Mobile gaming boomed in recent years, but despite this incredible popularity a high-performance mobile device designed for the most discerning gamers failed to materialize. In response we created SHIELD, a portable gaming device marrying incredible graphics and precision controls in an all-in-one portable form factor. Since release, SHIELD has continually improved with the addition of innovative technologies like GameStream and Console Mode, and a growing library of blockbuster games titles like Half-Life 2 and Portal.
Serious gamers want amazing game experiences whenever and wherever, be that at home on their PC, or on the go. This is why we built SHIELD, to deliver spectacular gaming to dedicated gamers anywhere, anytime. Today, we are expanding our SHIELD family with the release of SHIELD tablet and SHIELD wireless controller. Designed with gamers in mind, the SHIELD tablet offers PC-grade performance, crystal clear audio, and the best entertainment and gaming content. Pair it with the optional SHIELD wireless controller and you have the ultimate tablet experience for PC and Android gamers. Designed from the ground-up to be the ultimate gaming tablet, delivering perfect mix of power, portability and performance, SHIELD tablet is the only game in town.
At the heart of SHIELD tablet is NVIDIA Tegra K1, the world's fastest mobile processor, which taps into the same Kepler architecture that powers the world's fastest gaming PCs. And like SHIELD portable, SHIELD tablet includes NVIDIA GameStream technology that lets you play your PC games anywhere and everywhere. Front-facing dual bass stereo speakers and a class-leading IPS screen ensure every game, song and podcast is incredibly crisp and clear, and paired with the optional SHIELD wireless controller gamers will discover a whole new level of gaming performance and control in Android titles like War Thunder, and in fast-paced PC games like Titanfall. Artists, meanwhile, can use the bundled, GPU-accelerated NVIDIA DirectStylus 2 to get creative with the freely included NVIDIA Dabbler hyper-realistic watercolor and 3D Painting app.
Available for pre-order today, SHIELD tablet starts at $299 and includes a free copy of Trine 2: Complete Story, a PC game made possible by the power of Tegra K1. Devices and accessories will ship to pre-order customers and stores in North America on July 29th, followed by a European launch on August 14th.
Under the hood, SHIELD tablet's gaming prowess comes courtesy of Tegra K1, the world's fastest mobile processor, capable of rendering PC-grade graphics on "Android L", Google's next-generation Android OS, which will be released as a free update for SHIELD devices later this year. In the meantime, Tegra K1's unbeatable power is being put to expert use in Trine 2: Complete Story, Anomaly 2, Chuck's Challenge 3D: Reloaded, Flyhunter, Half-Life 2, Portal, Pure Chess, Rochard, Siegecraft Commander, The Talos Principle, and War Thunder, many of which are already available to buy in the SHIELD Hub store.
These specially-enhanced Tegra K1 titles feature fidelity-improving GPU-accelerated PhysX effects, screen space ambient occlusion, real-time reflections, real-time refraction, high-dynamic range lighting, detailed shadow maps, higher-precision lighting, and significantly higher rendering resolutions, all of which are only possible on devices powered by Tegra K1.
The $299 16GB Tegra K1 SHIELD gaming tablet, with support for 128GB Micro SD cards, is similarly advanced in all other regards. An 8-inch super-wide angle 1920x1200 multi-touch IPS display ensures a bright, clear picture no matter your viewing position, front-facing dual bass stereo speakers pump out refined, clearly audible sound, and a built-in microphone helps you navigate with voice commands, and chat in games. Front and rear-facing 5 megapixel HDR cameras capture photos and video, and act as webcams in compatible apps, GPS and GLONASS hardware handles all location services, gyro, accelerometer and compass motion sensors add extra gameplay possibilities to compatible games, HDMI-out displays your content on 1080p and 4K HDTVs, and blisteringly fast 5 GHz Wi-Fi ensures an optimum GameStream experience when using GameStream-Ready routers.
The $399 32GB SHIELD tablet adds Micro SIM 4G LTE support in addition to the aforementioned greatness.
