Nvidia Unveils Shield, an Android based Gaming Console & 4K Smart TV set top box
At a recent GDC 2015 (Game Developers Conference), Nvidia has announced the impending launch of its next-generation Shield gaming hardware, and this time it's a micro-console powered by Google's Android TV. Traditionally, Shield is not a gaming console but rather a 4K Android TV media box with extreme graphics performance that supports 4K content encoded with h.265. The Android TV set-top box is powered by the Tegra X1 SoC that was unveiled at CES 2015 earlier this year. The company is calling it an 'Android TV console'.
The box runs on AndroidOS and leverages Google TV. It has a very small, USB-rechargable remote control with a microphone allowing you to use Google voice search features. You can plug headphones into the remote, too, since it acts as a wireless receiver. The new Shield is an exceedingly slim, angular, black box with a geometric motif. One glassy, triangular panel edged in Nvidia green accents the matte-finished triangles completing the device's outer case and stand.
The Nvidia Shield is a micro-console based on Android TV, the home entertainment focused spin of Google's originally mobile-centric operating system. Naturally, it includes Nvidia's latest 64-bit Tegra X1 ARM processor with 256-core Maxwell-based GeForce GPU hardware and 3GB of shared RAM.
The console is claimed to support 4K video output and 7.1 or 5.1 surround-sound audio at 24-bit/192KHz sampling rates. 16GB of flash storage is included, while connectivity is catered for by a 2x2 MIMO array of 802.11ac 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi antennas, Bluetooth 4.1 and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), gigabit Ethernet, HDMI 2.0, two USB 3.0 ports, a micro-usb 2.0 port, IR receiver, and a micro-SD card slot to boost storage.
In comparison to consoles, Nvidia claims the Shield is twice as fast as the Xbox 360 with a drastically lower thermal footprint. Compared to other Android boxes, this allows it to run visually complex games such as Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, Doom 3: BFG, and Crysis 3. And while none of them would look as good as they do on a high-end PC, it's commendable for a thin, relatively low-powered system.
The popular titles supported by the gaming console include Doom 3, Portal, The Witcher 3, Crysis 3, Star Wars: Knights of Old Republic, Half-Life 2: Episode 1, The Taos Principle, Borderlands: The Pre-sequel, Dead Rising 2, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Batman: Arkham Origins and many more. Besides, the Google Play Store will always been accessible to the users to get games and other multimedia content.
The Shield will ship in May (no specific date for India yet), and retail at $199 (roughly Rs. 12,300) and include a Shield controller that is sold separately for $60 (around Rs. 3,700). Other accesories include a remote control which also offers voice control, and a stand to make the set-top box stand vertically.
Cheers!!!
The box runs on AndroidOS and leverages Google TV. It has a very small, USB-rechargable remote control with a microphone allowing you to use Google voice search features. You can plug headphones into the remote, too, since it acts as a wireless receiver. The new Shield is an exceedingly slim, angular, black box with a geometric motif. One glassy, triangular panel edged in Nvidia green accents the matte-finished triangles completing the device's outer case and stand.
The Nvidia Shield is a micro-console based on Android TV, the home entertainment focused spin of Google's originally mobile-centric operating system. Naturally, it includes Nvidia's latest 64-bit Tegra X1 ARM processor with 256-core Maxwell-based GeForce GPU hardware and 3GB of shared RAM.
The console is claimed to support 4K video output and 7.1 or 5.1 surround-sound audio at 24-bit/192KHz sampling rates. 16GB of flash storage is included, while connectivity is catered for by a 2x2 MIMO array of 802.11ac 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi antennas, Bluetooth 4.1 and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), gigabit Ethernet, HDMI 2.0, two USB 3.0 ports, a micro-usb 2.0 port, IR receiver, and a micro-SD card slot to boost storage.
In comparison to consoles, Nvidia claims the Shield is twice as fast as the Xbox 360 with a drastically lower thermal footprint. Compared to other Android boxes, this allows it to run visually complex games such as Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, Doom 3: BFG, and Crysis 3. And while none of them would look as good as they do on a high-end PC, it's commendable for a thin, relatively low-powered system.
The popular titles supported by the gaming console include Doom 3, Portal, The Witcher 3, Crysis 3, Star Wars: Knights of Old Republic, Half-Life 2: Episode 1, The Taos Principle, Borderlands: The Pre-sequel, Dead Rising 2, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Batman: Arkham Origins and many more. Besides, the Google Play Store will always been accessible to the users to get games and other multimedia content.
The Shield will ship in May (no specific date for India yet), and retail at $199 (roughly Rs. 12,300) and include a Shield controller that is sold separately for $60 (around Rs. 3,700). Other accesories include a remote control which also offers voice control, and a stand to make the set-top box stand vertically.
Cheers!!!
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