Nvidia Shield Portable Games Console Review

Final Thoughts

Price

The Nvidia Shield is available to purchase directly from Nvidia for just $199.00 after a recent reduction that took it down from $249.00, even at the older price it’s still a great deal. Prices do vary from retailer to retailer and it’s worth shopping around for any better offers (obviously), but given the feature set on offer, I think this is superb value for money.

There are optional costs to the console should you wish to use all features, these include (but are not limited to) the official carry case for an extra $39.99m custom top covers for around $19.99 and 3rd party accessories. To improve functionality you can buy a micro-USB to USB adaptor, this can be used to hook up a range of USB devices such as storage, keyboard, headsets, controllers and more. While you can also get a USB to RJ45 adaptor to provide an optional wired connection and let us not forget a mini-HDMI to HDMI to hook it up to your TV, fortunately each will only set you back a few pounds / dollars.

Overview

Nvidia has made something truly unique with the Nvidia Shield, it’s an ambitious device and one that I feel has a place in the market, although I’m not sure there are many consumers out there who think they need it. The range of features on this device is nothing short of staggering, compared to your average tablet or competing Android gaming devices from the likes of GameStick, Mad Catz and a few others, the Shield is in a completely different league. It acts as a console, a multimedia hub, a portable gaming / entertainment system, it offers much of the features of any high-end tablet and much more.

Nvidia have been keen to stress the importance of their GameStream features, allowing you to streaming your PC games from your compatible PC gaming rig or gaming laptop directly to the portable. This can be done via a wired connection, WiFi or even remotely should you have fast enough connection speeds where ever you are in the world and a decent enough ping time. As a concept it’s impressive, in practice it works extremely well, but in reality it’s pretty pointless. I have said to my friends that streaming my high-end PC gamers to the coach, or to my bedroom, when I’m merely 10ft from my PC is incredibly stupid, but because I can do it, I can’t stop! There is something magical about playing Batman Arkham City on Ultra graphics settings on a handheld, even more impressive when I could theoretically play it while I’m laid in bed, without the need for a larger gaming notebook. Despite this being the focus Nvidia put on the hardware, it really is just a side feature, a bonus, a welcome treat. The real magic is in the core functionality of the Android OS, being able to run any of the thousands of Android titles, including all the free-to-play ones, with full controller support is awesome.

I hate mobile gaming, pretty much always have. Of course I enjoy a few games when I’m bored on the train or while waiting for friends, but it’s a massive drain on mobile battery life, my device (HTC One X+) gets incredibly hot to touch and touch screen controls really suck for many of the game styles I enjoy (RPG and racing). All of these problems are gone with the Shield, the battery is a 7350 mAh rechargeable lithium-ion, which puts the battery in nearly every other mobile device completely to shame. Steaming games will work for ten hours, you’ll get around 5 hours on high-end Tegra games! Plus with a super bright, HD touch screen to gaze at, a full size analogue controller to hold and a pair of very powerful stereo speakers, you’ll never want to game on your phone again. The Shield is obviously bigger than your phone, but it’s clam-shell design means it’s easy to chuck in your backpack when traveling.

Pros

• Class leading performance
• Extensive feature set
• High-quality touch screen
• Powerful speakers
• Extensive connectivity options (although many require 3rd party adaptors)
• Console mode
• Impressive battery life
• Customisable covers
• Google Play offers hundreds of thousands of apps from day one

Cons

• Its unique approach may put off many consumers who want something more “simple”.

Neutral

• Requires a good quality router for WiFi game streaming

eTeknix says: “I think Nvidia are facing an uphill battle in terms of marketing, there is a fiercely competitive and much more established portable console market from the likes of Sony and Nintendo, while many of us also already have tablets, smartphones and other devices that do a pretty good job of mobile gaming. The kicker for Nvidia of course is that anyone I know that has tried the Shield has quickly become a convert to the green side. If you think mobile gaming sucks (like I did), then it’s because you’ve not played on one of these, it’s a simple as that. It’s a big investment, but still great value for money and the range of features is enough to keep you tinkering and experimenting with the Shield for a very long time.”