surprise, surprise. we never imagine the day that we will see an actual gaming hardware from seasoned graphics chip maker NVIDIA, but here it is, a gaming portable code named Project SHIELD. like the recent horde of ‘renegade’ gaming device makers, Project SHIELD Portable Gaming System is also built on the philosophy of an open and flexible gaming ecosystem. as such the SHIELD is designed to work with both Android and PC titles, however, at its heart, it is a pure Android device that allows you to access to any games on Google Play. looking much like a regular game controller slapped with a dedicated display, this device can also stream games from a PC powered by NVIDIA GeForce GTX GPUs.
powered by the newest NVIDIA Tegra 3 “system on a chip” (SoC) processor that includes a custom 72-core GeForce GPU and a quad-core Cortex-A15 processor, the Project SHIELD features a full-size console-grade controller, a 5-inch HD ‘Retinal’ multi-touch display with 1,280 x 720 resolution and boast Tegra 4 with Direct Touch technology, built-in tuned port bass reflex portable speaker system, built-in 802.11n 2×2 MIMO game-speed WiFi, and it is loaded with Google’s Android Jelly Bean, which means you will have access to regular Android applications, as well as games. with the device, you will also be able access and download games available on NVIDIA’s TegraZone game store. information on the availability and pricing are not immediately available as of now. in the mean time, scroll down for a few more larger views of this beauty or learn more about Project SHIELD HERE.
UPDATE [May 15, 2013]: it is now officially known as SHIELD (no relation to The Avengers, though), the NVIDIA SHIELD Portable Gaming System will be accepting pre-orders starting from May 20, 2013 and will be available from GameStop, Micro Center and Canada Computers for $349. [via]
UPDATE [October 16, 2013]: another good news. the NVIDIA SHIELD is now available from our all-time favorite geek store, ThinkGeek and it cost just $299.99!
