Taking the stage at the Game Developer Conference in San Francisco, Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang announced the company’s latest creation in mobile gaming, the Nvidia Shield console.
Running Android TV, the Nvidia Shield is an Android console powered by the powerful Tegra X1 processor that Nvidia unveiled at CES earlier this year. The strength of Nvidia’s chips has always laid in their graphical processing capabilities, and the beefy Maxwell 256-core GPU inside the Tegra X1 means the Nvidia Shield console can handle state of the art Android games, as well as streamed console games from Nvidia’s Grid service.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9Yu3u8yl9I?feature=oembed&w=710&h=399]
Encased in cast aluminum, the Shield console looks a bit like a slim PS3, but it features Nvidia’s well known angular design accents.
Complementing the Tegra X1 chip are 3 GB of RAM, 16GB of storage (microSD supported), 7.1 audio, 4K playback and capture, and 802.11ac WiFi. The console is fairly portable, at 654 grams and 130x210x25 mm.
Nvidia is promising over 50 Shield-optimized Android games for the device, including some big titles like Crysis 3, Doom 3: BFG Edition and Borderlands: TPS. Thanks to Grid integration, console games like Batman: Arkham Origins, GRID 2 and Metro: Last Light Redux will be available for streaming from Nvidia’s cloud. And, thanks to Android TV, Shield can run hundreds of thousands of apps from the Play Store.
The Nvidia Shield console will go on sale from May at $199, a controller included.
Show Press Release
New SHIELD Android TV Console Brings 4K Entertainment to Every Home — Harnessing Tegra X1, Android TV OS and GRID Game-Streaming Service
SAN FRANCISCO, CA–(Marketwired – Mar 3, 2015) – Game Developers Conference – NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) today introduced NVIDIA® SHIELD™, the world’s first Android™ TV console, which delivers video, music, apps and amazing games to the home.
Built on Android TV, SHIELD can play top-quality 4K video content, includes one-click access to Google Voice Search and provides the richness of Android’s app ecosystem.
SHIELD is a sleek device that comes loaded with cutting-edge NVIDIA technologies, including the recently launched NVIDIA® Tegra® X1 processor.
SHIELD is also the gateway to the NVIDIA GRID™ game-streaming service. Powered by GeForce® GTX™ supercomputers in the cloud, GRID delivers an on-demand “Netflix for games” experience at up to 1080p resolution at 60 frames per second.
“SHIELD will change the way we enjoy digital entertainment at home,” said Jen-Hsun Huang, president and CEO of NVIDIA. “It’s an incredibly powerful, efficient and advanced living room entertainment device. It’s the best Android TV experience. And it can transform into a serious gaming machine. It’s made to game.”
Made to Game
SHIELD — sold with the SHIELD controller made for serious gaming — is a single platform with access to a wealth of great games.
First, 50+ Android titles optimized for SHIELD will be available for download, including AAA titles like Crysis 3, Doom 3®: BFG EditionT and Borderlands: TPS. These can be played at blistering speed, thanks to SHIELD’s Tegra X1 processor, with its 256-core Maxwell™ architecture GPU and 64-bit CPU.
Second, favorite AAA titles, including console games, can be streamed using the GRID on-demand game-streaming service. GRID will include with its subscription price access to 50 titles, such as Batman: Arkham Origins, GRID 2 and Metro: Last Light Redux, with additional titles added each week.
Third, the GRID service can be used to purchase and stream new release AAA titles — including Batman: Arkham Knight and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt coming later this year.
Broad Developer Support
Some of the world’s leading game developers and publishers have embraced SHIELD and the GRID service.
“The incredible processing power of Tegra X1 enables us to bring Doom 3: BFG to Android and we’re excited by the possibilities that GRID is bringing to gaming.”
– Tim Willits, studio director, id Software
“Tegra X1’s enormous processing capabilities running on Android TV gives us access to a much broader audience, and we’re delighted to partner with NVIDIA to explore a variety of exciting possibilities for SHIELD, including the remastering of the survival horror classic,Resident Evil 5.”
– Jun Takeuchi, managing corporate officer, CAPCOM
“SHIELD is definitely made to game and thanks to Tegra X1 we have The Witcher: Battle Arena playing natively on SHIELD. With GRID, we’ll be able to bring new hit games to fans immediately.”
– Benjamin Lee, The Witcher: Battle Arena lead producer, CDPROJEKT
Pricing and Availability
SHIELD will be available in May, starting at $199 with a controller. Optional accessories include additional controllers, a remote control and a stand enabling the device to stand vertically.
SHIELD is the central member of the SHIELD family of devices, complementing the SHIELD tablet, the ultimate tablet for gamers; and the SHIELD portable, the ultimate portable gaming device. More information is available at http://shield.nvidia.com.
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