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NVIDIA has just taken the wraps off an exciting product that hopes to transform the NVIDIA Shield from a mobile gaming device into the centerpiece of your living room entertainment with the NVIDIA Shield Android TV. It’s the world’s first Android TV console and it joins the Shield Portable and Shield Tablet as “the central member of the SHIELD family of devices” … I guess it completes the triforce.
Combined with “Grid” – what NVIDIA says is thousands of gaming super computers in the cloud, built to stream you the planet’s most elite games- NVIDIA themselves claim their product is the “Netflix for gaming”. If they can achieve that status, the NVIDIA Shield will be nothing short of a blockbuster success, but they’ve got a few small hurdles on the way… including Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9Yu3u8yl9I
It’s an ambitious goal, but I think there are two important things to remember here:
- If this is the direction gaming is headed, NVIDIA is way ahead of the curve
- NVIDIA knows gaming like the back of their controller
The new NVIDIA Shield Android TV console will go on sale in May for $199. You’ll get the console, one controller, and access to all of your Google Play Store content with optional accessories for purchase including gaming controllers, remote control for the TV, and a stand to make the NVIDIA Shield stand vertically.
Although not many households have them yet it’s important to note that the NVIDIA Shield Android TV is able to play 4K TV content. That’s pretty impressive for a little $199 box. And all those console quality games available via The Grid? Shield can stream them at 1080p and 60fps frames a second. It’ll be interesting to see how this balance between the Grid and games found on the Google Play Store is struck.
NVIDIA Shield Specs:
- NVIDIA Tegra X1 processor
- 256-core Maxwell GPU
- 3GB RAM
- 4K Ultra-HD Ready with 4K playback and capture up to 60 fps
- 7.1 and 5.1 surround sound pass through over HDMI
- 16GB Storage
- 1 Gigabit Ethernet
- 802.11ac 2×2 MIMO 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 4.1/BLE
- HDMI 2.0
- Two USB 3.0 ports
- Micro-USB 2.0
- MicroSD slot
- IR Receiver
- Weight – 23oz / 654g
- Height: 5.1in / 130mm
- Width: 8.3in / 210mm
- Depth: 1.0in / 25mm
One of the most exciting features I see above doesn’t relate to gaming at all… it’s finally an Android TV that has an ethernet port! Yay!
Press Release
NVIDIA Launches Its First Living-Room Entertainment Device
New SHIELD Android TV Console Brings 4K Entertainment to Every Home –
Harnessing Tegra X1, Android TV OS and GRID Game-Streaming ServiceSAN FRANCISCO—Game Developers Conference—March 3, 2015—NVIDIA 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 Edition™ 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, CDPROJEKTPricing 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.
If grid really works this is the beginning of the end of consoles. Maybe this is why all the consoles went ati nvidia decided to compete on their own. Also the telecoms better hurry up their fiber buildouts
Idk of I’d go that far. At $199 it’s not much cheaper than the Xbox one or ps4. Plus most households probably don’t have a internet connection capable of streaming games at 1080p 60fps.
And what capability exactly would that be? What’s the data rate of 1080p at 60fps over a network?
I don’t know. I imagine you’d have to at least get over 10 mbps connection for a 1080p resolution but with a increased framerate as well it’d probably have to be more than that. The average speed in the U.S is 8.7 mbps.
My Birthday present!!!!!
The whole time I was hoping for them to spend just a few minutes to announce a shield tablet refresh.
The conference just wasn’t exciting. I mean the product was cool and all, but they spent the majority of it announcing old games for it… I understand it was to show off the power of the device, but it made for a very boring conference. The whole thing could have been over in less than 45 minutes. Streaming games isn’t new to consumers; Onlive, Gaikai, and more recently, Playstation Now have been here for a while. While Grid looks promising, they made it sound like it was the best thing ever (first in the world! 50+ games! 100+ by the end of the year!).
$200 is a little expensive compared to other Android TVs, but I get where they’re coming from. But this, of course, doesn’t include the cost of the streaming service which’ll probably be a pretty penny…
Overall, kinda disappointed. Probably because of the lack of tablet refresh.
It is a $140 Android TV box+$60 Shield Controller so I was hopeing for a $150 price for the box itself becuase of the X1 and I don’t mind paying a little more for that kind of power compared to the likes of Kindle Fire TV and Nexus Player. So yeah I am getting a slight discount then what I was willing to pay for a Shield TV. So its a win in my book
AFAIK, I already have access to the Grid service with my Shield Portable (at least there’s an icon for it anyway). So what exactly is different about this device, other than the fact I can play a bunch of last-gen console ports on it?
What is different is that it happens on your TV rather than on your portable. And it runs Android TV so you get that entertainment experience that has been optimized for voice input and TV designed media streaming apps.
I can hook my Shield Portable up to a TV via HDMI. That leaves the media streaming stuff, which you can get on a stick that comes in boxes of Cracker Jacks these days. I REALLY don’t want to talk to my TV/remote. I don’t personally know anyone else who does either.
How many “freemium” games will this play?
not too bad….i really dont think xbox/ps4 owners would jump ship to go spend 200 bucks on one of these though. I think its priced too high to gain any kind of solid traction.
