Nvidia has announced the launch date and price for its portable Android games console which was once called Nvidia Project Shield but now will simply be called the Nvidia Shield. The handheld console will be launched in June in North America and will be priced at $349, equivalent to around £230.
Nvidia are taking pre-orders from 20th May on its own special dedicated website and also via popular North American electronics stores such as Newegg, GameStop, Micro Center and Canada Computers. People who had previously signed up to be notified about the release of this new handheld will have the “exclusive opportunity” to pre-order from Nvidia right now.
The green team herald the Shield console thus; “A console-grade controller. A high-definition, 720p HD retinal display. The rich graphics and blazing performance of Tegra 4 – the world’s fastest mobile processor. These pieces, put together by a company full of gaming fanatics, add up to an amazing new open platform gaming portable. It’s the best way to play Android games. And because it’s an Android device, it works with both Tegra-optimized and regular Android games – as well as Android apps.”
Nvidia reminds us that the Shield handheld console can play Android games straight from Google Play, specially optimised Nvidia TegraZone games and PC Steam games when combined with your GeForce GTX GPU-powered PC – via Wi-Fi streaming (this is slated as a beta feature initially).
As a reminder, these are the Nvidia Shield specs:
|
Processor |
NVIDIA Tegra 4 Quad Core Mobile Processor with 2GB RAM |
|
Display |
5-inch 1280x720 (294 ppi) Multi-Touch Retinal Quality Display |
|
Audio |
Integrated Stereo Speakers with Built-in Microphone |
|
Storage |
16GB Flash Memory |
|
Wireless |
802.11n 2x2 Mimo Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS |
|
Connectivity |
Mini-HDMI output, Micro-USB 2.0, MicroSD storage slot, 3.5mm stereo headphone jack with microphone support |
|
Motion Sensors |
3 Axis Gyro, 3 Axis Accelerometer |
|
Input controls |
Dual analogue joysticks, D-pad, Left/right analogue triggers, Left/right bumpers, A/B/X/Y buttons, Volume control, Android Home and Back buttons, Start button, NVIDIA power/multi-function button |
|
Battery |
28.8 Watt Hours |
|
Weight & Size |
579 grams, 158mm (w) x 135mm (D) x 57mm (H) |
|
Operating System |
Android Jelly Bean |
|
Software |
Google Play, TegraZone, Sonic 4 Episode II THD, Expendable: Rearmed |
Now we know the price that Nvidia intend to charge for this handheld quite a few issues and questions arise. Firstly the Shield is considerably more expensive than any established handheld on the market today, such as those from Sony and Nintendo. If the console crosses the Atlantic at the all-too-common dollar to pound exchange rate of 1:1 then it won’t be snapped up in the UK where big screen Android smartphones are viable gaming (and more) alternatives.
The BBC talked to the MCV gaming industry news editor who said “The market for handheld consoles is struggling in face of competition from smartphones, so the first question you have to ask yourself is what is the market for a dedicated Android gaming device”. He continued to explain “Even if you believe a market exists, $349 is a lot of money. People aren't spending that at the moment on the Wii U which is a home console, I find it hard to believe they'd spend it on a handheld.”
Do you think Nvidia has overpriced its new console?
