power, core to save battery life. Although it retains the 4-plus-1 setup of Tegra 3, Nvidia's fourth-generation chip is built on an all-new architecture. The company's CEO Jen-Hsun Huang says that Tegra 4 is the world's fastest mobile processor, surpassing everything currently on the market. Nvidia hasn't revealed the clock speed of the Tegra 4's processor yet, but it does say that it has 72 GPU cores — we imagine its referring to CUDA cores here. Although it hasn't been confirmed, it's been rumored that Tegra 4 is produced using a new 28nm manufacturing process — a step up from Tegra 3's 40nm — and should help improve power consumption despite Tegra 4's improved power.

Tegra 3 failed to find its way into as many devices as Qualcomm's Snapdragon not for lack of power, but because of poor battery life. Despite its companion core setup, Nvidia couldn't manage to integrate LTE in its chip, which negatively impacted battery life when compared to Qualcomm's integrated setup. Unfortunately, the same is true again — Tegra 4 doesn't have an LTE chip integrated, so smartphones and tablets with Tegra inside will require an additional cellular modem. Although the latest quad-core Snapdragon smartphones don't have LTE integrated either, Qualcomm is expected to release a chip that does this Spring, while Nvidia is unlikely to manage that until later this year.