Production Nvidia Shield showed off at Computex
Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang used a final production model during his demo of multiscreen gaming at the trade show in Taiwan.
TAIPEI -- In a demo showing Nvidia's vision for multiscreen technology at Computex, CEO Jen-Hsun Huang showed off its first final production model of the Nvidia Shield. This Android gaming device was unveiled at CES 2013, and will be available to U.S. customers at the end of June. Preorders started two weeks ago.
While the form factor of the production model is largely similar to that of the prototype shown at CES, there have been tweaks since. According to Huang, the Nvidia team concentrated on refining the feel of the buttons, directional controllers and triggers.
Changes have also been made to the connector panel at the back, though the ports available are still the same.
The front faceplate comes in silver by default, but this can be swapped out for one of a different color or design. It is magnetically attached to the Shield, and feels very secure when it snaps into place.
Other specifications of the $349 Shield are a 1,280x720-pixel 5-inch touch screen, the Android OS, and a 1.9GHz Tegra 4 processor with 2GB of RAM. It can run all Android apps, though not everything on Google Play may necessarily be optimized for use with the controller. Another of its key feature is the ability to stream PC games running on a high-end PC with Nvidia hardware.
When asked about international availability, Huang said the company is trying to go as fast as it can, but will concentrate on getting things right in the U.S. first. No approximate date was given, so those in other parts of the world who want to get their hands on the Nvidia Shield will probably have to buy one through friends in the U.S. for now.
Related links
• First impressions: Nvidia Shield
• Nvidia: Here's how we built our Shield game player
• Nvidia Shield slams into stores in June for $349
• Computex 2013: All the latest news