Review: Nvidia Shield Tablet

Conclusion

The Shield Tablet is a logical addition to a mobile product line designed primarily to showcase the capabilities of Nvidia's Tegra SoCs. Bridging the gap between the formulaic Tegra Note 7 and the niche Shield Portable, Shield Tablet utilises a cutting-edge Tegra K1 processor to deliver what can rightfully be dubbed the ultimate tablet for gamers.

Whether it's Android gaming or streaming titles direct from a GeForce GTX-powered PC, Shield Tablet has the power and the technology to deliver a fluid and enjoyable experience. And the permutations are plentiful: add a Steam Controller, hook it up to a big-screen TV and you have an Android-powered games console with massive potential.

Shield Tablet's gaming credentials are unmistakable, yet it would be remiss of us not to mention the device's strengths as an everyday tablet. Take away the controller and Gamestream, and you still have one of the quickest Android tablets on the market, complete with 2GB of memory, excellent stereo speakers, a very handy stylus, dual 5MP cameras, expandable storage and solid build quality throughout. A higher-res display would have been preferred, but from a hardware perspective Shield Tablet ticks a lot of boxes at the £240 price point.

Nvidia has built a tablet that's undoubtedly strong on various fronts, however there's one crucial piece of the puzzle that's still missing: high-quality Android games. As it stands, Shield Tablet is a device with promise, but it needs developers to harness the power of Tegra K1 to deliver a truly outstanding games-playing experience.

Bottom line: for PC gamers in the market for an Android portable, Shield Tablet makes a lot of sense. For everyone else, it may pay to wait for the software ecosystem to catch up.

The Good

Gamestream makes PC gaming portable
Class-leading GPU performance
5MP cameras front and back
Convincing stereo speakers
Seamless Twitch integration
Built-in DirectStylus 2
Stock Android with promise of updates

The Bad

Limited outdoor visibility
Low-res for a flagship tablet
Android still lacks killer games

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Nvidia Shield Tablet

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The Nvidia Shield Tablet is available to pre-order from Dab, Ebuyer, Novatech, Overclockers, PCSpecialist and Scan Computers*.

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