In order to provide a great gaming experience for the hundreds of controller-optimized Android games available today, we knew we needed to design a custom game controller from the ground up. The controller needed to have console-grade controls and precision, great wireless performance, and cutting-edge features. Today's Bluetooth controllers did not meet this need. Our solution: SHIELD wireless controller. Designed using a custom Wi-Fi Direct solution, it minimizes latency, enables up to four controllers to be used simultaneously in multiplayer games, and enables bi-directional audio for headset audio and multiplayer VOIP. SHIELD wireless controller also includes navigation controls for both Android (Back and Home) and PC streaming (Start and Select), lacking from today's Bluetooth controllers, a built-in mic for voice search and voice commands, a touch pad, volume control, and a 40 hour rechargeable battery. It is also compatible with SHIELD portable's Console Mode, further improving your HDTV 1080p gaming and entertainment experiences.
SHIELD wireless controller is also compatible with SHIELD portable. Learn more here.
For optimal at-home gaming, and out of the home damage protection, an optional dual-purpose SHIELD tablet cover is available, offering multiple viewing positions and screen protection.
New to SHIELD tablet is ShadowPlay gameplay recording and Twitch streaming, as seen on desktop PCs. Used by tens of millions of PC gamers, ShadowPlay enables gameplay to be quickly and easily captured without fuss, and without a noticeable performance impact. All it takes is a few taps, and your gameplay is captured at up to 1920x1080, ready to be uploaded to YouTube or other services direct from SHIELD tablet.
When streaming to Twitch at up to 1280x720, ShadowPlay's options enable you to activate SHIELD tablet's inward-facing five megapixel camera to use just like a webcam, adding your face to your streams. Similarly, the built-in microphone enables voice and audio capture, which can also be achieved by connecting a headset to the SHIELD wireless controller or the tablet itself. You can even add an on-screen text overlay to monitor messages in your stream chat room.
With GameStream, ShadowPlay, Twitch, GRID Gaming App Beta, Console Mode, Gamepad Mapper, 4-player multiplayer, 4K Ultra-HD Ready HDMI-out, and many more features, SHIELD tablet gives you a multitude of ways to consume, enjoy and share Android games, Tegra-enhanced games, PC games, movies, music, books, and apps. No other tablet offers so much for so little.
Top to bottom, the 221mm x 126mm x 9.2mm, 390 gram SHIELD tablet uses the latest technologies to deliver the ultimate gaming, entertainment and productivity experience to users. At the heart of SHIELD tablet is Tegra K1, a mobile processor derived from the same desktop architecture used for NVIDIA PC graphics cards like the GeForce GTX 780 Ti. In SHIELD tablet, the 32-bit Tegra K1 features 192 Kepler CUDA Cores, and is supported by a 2.2 GHz Quad Core ARM Cortex A15 CPU and 2GB of RAM. An additional CPU core offers battery saving modes that are detailed below.
On July 29th, when SHIELD tablet ships to stores and pre-order customers, and in the coming weeks, the SHIELD Hub app will be inundated with new and updated games that leverage the unmatched power and potential of Tegra K1. Of particular note is a pixel-perfect conversion of popular PC and PS4 free-to-play World War II multiplayer plane and tank action game, War Thunder, which features cross-platform multiplayer, enabling you to battle friends and foes from anywhere in the world on SHIELD tablet. "Only Tegra K1 can run the game without any compromises. Running on anything less will result in a 'cheapened' adaptation of the PC version," said Anton Yudintsev, CEO of Gaijin Entertainment. To see what he means, check out the Tegra K1 War Thunder screenshots below.
Other popular games, such as Anomaly 2, Chuck's Challenge 3D: Reloaded, Flyhunter, Half-Life 2, Portal, Pure Chess, Rochard, and Siegecraft Commander feature significantly improved visuals, which add GPU-accelerated PhysX effects, screen space ambient occlusion, real-time reflections, real-time refraction, high-dynamic range lighting, and higher-precision lighting, to name but a few examples. If you already own the games on another device, re-download to your SHIELD tablet and the enhancements will be automatically enabled.
