NVidia Shield Details released

[Smudger]

US chipmaker Nvidia has revealed its launch plans for Shield - its handheld video-games console.

It says the Android-powered device will ship to North America in June and be priced at $349 (£229).

That's quite expensive, isn't it?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22540218

[AETAaAS]

Have to agree... The prospect of connecting to your PC and remote gaming might be appealing, but I think some will quickly find going down to a 5' screen with limited controls defeats the point of having such a powerful computer in the first place.

The Shield is also going to be hit from all sides by cheap Android tablets and phones, like the Nexus 7 and virtually every new phone. Tegra exclusive games might give it some appeal but they usually trickle down or get reworked for lower end hardware because that's where developers will make money; and I don't know how highly people care about graphics on mobile games. I might say better than two thirds of potential customers have a smart phone which they can play games on, and if they really wanted a mobile system, they would (or should) get a system which actually offers a significantly different library of games (since the Shield is Android) like the NDS or PS Vita which are quite a lot cheaper.

[phil4]

I can't speak for others but it doesn't work for me for the following reason:

For traditional PC games I've a reasonably high end PC with reasonable sized monitors. I prefer mouse control anyway.

If I'm in the living room I've a big TV and games consoles.

If I'm out and about its not serious games I need and I've already got my phone to hand for those.

So in my life I can't see a niche it fits in, as in each of the above scenarios (most of my life), something else already exists which is a better fit.

I struggle to see how others are too different from the above, but there ae bound to be some otherwise a PS Vita or the little Nintendos wouldn't exist as they do.

So then I see it has to compete with those two mentioned to succeed an I can't see how that is particularly.

[Pob255]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRDt8zdw4AY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olHfZiifvBU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZixJN3vc_Q

I'm not sure it's going to have a massive market esp at that price.
I suspect it's going to hit similar sales issues that sony has had with the vita.
It's a hand held console, with slightly higher performance and resolution than the vita, the fact that it's a hand held console not a phone means it's going to be far better for playing more traditional console games than a phone, the way you can stream from your pc from your pc and hook it up to a tv via hdmi at the same time means you can effectively use it as a normal console replacement as well as a portable. (because it's streaming from a pc you'll get better graphics than the current consoles)

However I do think that the price is going to be a major sticking point for many and with the next gen of consoles finally on the horizon I'm really not sure it will sell well.

[Dooms]

I'm been looking into the best way to get steam big picture on my livingroom TV and this is looking like the best option (Ignoring its other features) as other HDMI over Wifi options are even more expensive

To be honest this Wifi Stream of Steam Big Picture mode is what the 'Steambox' should be.

[Shirty]

How much was the PSP at launch? I'm pretty sure it was $100 less than this and they had to slash the price even more soon after release just to shift some stock.

I think this is a proof of concept from Nvidia, just to showcase what can currently be done. I expect they will sell a few to some of the more affluent peeps who just want the best, but this will not be a big selling line.

Mind you, next to a similarly specced smartphone it actually looks quite good value, but we're a fickle bunch aren't we?

[big_hairy_rob]

5" screen, limited controls? Sounds an awful lot like the smartphone I already own.... Now just why would I need this gadget?

[Pob255]

Then I suggest you keep reading, it's got far better controls than any smart phone.

Why you would want it? Do you want to play your pc games when not at your pc? or on a big TV? and still be able to play other games when out and about on a dedicated device so you don't flatten your phone battery?
If the answer to any of these is yes then it's a thing to look into, if the answer is no then you will probably have no interest in it.