It also plays Android titles. Shield is expected to launch in North America this Q2, but the UK remains without a date. Nvidia believe it will ”raise the bar” for PC and Android gaming.
Project Shield was unveiled at CES in Las Vegas. It’s a portable gaming device with a screen that unfolds from the base, which is also the controller.
“We want to sprint to get it into the key markets in Europe and Asia,” said Jason Paul of Nvidia. ”Since the announcement we’ve had people knocking on our door. So there’s interest in distributing the product. Shield is targeting Android and PC gamers, so we are looking for people who can sell into that market.”
Nvidia are responsible for the graphics chipset in PlayStation 3, and for their many ranges of GPU for PC - but now they want in on the gaming market directly and believe a portable platform is their best chance.
“We thought that Project Shield would raise the bar for Android and PC gaming,” he added. “When we looked at the complexity of the device, with all the streaming tech, we came to the conclusion that we had a device that only we could build ourselves. It is a natural step for us.”
“The response has been overwhelming. We won over 30 best of show awards at CES. The amount of new coverage we received was more than anything we have ever had before.”
The Shield connects up effortlessly with Steam’s Big Picture through a PC connection - watch below.