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Forget about the next Xbox and PlayStation, the next generation of gaming devices will be here in Q2 2013 from Nvidia.
Project SHIELD is a TEGRA 4-powered handheld gaming device with a high definition touch screen and game controller capable of playing Android titles accessed on Google Play and streaming PC titles.
Android launch titles for Project SHIELD will include Arma Tactics, Blood Sword, Burn Zombie Burn, Dead Trigger 2, Real Boxing, Rochard, and more.
“Project SHIELD was created by Nvidia engineers who love to game and imagined a new way to play,” said Jen-Hsun Huang, co-founder and chief executive officer at Nvidia. “We were inspired by a vision that the rise of mobile and cloud technologies will free us from our boxes, letting us game anywhere, on any screen. We imagined a device that would do for games what the iPod and Kindle have done for music and books, letting us play in a cool new way. We hope other gamers love SHIELD as much as we do.”
Tegra 4 at its Heart
At the core of Project SHIELD is the new Nvidia Tegra 4, which features a custom 72-core GeForce GPU and the first quad-core application of ARM’s most advanced CPU core, the Cortex-A15. We’re promised six times the GPU horsepower of Tegra 3. These, combined with its battery-saver core and energy-saving PRISM 2 technology, promise to deliver hours of gameplay on a single charge.
Windows and Android Games
Windows and Android are the world’s most successful computing platforms, with massive ecosystems of system and software developers. While not specifically designed for gaming, both open platforms have drawn gamers by the millions. Project SHIELD is designed to allow them to enjoy Android and Windows games in a new, exciting way.
Project SHIELD can instantly download Android games, including Android-optimized titles available on Nvidia’s TegraZone game store, which has already delivered more than 6 million downloads to gamers. It can also be used as a wireless game receiver to a nearby PC equipped with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 650 GPU or higher.
Console-Grade Controller
Project SHIELD’s ergonomic controller was built for the gamer who wants ultimate control and precision.
Retinal Gaming Display
Integrated 5-inch, 1280×720 HD retinal multitouch display, with 294 dpi. Plus, Tegra 4 with Direct Touch technology gives it touch responsiveness that is a more consistent, accurate and smooth-flowing touch input experience than a standard touch device.
Tuned Port, Bass Reflex Portable Speaker System
Deep, rich audio is critical for a great gaming experience. And Project SHIELD provides fidelity and dynamic range never before available on a portable device, through its custom, bass reflex, tuned port audio system – with twice the low-frequency output of high-end laptops.
Mark Rein, vice president and co-founder of Epic Games, said: “With Project SHIELD, Nvidia brings an uncompromising, high-performance console experience to mobile devices. Amazing games including Real Boxing and Hawken, which utilize the latest Unreal Engine technology, look fantastic on Project SHIELD. This is just the beginning, and we’re truly excited to see what more Unreal Engine developers will do with so much horsepower in such a compact gaming device.”
We weren’t expecting this, and it’s certainly exciting to see new hardware on the horizon, but Android gaming devices have tried and failed before. A tempting launch price and developer support will be vital if Nvidia is to have any chance of succeeding with the device.
Tegra 4, however, sounds like a beefy upgrade of the already popular third iteration of the chipset and should make its way into many a phone and tablet in the coming months.
Source: Press release
