NVIDIA Shield Review: At the Crossroads of PC and Mobile Gaming
by Brian Klug on July 31, 2013 12:14 AM ESTI enjoyed the time I spent with NVIDIA Shield. While it isn't perfect, for NVIDIA's first consumer electronic mobile device, it's an amazingly well put together piece of kit. Build quality is so good I told Anand that I wanted to try running it over with my car. I expected NVIDIA to fumble the controller side of the handheld gaming experience, and quite honestly with Shield I have nothing to complain about. The buttons are all tactile and fluid, the analog sticks are great, and the ergonomics leave me without anything to complain about. I remember being worried about weight and balance after seeing Shield and hearing about that the 28.8 watt-hour battery inside, but the shipping device turns all of that mass into feeling like quality rather than a big burden. The one feedback point is what I already gave NVIDIA the first time seeing Shield in person – it needs a bigger 5.5-inch display and 1080p, just buy the LG Display panel used in the LG Optimus G Pro, it's phenomenal. If a smartphone can include that size display, a portable handheld gaming console of this caliber absolutely positively needs it, and that will also help viewing PC gaming content streamed over to Shield. I also strongly believe Shield needs at least a front facing camera, that can't possibly add to the BOM too much.
Is NVIDIA Shield fun to use? It absolutely positively is. Android is still however really nascent as a gaming platform, and I wish that Google had given Shield some sort of extra special status or inclusion in the Android 4.3 love with Google Play Games and Shield as the launch vehicle. Instead it feels like NVIDIA was left to carry Shield on its own here, and that's not their fault, I just wish Google would've put two and two together, maybe a Google Play edition Shield even though it's already running stock Android 4.2.1? The games on Android are fun, there just need to be more of them, and the ones that exist need to of a higher caliber to really sell me. Of course there's always the chicken and egg argument – good Android gaming hardware really wasn't available until recently with set top consoles like Ouya or Android-running HDMI dongles, or of course the handheld format that Shield is. I enjoy playing the titles there are, there's just not quite a killer title you can point to yet.
That's where the PC gaming part comes in, and thank goodness for it. NVIDIA's execution is arguably better than the beta tag implies, with minimal hitching during streaming, impressively low latency, and good support for a number of titles that they've promised will grow. NVIDIA's real strength is on the desktop, and this is the most logical way to leverage it, even if Tegra 4 really becomes something of a thin client in that model. I spent a lot of time enjoying Borderlands 2 from places in my house that are a lot more inviting than the task chair and Ikea desk I sit at all day.
The Tegra 4 part of the story is impressive. Performance on the device is incredibly smooth, I thought I had seen the smoothest possible experience with the latest and greatest quad core SoCs in smartphones, Tegra 4 in this form factor is something to behold. There are parts of some apps I never knew could go so fast. I said in the Nexus 7 review that I wished whatever happened to Tegra 4 that delayed it hadn't, so we could see it in more devices. Shield was a big part of what made me feel that way, especially after seeing and using it in the flesh.
Shield is an impressive product. It's solid, performant, and maybe Android gaming isn't really there yet, but what it does leave me wanting is for NVIDIA to make me a phone.
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This Guy - Thursday, August 1, 2013 - link
My tablet is 1.3 kg and I have no problem using it like a book. At first I lent it against my leg, desk and bed until I got used to the weight. If 500 grams is to heavy for you try resting your elbows on an arm rest while your playing.The device is very elegant. Nvidia is providing gaming with VNC. Try using an openGL game on a wired network with RDC. It sucks and it uses PC hardware. This is an 500 gram handheld android device that lasts for 10 hours.
Please don't be "That Guy." There are links to Dailytech in the side bar if you must use that tone.
RYF - Sunday, August 4, 2013 - link
Ergonomics play a big part is determining if an item can be held for a long time. It is about the weight distributions. E.g. holding a stick of 0.5KG as compared to holding a spherical item of 0.5KG give totally different feeling.Your irresponsible choice of words like "junk", "bias", "ugly" simply shows your prejudice.
Peanutsrevenge - Wednesday, July 31, 2013 - link
You clearly don't handle objects of differing weights, sizes and shapes very often.A 30Kg object can feel lighter than a 15Kg object if it's easy to hold, well balanced and controllable shape if the 15Kg one is awkward.
I remember when Anandtech had almost exclusively readers with an IQ >90.
jeffkibuule - Thursday, August 1, 2013 - link
I miss those days. Guess when you become popular, common sense comments go out the window.nathanddrews - Wednesday, July 31, 2013 - link
Haters gonna hate. Never heard of weight distribution?Refuge - Wednesday, July 31, 2013 - link
I don't see how that could have been considered a rant.Troll perhaps?
superflex - Thursday, August 1, 2013 - link
Maybe you should put down the Xbox controller and pickup a dumbell or barbell once in a while.Or would that hurt you quest to become the ultimate dungeon master?
Sabresiberian - Thursday, August 1, 2013 - link
What is unbelievable is how clueless and stupid some people can be. You have no idea what Brian and Anandtech are about, you are blatantly rude, and are so ignorant about weight and balance I'm surprised you can actually type. And if Anandtech feels that this response to your post goes overboard I'm sorry, but it is no more offensive than someone calling Brian dishonest in any way, and I don't believe in letting bad behavior go unchecked.I used to swing a 1-lb hammer all day long, and there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions over the years, of construction workers who did the same. That's one pound at the end of a stick, swinging it with one hand, not holding it in 2 hands relatively close to your body. Since you are so ignorant let me point out that 1 lb is 454 grams, and that measurement is for the head of the hammer, not the whole hammer. There ar many workers in many fields who deal with a lor more weight than that, 8 or more hours a day, 5 or more days a week.
Oh, and by the way, a regular wireless Xbox 360 controller weighs 265 grams. So, what you are talking abut here is a little over 1/5 a kilo more weight.
I'm sorry that the heaviest thing you lift in your life is a Big Mac and you have no muscle tone. I'm sorry that your Mommy was mean to you all your life and so now you have a bad attitude about everything. Here's a clue though - regardless, you are responsible for your behavior in public, responsible for your physical condition, and responsible for your beliefs. Consider this a wake-up call. Get a clue before you post next time.
Seriously, a good counselor can help a lot, I highly suggest you find one ASAP.
gi_ty - Friday, August 2, 2013 - link
Excellent, well said sir!twotwotwo - Wednesday, July 31, 2013 - link
People hold 7-inch tabs that are 400-500g with one hand and a funny grip. So a little over a half-kilo with two hands and real grips seems doable.