Tegra K1's industry-leading performance enables the creation of previously-impossible scenes, such as those in War Thunder, but now developers find themselves limited by the capabilities of the Android operating system. "Android L", Google's upcoming next-generation operating system, will rectify the problem, allowing developers to integrate advanced PC effects supported by the desktop-derived technology of Tegra K1. These include, but are not limited to, DirectX 11 tessellation, advanced shaders, texture compression, and future DirectX 12 technologies. To demonstrate the potential of Tegra K1 and Android L, Epic Games rendered their PC Unreal Engine 4 tech demo on a Tegra K1 device:
By using an identical desktop GPU architecture, Tegra K1 devices can replicate and run many of the innovative technologies introduced by GeForce Experience. First and foremost, SHIELD tablet can capture gameplay in both manual and DVR-like modes, and stream directly to Twitch.tv, giving mobile gamers an identical ShadowPlay experience. Similarly, we've implemented a game and application optimization feature, enabling SHIELD tablet to maximize battery efficiency and performance on an app-by-app basis.
For example, if you're playing a single-player, offline puzzle game, SHIELD tablet's "NVIDIA Optimized" mode can reduce the number of used CPU cores, lower the CPU clock speed, limit the frame rate to 30, and disable power-sapping Wi-Fi and 4G LTE features until you stop playing. Likewise, usage and screen brightness can be reduced in apps. When playing a high-fidelity game, the full power of Tegra K1 and the A15 CPU is unleashed, the frame rate unlocked, and all of SHIELD's functions utilized. Additional functionality enables automatic battery mode switching, ensuring you have enough juice remaining to watch your favorite show on the train home that evening.
To display content, such as the aforementioned TV show, we've integrated a high-quality, multi-touch 1920x1200 In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel with super wide viewing angles, ensuring content is always bright and clear even when you're sat on an angle or viewing from off-center. Using the best technology available, the IPS screen is free of motion blurring in fast-paced movies and games, and offers far superior color reproduction in comparison to cheaper Twisted nematic (TN) panels.
Flanking the IPS screen are front-facing stereo speakers, enhanced by NVIDIA technology and a dual bass reflex port. As with the SHIELD portable, the SHIELD tablet's audio is best-in-class with deep bass, making every song, movie, game, audio book, and podcast incredibly crisp and clear. If headphones are required, the top-mounted 3.5mm audio jack accepts any cans you can carry.
At home, you can plug the SHIELD tablet directly into your home cinema system or TV via HDMI for big-screen viewing and surround sound playback. With support for MKV and other high-resolution formats, SHIELD tablet is fully compatible with 4K and Ultra HD TVs, and is capable of 4K playback from streaming and download services.
To support the storage of large files, like 4K movies and graphically advanced games, the SHIELD tablet accepts Micro SD cards of up to 128GB in size, leaving the internal memory free for apps and files that must remain on the device itself.
To download high-def content fast enough to prevent buffering, the SHIELD tablet is equipped with our latest 802.11a/b/g/n 2x2 Mimo 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi technologies, ensuring maximum throughput from your 5GHz router (GameStream-Ready routers recommended for flawless gaming experiences). For remote access, the $399 32GB SHIELD tablet is equipped with 4G LTE, powered by a Micro SIM (cellular compatibility detailed here). Finally, Bluetooth 4.0 LE is included in both models for all your accessory needs, as is GPS and GLONASS for location services and mapping.
If you are on the go protecting your gadgets is vitally important, yet equally the protection should be functional, saving you from endlessly removing the gadget from and placing it into a sleeve or case, leaving the device unprotected while in use. Our solution is a magnetized cover that turns the screen on and off when opened and closed. A soft interior protects your screen from scratches, and a rugged exterior helps prevent against damage when dropped or bashed in a backpack.
The SHIELD tablet cover is available from NVIDIA and other retailers for $39.99 MSRP.
At home, the cover converts into a functional stand, simply by folding it back and placing the narrowest portion of the cover in one of three spots on the rear of the tablet. Ideal when watching videos or using the SHIELD wireless controller to play games, the $39.99 cover and stand combo is an essential accessory.
