Nvidia Shield Review (Maximum PC)

Maximum PC: With the Shield, Nvidia aims to deliver a powerful gaming handheld centered around the Android ecosystem and the ability to stream PC games locally onto a mobile device. It’s an ambitious endeavor, but is the Nvidia Shield able to achieve those lofty goals?

[mpctips]

Neat idea, but if it takes off, you have to think there will eventually be similar models sold for half the price.

[UltimateMaster]

With the Vita's recent price cut on both the Console and it's Memory Cards, The Vita now seems like a better deal.

I will get both the NVIDIA Shield and the Vita.
Both of them allows you to play games at a distance from either a PC (Shield) or the PS4 (Vita)

However, I'll need to state a few flaws about this on both.

First, for the Shield to be able to play your PC games remotely, you need to keep your PC on.
The Vita can open and close the PS4 from the internet, same as the PS3.

Second, the biggest one. You need Specific NVIDIA Graphic Cards on your PC and only Certain Compatible Games will work, like Tomb Raider. So this is almost like the PS3/Vita we know today.
However, both the Vita and the PS4 uses AMD Hardware and since it's implemented in the Infrastructure of the OS.
Well, EVERY Game will be playable at a Distance.

However, If you want to have Choice of the games you play at a Distance, it would be preferable to buy your games digitally, because there's only 1 disc player, so you can only have 1 Disc Game but Many Games on the Internal/Upgradable HDD.

Prices on Memory Cards for the Vita are way too high, but they will come down, at least 50% cheaper, hopefully.

Another fail about the NVIDIA and Android games that are on the Vertical instead of the Horizontal.
They're unplayable.

However, The NVIDIA Shield is very powerful and it's priced at 300$. Vita at 200$.

The NVIDIA Shield really interest me, but since you can get an Xperia Z phone and wirelessly connect a Dualshock 3 controller, giving you the aspect of a phone/gaming device with a power phone (Especially the Xperia Z Ultra)
But, with a DS3 and a Smartphone, you can hold both at the same time.

So there. I'm buying both.

[SeriousSam]

I own a Shield. AWESOME. It's not for everybody, but if you're an old school gamer, the emulators are fantastic.

[ATi_Elite]

Bubbles+ well said

[ATi_Elite]

I still see no reason to buy an Nvidia Shield.

I rather buy a laptop or save that money for a future Gaming Tablet.

PSvita is DEAD. SOny should of added a phone feature to it. I've seen more little Kiddies with iPhones/Galaxies than with PSvitas.

[cesuf]

This thing does offer a few features that no clone will be able to do. Like streaming graphics from your NVidia pc card for almost desktop like quality performance. Also it does have the lastest/fastest mobile chip. Unlike psvita, this thing can get anything available on the android market including the thousand's of free games.

But with all that said, it does some short comings (exclusives & longevity unknown). It certainly isn't for everyone. But my point is, it does manage to do a few things very well that the competition cant touch atm.

I occationally game on my Samsung note 2 with a moga controller. Mind u I get about 2-3 hours tops of battery life when I do play. And this is from a huge 5.5" phone with the biggest battery on the market. Nvidia rates their device at around 25 hours of gaming, so another positive. All in all, I still wouldn't buy this device until it gets cheaper because I already own something close to it.