Will this be mainstream? Ie buy at Walmart etc? Will they have the marketing of xbox or PS4? Those are big hurdles to get over
That would be a hard sell for me… $200 bones for a new gaming system that streams when I only have DSL in my area. The concept is cool but I would have to see how much of a following it gets before I would drop money on it.
It does not just stream, they are porting a lot of AAA games to Android to play on it.
On top of that you can always stream games from your Gaming PC to the shield TV as well. Just like the rest of the Shield Lineup
For me I’m going to wait to see what happens when the next Android OS update gets pushed out. I’m sure my Nexus Player will be just fine. But Nvidia will then have to prove themselves with a timely update….if not then I’m not buying and I’ll keep my Nexus Player. I’ve already been burned twice with a couple Google TV devices.
It doesn’t only just steam games, it plays most Android apps and games, plus all Nvidia exclusive ones, including games made specifically for the new X1 chip.
Nice but they should have included more internal storage.
It is expandable via SD slot.
Hot damn. USB 3.0 ports!
Called it.
You and me both. I basically Said Shield TV and Grid back when they announced the event date.
Now, can we finally start porting over Steam games to Android?
They already announced it will run Borderlands 2, Crysis 3, and Doom 3 at launch, on Android without the Grid… So yes.
Great, so long as I don’t have to keep buying things twice.
Well you are obviously going to have to buy them on Google Play or whatever market Nvidia is going to use for this thing, your Steam copy is not going to transfer over.
That’s what I want, though, ideally: an Android-based Steam box.
Even between Mac, Linux, PC you don’t always get to buy once and play on all three, so it is ridiculous you would expect such on Android.
That’s the whole point of Steamplay. You buy a game once and can play it on Windows, Mac, or Linux devices. Not all games are supported on all platforms, of course. It would be great to finally have Android included in that list.
Not Borderlands 2; Borderlands the Pre-Sequel.
Edit: marketing material show borderlands 2 as well.
Nice.
I saw this coming before the announcement, but then again, it was easy to foresee. Nvidia would be silly not to have jumped on Android TV.
I keep throwing my money at the screen both nothings happening?!
I know what you mean
Try quarters and nickels.
Will it have Play Store?
This is Nvidia we are talking about not Amazon so yes it will have the Android TV store on board. Along with Nvidias Tegra Zone or whatever they may have rebranded it as.
Yes. It will feature the. “Android TV” version of Google Play (featuring a curated selection of apps and games that are tv/hardware controller friendly). On top of this, it will feature Nvidia’s own app and games portal, which features Android games and content exclusively for the system. Clicking on links at the portal will take you to Google Play to make the final purchase.
If that wasn’t enough, there is a game streaming service, featuring PC games that you can play. These games will be streamed from Nvidia’s servers to your PC (for either free, and/or a monthly subscription fee). Although this is great, this service will depend upon your own internet connection speed and how far away your device is from the nearest Nvidia server (currently, they are only in San Diego, California, I think). This service is similar to Sony’s “PlayStation Now” and the original “Onlive” service, so your experience may vary.
The last feature is the ability to privately stream your own collection of games/apps from your PC (providing that it has got an officially supported Nvidia graphics card and specs).
Its basically a $140 box+$60 controller
Article mentions that finally an Android TV with Ethernet…..well it isn’t like it wasn’t possible before… my Nexus Player is connected via Ethernet port. I bought a USB adapter and a USB Ethernet dongle.
it mentions that one finally has an Ethernet *PORT*. Having the port on the device is much nicer/cleaner than the method for the nexus player.
32gb or 64gb and I would buy the day it comes out. Out of the 16gb, what is usable ? Big powerful games and a media device need much more memory. Think I would pass on 16gb
Most games will be streaming and not require space, plus the 16gb is just internal, you can add full size sd card, or usb memory stick, or maybe even an external hard drive. Even with just current technology you could add 256gb with the sd, and another 2x 256gb with 2 usb sticks, and give yourself 750gb more than a psi/xboxone, devices which quickly run out of storage space
Lockdown on the play store means purchased Apps and games go to internal storage.. Play store games like Portal, Half Life, etc..would go to internal memory and so will other ones like Need for Speed and Asphalt 8 (both nearly 2gb each), unless they add the option to install to external SD in the OS (like Samsung still do). This still does not guarantee the app will allow/support it, most Gameloft games dont, This is why I think 16gb is not going to be enough. The developers of The Bards Tale got the install options spot on. You install the game and then specify where you would like the game data to go, wish more developers would do this.
I think the expendable exsd card slot’s function is for “app-to-sd” features. The device seems to support up to 128 gig cards for this purpose.
But that already on some phones (like some Samsung phones) and not all apps, especially some of the big ones support it. It doesn’t matter if the hardware supports it. Gameloft and EA games, which are big, generally do not install to the SD card. 32 and 64 gig chips are cheap and I still cant see why they picked 16gb.
Called it :)
https://disqus.com/home/discussion/phandroid/nvidia_schedules_march_3rd_event_to_redefine_the_future_of_gaming/#comment-1848552829