Unlike existing Android controllers, and some designed for consoles and PCs, the new SHIELD wireless controller eschews Bluetooth for Wi-Fi Direct, a faster, more reliable wireless protocol, enabling up to four wireless SHIELD controllers to be used simultaneously in multiplayer games, and bi-directional audio to be delivered by a single headphone jack. Furthermore, lower power usage enables up to 40 hours of gaming from a since charge.
When designing the SHIELD wireless controller it was vital that every element of the SHIELD tablet could be controlled from the comfort of your couch; nothing is more annoying than having to continually get up to access a function because the input device lacks the necessary buttons.
As the labelled image above shows, there are a vast array of functions on the face of the SHIELD wireless controller. Starting from the top, the green NVIDIA button is used for power on and off and also enables instant access to SHIELD Hub. The Android Back and Home buttons are used for Android navigation and the Start button is used for PC game streaming. Holding the Back button also brings up the Share menu where you can instantly broadcast to Twitch. Holding the Start button brings up additional on-screen controls for GameStream.
Below the dual analog sticks is a capacitive touch pad for which comes in handy for PC GameStream when the RS Mouse is not available. Finally, volume up and down buttons are placed either side of the SHIELD logo.
On the top of the SHIELD wireless controller, just above the multi-function SHIELD button, a minute hole hides a high-quality microphone that can be used in multiplayer games or when streaming on Twitch, and for voice searches and voice commands in compatible apps. As demonstrated by Google, their advanced voice command engine can help you navigate to your favorite show on a streaming service, set an alarm, perform a browser search, start a movie or song, open other apps, and update Google Now, all without touching an on-screen button or physical keyboard.
Below and to the right, a high-fidelity 3.5mm headphone jack supports the use of 3-pin headphones and 4-pin headsets, which enable high-quality chat in multiplayer games, Skype, other VOIP apps, and when streaming via ShadowPlay. To the headphone jack's left, a Micro-USB port enables charging from any device or power supply: a single hour of charge provides up to 8 hours of gameplay, and from empty a five-hour charge will refill the battery completely, giving you up to 40 hours of gameplay.
Combined, these many features make the new SHIELD wireless controller the definitive input device for controller-enabled Android games, Android games with support for Gamepad Mapper, future "Android L" games, and PC games streamed via GameStream. With complete support for every gaming and navigation feature found on SHIELD, the SHIELD wireless controller is an integral part of the SHIELD tablet experience, and an essential, recommended upgrade for SHIELD portable gamers currently using Bluetooth addons.
Accessed by pressing the illuminated NVIDIA button on the SHIELD wireless controller, or the SHIELD icon on the SHIELD tablet, the SHIELD Hub provides a central location to find and play SHIELD-optimized Android and PC games, as well as SHIELD-related news. Formerly known as TegraZone, the curated shop offers instant access to games leveraging Tegra 3, 4, and K1 graphics features, as well as those that feature controller support and flawless Gamepad Mapper support (a browser-based list of tested titles can be found on the SHIELD website).
"My PC Games" connects to a GeForce GTX-powered, GeForce Experience-enabled PC or notebook, and displays PC games that can be flawlessly streamed to the SHIELD tablet. With one tap or controller press the game launches with optimized settings for your current configuration, giving you a flawless HDTV console-like experience, albeit with much-improved graphics. If you're away from home, the same menu enables remote play of your PC catalog via the Internet, assuming your home and remote network are capable of 5Mbps up and down, at minimum.
Over 120 of the latest and greatest games are supported, including Titanfall, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Sniper Elite 3, and GRID Autosport. You can even play DOTA 2, Elder Scrolls Online, World of Warcraft, and other keyboard and mouse games by pairing Bluetooth keyboard and mice to your SHIELD tablet or portable. For a complete list of GameStream games, please visit the SHIELD website.
If you lack a vast collection of PC games, or are simply missing a few key titles, then the GRID Cloud Gaming Beta will enable you to enjoy PC games streamed via the cloud to your SHIELD tablet or portable. The service is currently limited to Western United States, though gamers from as far away as Europe have successfully streamed titles with a high degree of fidelity. Current games include Borderlands 2, Dead Island, GRID, Saints Row 3, Strike Suit Zero, and The Witcher 2. For news of new GRID games stay tuned to the SHIELD website.
