Nvidia has given a final US release date for its first Android gaming gadget called Shield after its sales launch was recently suspended from the originally given date of June 27th.
The Nvidia Shield will now become available to buy on July 31st and the chip maker turned games console manufacturer revealed that the reason for the month long delay was to ensure absolute quality when it does finally hit the shelves. The official word from Nvidia states that ‘the most rigorous mechanical testing’ was employed to guarantee industry standards were met and exceeded. This meaning that players should get their money’s worth from the $299 device.
And what will $299 get you?
The Shield will come with Nvidia’s impressive Tegra 4 quad-core processor, a chip which has been clocked at 1.9GHz and is found in powerful tablets such as the new ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity. Combining both a 5-inch touchscreen and a traditional games controller with familiar buttons and features, the Shield will offer a portable response to Android systems like the recently released Ouya which is designed to be used with a TV, putting playtime back in the palm of the hands of the player.
The powerful portable will come along with Android Jelly Bean with Google Play access and additional games will be available from a PC or Laptop via Steam and the Nvidia Tegra Zone. This promises a massive range of titles at the player’s finger tips, from many well-known and also independent developers and a number of games which will be specifically optimised for Shield, including Sonic 4 Episode II which comes pre-loaded.
Future plans for a possible Nvidia Shield launch in the UK are still unclear but pending the product’s success in the US and Canada we hope to get to grip with this gadget soon. We will update as news becomes available!