Shield Portable

Nvidia Shield Portable
Also known as Project Shield
Manufacturer Nvidia
Product family Shield
Type Handheld game console
Generation Eighth generation
Release date July 31, 2013 (2013-07-31)
Introductory price US$199[1]
Operating system Android 4.2.1 (Jelly Bean) (upgradable to Android 5.1 Lollipop)
System-on-chip used Tegra 4
CPU 1.9 GHz GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A15
Memory 2 GB DDR3L RAM
Storage 16 GB flash memory, microSD card reader
Display 5 inches (13 cm) 1280 x 720 px(294 ppi) IPS LCD
Graphics 72 GeForce graphics cores (24 vertex shaders + 48 pixel shaders)[2]
Input Multi-touch capacitive screen, microphone, 3-axis accelerometer, gyroscope, GPS
Controller input D-pad
2 × Analog Sticks
L/R bumper and trigger buttons
X, Y, A, B buttons
NVIDIA/Power Button
Start button
Home button
Volume buttons
Back button
Connectivity 2×2 MIMO 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth 3.0, micro USB 2.0, mini HDMI, 3.5mm audio jack
Power 7350 mAh (28.8 W·h)
Online services Nvidia TegraZone
Google Play
Dimensions 6.22 inches (15.8 cm) (W)
2.244 inches (5.70 cm) (H)
5.315 inches (135.0 mm) (D)
Weight 579 g (20.42 oz)
Related articles Shield Tablet, Tegra Note 7
Website shield.nvidia.com

The Shield Portable is a handheld game console by Nvidia, released on July 31, 2013.[3]

Shield Portable runs on Android Lollipop 5.1, featuring a flip-up 130 mm (5-inch) touchscreen display[4] with 1280x720 pixel resolution.[5] The device is similar in shape to an Xbox 360 controller and similar in control setup to a DualShock controller, with two analog joysticks, a D-pad, and other buttons. It is the first device to use Nvidia's Tegra 4 processor. It was originally called Shield or Nvidia Shield, but since the launch of the Shield Tablet, it is called the Shield Portable.[6]

Features

Through Nvidia's GameStream suite, Shield Portable allows the streaming of games running on a desktop PC equipped with a GeForce GTX 650 or higher video card (formerly known as GeForce PC Streaming). The Android 4.4.2 update for Shield Portable adds Console Mode, which allows a Shield Portable to be connected to a TV at either 720p, 1080p or 4K resolution (either using a wireless connection or MicroHDMI) and controlled with a Bluetooth controller, and software for mapping on-screen control buttons to the device's hardware buttons for Android games which do not natively support them.[7][8]

Alongside the exclusive games available through Nvidia's own TegraZone market, Shield Portable can also access the Google Play store, as with most other Android-based devices.[9][10]

Software updates

Nvidia released SHIELD Portable Software Upgrade 103 on July 23, 2015, which added Android 5.1, Chromecast support to connect to a TV and removes some games that do not work with Android 5.1.[11]

Nvidia released SHIELD Portable Software Upgrade 106 on September 3, 2015.[12]

Critical reception

Nvidia Shield Portable has received mixed reception from critics. Generally, reviewers praised the performance of the device, but criticized the cost and lack of worthwhile games. IGN's Scott Lowe rated the Shield Portable a 6.8/10, noting the "impractical cost and a scarcity of compelling games".[13] Engadget's review noted the system's "extremely impressive PC gaming", but also that due to its high price, the device was "a hard sell as a portable game console", especially when compared to similar handhelds on the market.[14] CNET's Eric Franklin states in his review of the device that "The Nvidia Shield is an extremely well made device, with performance that pretty much obliterates any mobile product before it; but like most new console launches, there is currently a lack of available games worth your time."[15] Eurogamer's comprehensive review of the device provides a detailed account of the device and its features; concluded by saying: "In the here and now, the first-gen Shield Portable is a gloriously niche, luxury product - the most powerful Android system on the market by a clear stretch and possessing a unique link to PC gaming that's seriously impressive in beta form, and can only get better." [16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Hollister, Sean (March 25, 2014). "Nvidia Shield price drops to $199 alongside new features". The Verge. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  2. ↑ "NVIDIA Details Tegra 4 and Tegra 4i Graphics". PCPerspective. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  3. ↑ "NVIDIA Shield ships July 31st, barely meets delayed launch window". Engadget. 21 July 2013. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
  4. ↑ Kelion, Leo (January 7, 2013). "BBC News - CES 2013: NVIDIA unveils Project Shield gaming console". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-06-30.
  5. ↑ Elia "Rain" Niccolini (January 9, 2013). "Project Shield, NVIDIA's new console". EIR Games (in Italian).
  6. ↑ "Nvidia Shield Tablet Features and Price". Android Authority. Android Authority. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  7. ↑ "NVIDIA Consolidates Game Streaming Tech Under GameStream Brand; Announces Shield Console Mode". Anandtech. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  8. ↑ "Is Nvidia's Shield worth $300? We debate the math". PC World. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  9. ↑ "Stream and Play Android Games - NVIDIA SHIELD". Shield.nvidia.com. Retrieved 2013-06-30.
  10. ↑ "NVIDIA Newsroom - Releases - NVIDIA Untethers Gaming With Project SHIELD". Nvidianews.nvidia.com. Retrieved 2013-06-30.
  11. ↑ NVIDIA Shield Portable Software Upgrade 103 released Retrieved 23 July 2015
  12. ↑ https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/874078/shield-portable/nvidia-shield-portable-software-upgrade-106-9-3-15-/
  13. ↑ Lowe, Scott (July 30, 2013). "Android handheld of the future. Not today.". IGN. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  14. ↑ Gilbert, Ben (July 31, 2013). "NVIDIA Shield review". Engadget. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  15. ↑ Franklin, Eric. "Nvidia Shield Review". Reviews.cnet.com. Retrieved 2013-08-02.
  16. ↑ Leadbetter, Richard. "Nvidia Shield review". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 2013-08-12.

External links

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