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The Nvidia Shield Tablet from all its angles (pictures)

What do you get when you take the Tegra Note 7 and cross it with the Nvidia Shield? Why, the Shield Tablet, of course.

Eric Franklin
Eric Franklin led the CNET Tech team as Editorial Director. A 20-plus-year industry veteran, Eric began his tech journey testing computers in the CNET Labs. When not at work he can usually be found at the gym, chauffeuring his kids around town, or absorbing every motivational book he can get his hands on.
Eric Franklin
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1 of 15 James Martin/CNET

The gaming tablet

The Nvidia Shield Tablet may be the most powerful portable device ever. It houses Nvidia's Tegra K1 processor, which has a 192-core GPU. This means the K1 is -- on paper, at least -- has more GPU horsepower than the Xbox 360 or the PS3. We've yet to have a chance to benchmark the K1, so we can't yet confirm those claims definitively.

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Front speakers

Like the Tegra Note 7, the Shield Tablet features front-facing speakers.

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Dual cameras

Pictured here is the Shield Tablet's 5-megapixel front-facing camera. There's also a 5-megapixel shooter on the back.

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Connections

From left to right: headphone jack, Mini-HDMI, and Micro-USB. I believe the grille on the left is an air vent.

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From left to right: power button, volume rocker, microSD slot, and a SIM card slot for the LTE version of the tablet.

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Stand

The Nvidia-made stand/cover is available for $40/£25 (Australian pricing is as yet unavailable).

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A surprise

Some appear to appreciate styli on tablets. The Tegra Note included one, as will the Shield Tablet.

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The pen

Physically, the Shield Tablet's pen feels like a conventional stylus.

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The rear

Here is a good shot of the 5-megapixel rear camera.

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The Shield Tablet can act as an Android gaming console once hooked up to your television.

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Control

The $60/£50 controller for the Shield Tablet feels quite similar to the original Shield's controls, with a nearly identical layout.

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Lighter

Of course, the new controller feels a lot lighter than holding the original Shield portable.

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About right

The Shield Tablet's controller feels about as big as an Xbox 360 or Xbox One controller.

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The back

The controller feels comfortable in my hands, but I was initially disappointed that the shoulder triggers didn't have as much resistance as those on the original Shield.

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Bumpers

The bumpers also felt a bit too "clicky," which in my brain translated to "cheap." I only spent a few seconds with it, though, so that impression could change.

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