Nvidia Shield Tablet

[MarkLuvsCS]

I thought the recent rumor was Google's Android L full unveil would include new 64bit hardware aka the Denver cores. It seems like NVIDIA wants to push their custom design as the entire SoC to differentiate from being just another ARM core clone. I mean Anandtech's NVIDIA CES section even had this tidbit "12:15AM EST - Cortex A15 version of Tegra K1 will be available in the 1H of 2014, Denver version in 2H 2014".

 

[Ravynmagi]

I think Nvidia needs to sell this tablet at a reasonable low price to get it's foot in the door. And chances are they'd like to make some money while doing it. So even if Denver was available. I could see Nvidia still using the K1 with ARM 15 for this lower priced tablet and saving Denver for a higher end more expensive device, perhaps to come a bit later this year.

 

[vbuggy]

Might be canceled, might be 2016:

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/03/26/nvidia-didnt-cancel-project-denver.aspx

"SemiAccurate's Charlie Demerjian"

Duuuude...

 

[gus6464]

Good hardware for the price. Hmm should I get this or wait for Nexus 8?

 

[Red Storm]

Good hardware for the price. Hmm should I get this or wait for Nexus 8?

You get the Shield if you want to game, for anything else you go with a thinner/lighter tablet.

 

[Lyfer]

I think this a fantastic tablet. I'm praying for Verizon LTE support.

 

[ams23]

I thought the recent rumor was Google's Android L full unveil would include new 64bit hardware aka the Denver cores. It seems like NVIDIA wants to push their custom design as the entire SoC to differentiate from being just another ARM core clone. I mean Anandtech's NVIDIA CES section even had this tidbit "12:15AM EST - Cortex A15 version of Tegra K1 will be available in the 1H of 2014, Denver version in 2H 2014".

Remember that first silicon for TK1 with Denver CPU was not available until beginning of January of this year (while first silicon for TK1 with R3 Cortex A15 CPU was available at least six months earlier). The Cortex and Denver TK1 variants are pin compatible, so that helps a bit, but I don't expect to see the Denver variant until Q4 this year.

Note that Shield tablet will be getting an OTA software update to Android "L" OS as soon as it is ready.

 

[ams23]

I think this a fantastic tablet. I'm praying for Verizon LTE support.

As far as I know, the Icera i500 LTE modem was certified on AT&T / T-Mobile networks, but not Verizon / Sprint networks (the latter have legacy networks that require Qualcomm's WCDMA modem tech). So until VoLTE comes along, I'm not sure that Verizon / Sprint is a realistic option for NVIDIA.

 

[ams23]

[Reposted from VC&G section thread]:

So Half Life 2 and Portal are running the full OpenGL code path on Tegra K1 (not the OpenGL ES code path) @ 1080p resolution with high details!

Also, due to use of the magnesium thermal shield, the heat dissipation of the Shield tablet is reportedly 2x better than most other thin [fanless] tablets, which means very little thermal throttling!

There is also an optimization feature where battery life and performance can be adjusted by the user on an app-by-app basis: http://www.geforce.com/whats-new/articles/shield-tablet-the-ultimate-tablet-for-gamers

Hands on with Shield tablet:

Mobilegeeks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJSWe6Ane5A

Cnet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJU7NQBYrMw

TechnoBuffalo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsNjH08Sil8

Tested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACli2jGvMJo

PC Games Hardware: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0URGIwobbwE

Hardware Canucks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_0uZYumVlE

 

[Lyfer]

After seeing some of the game demonstrations - Wow! Games look fantastic. I think if they can get more big title ports this thing can really change mobile gaming.

 

[mmntech]

Specs are solid for the most part. RAM and storage is a bit limiting. I also prefer larger 10'' tablets.

My main issue with the Shield though is it locks you in to nVidia's proprietary streaming software. Since it needs CUDA and a GTX class GPU to run, you're SOL if you have a Radeon card. That eliminates about half of the gaming population.

