In a shocking reveal at CES, PC hardware manufacture Nvidia announced it's entry into the handheld gaming market with their "Project Shield" handheld device. Shaped like a traditional controller, the "Shield" packs some impressive hardware features that one would expect from a top-tier PC company. Some of the features the Shield offers are as follows:
- Runs on the Android operating system
- Tegra 4 (72 cores)
- It can play 4k videos and "drive" 4k TV sets
- 5-inch, 720p Retinal multi-touch display with 294ppi pixel density
- The 5 inch touchscreen has a customization plate
- Custom bass reflex system with tuned ports for sound.
- "Traditional" controller layout (pressure sensitive triggers, clickable analog sticks)
- Micro SD support.Audio out, Hdmi Out, USB support.
- 5-10 hours of gaming battery life or 24 hours of HD video playback
- Stream from PC technology, similar to the Wii U
- Cloud gaming network (Google App Store and "NVIDIA TegraZone")
- Local Multiplayer through wireless networks
It's always great to see a new player in the hardware game, but this one leaves me confused. With no dedicated fan base or name in the hand held market, who is Nvidia targeting? On top of this, with another Android based home console being released later this year (the OYUA), it there enough room on the market for two dedicated Android devices on top of the countless smartphones available to the public? The Google App store does have some great games, but none that truly stand out, nor necessitate the use of a dedicated device.
Either way, I'd love to know everyone's thoughts on this. Feel free to subscribe to me here or follow me on twitter @NicholasGigante to let me know!
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