there was a time
when a handheld gaming
console was a routine item of holiday
luggage. Then smartphones arrived, offering
instant access to a vast library of titles, and
the tide appeared to have turned. In recent
years, even big hitters, such as the PlayStation Vita or
Nintendo 3DS, have failed to arouse too much love.
The death knell, it was whispered, had sounded for such
old-fashioned devices. But has it? Earlier this year, word
surfaced about an intriguing new gadget, from NVIDIA, the
PC graphics card maker, that could, it was said, reboot the
premise of a portable gaming device.
So what’s the story? It’s early days yet but I
can tell you that Project Shield is a powerful
Android tablet tucked inside what looks like
an Xbox controller with a hinged, 5in, HD screen
that neatly flips over its soft underbelly, clamshell
style. It may look strange,
but this thing can go toe to
toe with any similar device.
The Shield can play
Android games, usually
costing £5, by using its
touchscreen. But, to employ
the physical controls and full
firepower, games must be
optimised for Shield. At
present, this amounts to just
a few dozen titles.
So far, so ordinary, but the Shield has a few special skills
that could just give it the edge. Firstly, it can stream games
over wi-fi from a nearby PC. You can also play games on it
from an online Steam account – if you don’t know what that
is, this isn’t the gizmo for you – and, finally, it can be
connected to a TV for a sumptuous big-screen experience.
According to early reports, the Shield’s performance
is impressive: the screen is top quality, the controls are well
laid out and the wireless works smoothly, with minimal lag –
despite a few connection gremlins on pre-release models,
but these should be ironed out by the spring/summer launch.
Will it re-energise handheld gaming? That
depends largely on the price. At press deadline,
NVIDIA wasn’t saying, but if it’s more than £250,
it can expect serious resistance. Another issue is
how many Android games get tweaked to run on
it and whether NVIDIA can get a few big hitters,
and a game exclusive to the
device, on board.
But even if this gadget
never sees the light of day,
it will have shone a
spotlight on the needs of
gamers hankering for a
viable alternative to
prodding a touchscreen
or paying around £30
a pop for a proper
handheld experience.
vital statistics
nvidia project
shield
Price TBC
shield.nvidia.com
“
Is that a rocket in your pocket?”
Just when you thought handheld gaming devices have had their day, along comes
one that could change all our minds, says
Alex Pell
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