The New Nvidia Shield, Hands On

Status
Not open for further replies.

DSpider

Distinguished
Jan 10, 2009
531
0
18,980
"Shield" doesn't even make any sense. It made sense when it was portable and you could close the top lid (because it was PROTECTED by the top lid).

The home variant is not protected in any way. It's actually prone to scratches, badly (as you can see from the size comparison image). Dude, if you're gonna name it "shield" then you better make damn sure it's sturdy, scratch proof, can't even make a dent in it if it's dropped. Nope. It's just cheap plastic. Stupid Nvidia marketing team... You done goofed, son.
 

1800Allen

Commendable
Oct 24, 2016
10
0
1,520
How much time did you guys spend with the Now service? If someone wanted to pickup Borderlands and start a 100 hour game, how do saves work and such? Do you need to install anything locally to the box or are saves and the like up there too. I know a game like Skyrim one character could be a couple gigs worth of auto and quick saves.
 
Im considering one. It's not really expensive (considering most Android games are free, or less than $5), and I really like the idea of streaming games from my pc as well. I still need to read a bit more about the streaming, though.

Also, does this device only support Android games, or can you actually install some other apps?

Do all games come from the Play Store/Nvidia homepage, or can you install third party ones?

While streaming games from your PC, is the game also shown on the monitor? Or can you use the PC for anything else? What if you have several monitors?
 

singemagique

Distinguished
Feb 13, 2009
199
1
18,715
I've had the original Shield TV since release. I don't game on it, but it is hands down the best streaming box for Kodi, Plex, and IPTV. Add a Logitech K400+, sideload chrome, and it's a veritable HTPC for ~$220.
 

ZolaIII

Distinguished
Sep 26, 2013
178
0
18,690
Liked new controller (to the part where they moved 3.5 mm headphone port), it's good remote is now included for a same price. 4K HDR capacities? I don't think so with only HDMI 2.0. All in all it falls as a game console, not so bad as the TV set top box with some real gaming capabilities but not stellar either.
 


So you have a shield? Have you used the PC-Shield game streaming feature?

Can you answer some of these questions?



 
1) Streaming - if that was ALL you cared about you could buy a Steam LINK to connect to your PC. Regardless of streaming device it's recommended to use an ETHERNET cable instead of wi-fi to reduce latency issues

2) 4K, KODI etc - this is the main point of the device. However, with the XBOX ONE "S" out now I have to figure out what it can and can't do.

I have a large collection of video from various sources (all legal of course) and the ONLY thing I've found useful is KODI, though I'm investigating PLEX. I know KODI works though since it's on my PC and connects to my WD MYCLOUD (4TB HDD connected to router).

3) Microphone - sounds awesome too. Not sure how well it works, but I'd really like to be able to search Netflix with it. Not sure if it can navigate locally but that's not a big deal.

Summary:
The Shield TV is primarily focused on MEDIA with gaming tacked on. Streaming via Internet is useless for most people (lack of bandwidth and latency issues), and local gaming has limited titles but if you don't require that or only need a couple games it's fine.

So up to 4K media is where it shines. With the XBOX ONE "S" now supporting 4K (BluRay as well) the Shield TV may have a hard time justifying itself. What IS the killer app now for it?

If I can stream my local content via PLEX or KODI with no big issues on the XBOX ONE S I won't be looking too hard at this device.

I'm getting a 4K BluRay player at some point anyway so I guess the XBox route just makes sense (and thanks SONY for not putting one in the PS4 PRO... that made my decision for me as I'm only getting one console.)
 

Emanuel Elmo

Reputable
Mar 21, 2014
232
0
4,710


1) as for as I know the device only supports Android Games.
2) yes all games come from the Play Store/Nvidia Homepage. I do not think you can install third party ones
3) Yes when you are streaming from your PC the game is also shown on your monitor. If you have several monitors is will scale it down to 1080p resolution automatically. I have a 1440p monitor and everytime I stream a game to the shield it will downscale it to 1080p and when I am done it will return my monitor back to 1440p. A word to the wise, when you stream unless you got a bad-ass wireless connection I would still recommend doing it over wire.

Also when streaming it will use Steam on your computer. You can add all of your games to Steam even if they are on uplay or Origin.

Hope this helps.
 

antilycus

Distinguished
Jun 1, 2006
933
0
18,990
To all of the haters, the Shield devices have completely transformed how I play games. I bring my shield tablet to a friends house and we play (multiplayer) all my PC games, through their TV over his internet. Hardly any glitches at all. Yup, from my home built PC to his TV over the net, through the tablet. As for the Shield home device, I don't use XBO for anything. I have NFL GamePass and millions of Kodi add-ons at my finger tips (including friends Plex servers) and all in 4k glory. If you are hating on it, you obviously haven't used it because regardless if you can understand why it's great...it really is great. Once a game hits cross play it can completely replace my XBO for everything.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

TRENDING THREADS