 

[ams23]

Well no, that is not really true. Shield tablet doesn't "lock" you into anything per se. The PC game streaming is a side benefit for those with powerful enough Kepler (and future) NVIDIA GPU's, but at the end of the day this is just a really good Android tablet + stylus with a few nice additional gaming features for those who have the requisite hardware. And FWIW, Shield tablet also supports GRID beta, where games stream directly from NVIDIA's GRID servers to the tablet or to the big screen TV when the tablet is hooked up to it.

 

[sontin]

Specs are solid for the most part. RAM and storage is a bit limiting. I also prefer larger 10'' tablets.

My main issue with the Shield though is it locks you in to nVidia's proprietary streaming software. Since it needs CUDA and a GTX class GPU to run, you're SOL if you have a Radeon card. That eliminates about half of the gaming population.

You can use whatever streaming software is available for Android.

 

[Roland00Address]

It is a nice piece of hardware, but a very expensive gadget for mobile gaming.

16 gb of space is not enough for gaming, and unlike movies or music you need games on main storage and not micro sd.

So $400 for a tablet with enough storage plus $100 for accessories is $500. Now maybe you can get everything on sale for $400 but we are still talking console level prices.

Sure it is better than the nexus 7 but is it so fun to seriously game on a tablet that you would spend over double? Currently Newegg has the new nexus 7 for $120 after mir. If you wait for a sale or coupon you can get a ps4 for $360. I think that is a better use for $500 if gaming is your priority.

Edit the nexus 7 deal was for a refurb and I did not notice that detail, my general point still stands.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I caught myself doing the same thing this morning, "this gaming console with the controller and cover is going to cost almost as much as an Xbox One..."

But I think that's probably not really the right way to be thinking about this. Most quality tablets will cost the same as a console, they are small portable machines packed with a lot of power and high DPI displays, that doesn't come cheap. Galaxy Tab S starts at $400 for the 8.4 inch size. iPad mini 2 starts at $400. So it's not like the Shield Tablet is abnormally expensive, it's coming with the most powerful graphics, big front speakers, and even an unusual stylus that almost mimics pen features.

 

[Lyfer]

I caught myself doing the same thing this morning, "this gaming console with the controller and cover is going to cost almost as much as an Xbox One..."

But I think that's probably not really the right way to be thinking about this. Most quality tablets will cost the same as a console, they are small portable machines packed with a lot of power and high DPI displays, that doesn't come cheap. Galaxy Tab S starts at $400 for the 8.4 inch size. iPad mini 2 starts at $400. So it's not like the Shield Tablet is abnormally expensive, it's coming with the most powerful graphics, big front speakers, and even an unusual stylus that almost mimics pen features.

Exactly. I'm looking this as a tablet first rather than a gaming device. So for $70 more than the Nexus 7 you get an inch more screen size, Sd slot, 5ghz wifi, better speakers, stylus support, and the latest hardware. Nvidia only gaming titles and PC streaming are just icing on the cake.

I am really disappointed the LTE version will not support big red. If the reviews and benchmarks can confirm decent battery life and build quality I definitely will be getting one.

 

[ams23]

Yup. And in addition to all the extra features, the difference in performance between Shield tablet and Nexus 7 2013 is non-trivial: 2x better CPU performance, and 3x better GPU performance. At the end of the day this translates to better gameplay, faster web browsing, quicker app load times, etc.

 

[Roland00Address]

Exactly. I'm looking this as a tablet first rather than a gaming device. So for $70 more than the Nexus 7 you get an inch more screen size, Sd slot, 5ghz wifi, better speakers, stylus support, and the latest hardware. Nvidia only gaming titles and PC streaming are just icing on the cake.

I understand that and I do agree to some extent.

Yet to play games you need more than 16gb storage, while for tablet use 16gb is fine for most people. 32gb storage is not $70 more but a $170 more than the 16gb nexus 7 tablet.