In total, 16 games are available in the current GRID Cloud Gaming Beta.
To help you keep track of all the new Android, PC and GRID games, as well as interesting SHIELD and Tegra developments, the curated News section is constantly updated with stories of note, and the optional notification system alerts you whenever a new game is released or added to our GameStream and GRID services. Finally, "My Android Games" and "My Media Apps" give you instant access to all games, even those purchased outside of the SHIELD Hub, and instant access to YouTube, Google Play, Amazon Music, Twitch, and other media apps.
With the SHIELD Hub, every game and entertainment-related function of the SHIELD tablet is at your fingertips, accessible with only a few clicks or button presses, giving you more time to enjoy your games and multimedia.
Tegra NOTE 7 made waves with its combination of high-quality hardware, affordable $199 MSRP price point, and innovative features. Chief amongst those innovations was DirectStylus, a new stylus technology that's three times as responsive as expensive active digitizers found in premium tablets. With DirectStylus, pressure-sensing and fine-line features enabled artists to make digital masterpieces, and note takers to create legible documents.
For SHIELD tablet, we've included a new and improved stylus with each device, and taken onboard Tegra NOTE 7 feedback to create DirectStylus 2, which reduces pen-to-pixel latency to an industry-leading 40 milliseconds. At this level, stylus inputs are near-instantaneous, and you almost feel like you're writing on paper.
Even better, we've leveraged the computational power of Tegra K1 to design an incredible GPU-accelerated drawing, sketching and painting app called Dabbler. With Dabbler, you can create beautiful sketches, and paint with real-time simulated watercolor effects that spread, shift, blend and dry before your eyes on a variety of textured papers. If you'd rather dabble with oil paints, tools enable you to layer on the colors, smooth with a virtual spatula and adjust the lighting for the perfect masterpiece.
SHIELD tablet's DirectStylus 2 doesn't just shine for artists. We've also included a great set of applications and technologies so that you can jot down notes in meetings, in the classroom and on the go. Evernote, the leading way to take and organize notes, comes pre-bundled. With the ability to take searchable freehand notes and directly write notes in multiple languages thanks to advanced handwriting recognition technology, you have the freedom to take virtual notes however you wish. If you just need to jot down a quick to-do list, JusWrite lets you write down and organize any number of lists easily. Also included is Stylus Labs Write, which provides you with an infinite virtual pad of paper for your ideas, and Adobe Reader so that you can view and annotate PDFs right on your tablet.
SHIELD tablet is a gaming and entertainment device, and though not seen as 'entertainment' for many, sketching, drawing and painting is a passion that provides as much entertainment and joy as any videogame; DirectStylus 2 enables art fans to draw anywhere, anytime, and quickly share their creations with the World Wide Web.
The 16GB Wi-Fi SHIELD tablet, and 32GB 4G LTE SHIELD tablet, plus accessories, are available to pre-order today direct from NVIDIA and other stockists. In North America all new SHIELD devices will ship July 29th, followed by a European launch on August 14th. Additional regional availability will be announced later this year.
For complete technical specifications, as well as regional 4G LTE cellular compatibility, please head to the SHIELD website.
Before today tablet gaming was an afterthought, restricted to general purpose tablets, limiting owners to shallow, low-fidelity touch-based titles that quickly lost their appeal. Innumerable Bluetooth controllers and addons came and went in an attempt to gameify these catch-all tablets, but as the tablets themselves lacked gaming technology and gaming know-how, all attempts failed. SHIELD tablet corrects this omission, bringing thoroughbred gaming technology to the table to create the ultimate gaming device, designed from the ground-up for serious gamers.
With cutting edge technology from top to bottom, SHIELD tablet delivers next-generation mobile gaming experiences that cannot be found elsewhere, exemplified by Trine 2: Complete Story, Unreal Engine 4, and War Thunder. These are just the beginning; new possibilities created by SHIELD tablet and Tegra K1 will enable developers around the globe to create deeper, richer experiences, akin to those found on PC.
If you're a serious gamer looking for the ultimate mobile gaming device, look no further; SHIELD tablet is available for pre-order today, and will ship to stores and buyers July 29th.
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