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Nvidia confirms Shield portable console will come to the UK

Nvidia's Android-powered portable console will hit the UK, but the company isn't sure exactly when.

Joe Svetlik Reporter
Joe has been writing about consumer tech for nearly seven years now, but his liking for all things shiny goes back to the Gameboy he received aged eight (and that he still plays on at family gatherings, much to the annoyance of his parents). His pride and joy is an Infocus projector, whose 80-inch picture elevates movie nights to a whole new level.
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Joe Svetlik
2 min read

Nvidia's Shield has been available in the US since last summer, but so far us Brits have been left wanting. We will see it at some point though, as Nvidia has confirmed the gadget will come to UK shores. It's just not sure when.

Asked by TechRadar if the Shield would make it to Blighty, Luciano Alibrandi, Nvidia's director of corporate communications, said: "It will come. It's just a question of when."

Though in another interview, Nvidia seemed less certain of a UK launch. Nvidia's Igor Stanek told Gizmodo UK that the focus was on the Shield's current territories. "For now, the Shield is available in the US, Canada, and Hong Kong," he said. "When we really see a potential [for expansion], then it could reach other territories."

I've contacted Nvidia for clarification and will update this story if I hear back.

Update: An Nvidia spokesperson has responded with this statement: "All I can officially say is that Shield was a brand new business for us and selling a consumer electronics product directly to the end-user from Nvidia was an opportunity for us to learn and to connect with our users in a new way. We had a lot to learn, which is why we launched the device in the US and Canada first. Naturally this will see us expand into other territories.

"With regard to seeing Shield in the UK? Just wait and see." I'd take that as a yes. The rest of the original story follows.

While the Shield hasn't launched in the UK yet, you can buy it from Amazon UK through a third-party reseller called GameCyberShop. It costs £244.35, plus a fiver for UK delivery. In the US, the console costs $249 with free delivery.

The Shield runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. As well as playing Android games from Google Play -- just like the Gamestick and Ouya -- the Shield lets you stream PC games from your home machine to the handheld console. This is done through Nvidia's GameStream suite.

The Shield is powered by Nvidia's Tegra 4 processor -- the same chip as used in the Microsoft Surface 2, HP Slate 21 AIO, and Asus Transformer Pad Infinity. So it's in good company.

Android-powered console haven't really taken off so far. Ouya had mixed reviews when it launched due to dodgy hardware. But expect plenty more versions of the console on the way -- Ouya's CEO said it would launch a new model every 12 months, so people could upgrade like they do with their mobiles.

Are you looking forward to the Shield? Will Android-powered consoles and mobile gaming ever replace a dedicated home console like the PS4 or Xbox One? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook page.