And yes the shield has a faster cpu, but for web browsing the nexus 7 is not slow by any means.

Nexus does have 5ghz wifi. Also a bigger screen is both a positive and a negative.

 

[tviceman]

$300 alone is an unremarkable, yet decent asking price. It's kind of funny, but if it had a $279 price (only a $20 price drop), to me that would just look way more attractive psychologically.

I wish I had discretionary money to throw on a good Android tablet right now. If Xaomi's Mipad isn't eventually getting an official release in North America, I'd get the Shield tablet.

 

[ams23]

I understand that and I do agree to some extent.

Yet to play games you need more than 16gb storage, while for tablet use 16gb is fine for most people. 32gb storage is not $70 more but a $170 more than the 16gb nexus 7 tablet.

And yes the shield has a faster cpu, but for web browsing the nexus 7 is not slow by any means.

Nexus does have 5ghz wifi. Also a bigger screen is both a positive and a negative.

The 32GB Nexus 7 + LTE (unlocked with AT&T Sim) is $349, which is only $50 less than the 32GB Shield Tablet + LTE (unlocked with AT&T Sim).

The Nexus 7 is a great tablet, but at the end of the day, the greatly improved performance and improved feature set (microSD card slot, stylus, quality stereo speakers, magnesium thermal shield, etc) arguably justifies the higher price for Shield tablet.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Well I think the main problem is a lot of people will want the 32GB, but not the LTE. And it's going to rub us the wrong way to have to pay an extra $100 for a storage bump that normally should be only $40 or $50 more.

I think the two SKUs should have been a 32GB wifi model for $350 and a 32GB LTE model for $400.

And more further insult, the 32GB won't even be available at launch.

 

[Unoid]

Also as proven by the Portable shield, Internal memory is REQUIRED. you can not move all of a game or sometimes hardly any data to ext SD

 

[ams23]

Well I think the main problem is a lot of people will want the 32GB, but not the LTE. And it's going to rub us the wrong way to have to pay an extra $100 for a storage bump that normally should be only $40 or $50 more.

True, it would have been nice to have a third SKU (32GB Wifi only), but it is what it is I suppose. The inclusion of a microSD card slot is still quite beneficial. With the latest software updates for Shield [16GB portable], NVIDIA has fixed the "Move to SD Card" feature under KitKat, so most apps move at least some portion to the SD card now.

 

[Clevelandagain]

[Reposted from VC&G section thread]:

So Half Life 2 and Portal are running the full OpenGL code path on Tegra K1 (not the OpenGL ES code path) @ 1080p resolution with high details!

Just watched the videos you posted but noone said HL2 or portal were running at high settings. Got a source on that?

Also as proven by the Portable shield, Internal memory is REQUIRED. you can not move all of a game or sometimes hardly any data to ext SD

Yah, its a shame they went with such small amounts of internal space.

Yup. And in addition to all the extra features, the difference in performance between Shield tablet and Nexus 7 2013 is non-trivial: 2x better CPU performance, and 3x better GPU performance. At the end of the day this translates to better gameplay, faster web browsing, quicker app load times, etc.

Does it really lead to better gameplay though? The Eurogamer preview made a point to say they saw diminishing returns with this bump in performance. If the games all cater to the lowest denominator is it really better to spend more money when even mid-range options can hit 60fps locked?

It would be a different discussion if Nvidia had gone with a higher res screen, but at this point it seems you are buying a GPU with very little software to run on it.

 

[ams23]

Hmm

Just watched the videos you posted but noone said HL2 or portal were running at high settings. Got a source on that?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfCLsvEpwHs

The full OpenGL render path has higher details than the OpenGL ES2 render path. You can even see it from NVIDIA's promo Shield tablet video.

Does it really lead to better gameplay though?

Of course it does. Higher framerates and less thermal throttling in Shield tablet should lead to a better gameplay experience compared to most other tablets. But again, this is not a dedicated game console, this is just a really fast tablet.