Android powered gaming and media console. 500gb pro version £339.99 from Amazon. My experiences and opinion.
Android games consoles have been around for a while, my first interest in them was seeing the Ouya on Kickstarter. My interest was prominent being that i am a big gamer and an avid Android guy. So a marrying of the two caught my eye. I decided against backing the Kickstarter campaign as with any device of this type, the hardware often takes a back seat to the software companies (in this case, developers) supporting the final product. So i decided to sit back and wait for the final product to release. My decision was justified by the subsequent failure of the Ouya to bring on board support from many of the notable devs in the mobile and console gaming world. What that product came to be was a device with bags of potential, but little to back that potential up with. And that particular console has now been discontinued.
Move on a couple of years and one or two failed Android consoles later, we have the Shield TV and Shield TV Pro (the difference between the two is just the HDD - 16gb for the standard version and 500gb for the Pro). Why would this one succeed where others have tried and failed? in one word 'NVIDIA'. Nvidia have been in the video game business for years, arguably they are the no.1 GPU manufacturer in the PC Gaming world. They also power many of our Laptops, Tablets and Smart Phones with their GPUs and SOCs. In other words they have a lot of experience and know how when it comes to machines built for playing video games. Something which sadly Ouya was lacking. Nvidia had the the ability to optimise the games on offer from devs to perform at their best on their Android based console, and were a name those same devs could trust to deliver. This means games which are not merely ported from PC or more traditional Android devices such as tablets, but actually optimised to play nicely with your TV and Nvidia Shield gamepad. They also had their own Nvidia Grid PC game streaming service right out of the box. This ensured the console launched with a library already miles ahead any before it.
I've had my Nvidia Shield TV (Pro) for a little under three months now. This will be a brief word regarding specs, hardware, software and my opinion and experiences using the device.
PROS:
- Large HDD (Pro version).
- Excellent design.
- Compact size, easy for travel.
- Great dev support.
- Nvidia Grid Streaming Service.
- 4K support.
- MicroSD card support.
CONS:
- Small HDD (Standard version).
- High price point.
Specs:
- Tegra X1 Processor
- 256-core
- 64-bit CPU
- 3GB RAM
- Android TV, Google Cast Ready
- HDMI 2.0, 4K UHD
- MicroSD Card Support for increased storage.
- 802.11ac duel band WiFI
- Gigabit Ethernet
- USB 3.0 (x2) Micro USB 2.0
- Dolby 7.1 and 5.1 surround pass-through
Experience/Opinion
My personal experience with my Nvidia Shield TV has been a very positive one. I am a huge gamer, i game on PS4, PC, Mobile, Tablet and even occasionally pull out my Nintendo Gamecube or use emulators. This Shield TV is a great addition to my collection. The games, while not able to compete with the AAA offerings on PS4 and PC, are a much lower purchase price, often being able to pick up new games for just a couple of pounds. They range from simple mobile games such as Crossy Road to games you would have been extremely satisfied with if they were on your PS3 or Xbox 360 in their earlier days such as Modern Combat 5 and Asphalt 8. You are even able to download games from previous console generations such as GTA 3, Vice City and San Andreas for as little as £5. Nvidia also offer their Nividia Grid streaming service, which offers you a library of PC titles which can be streamed directly to your Shield TV. The included Gamepad is comfortable in the hand and very responsive, it charges via Micro USB and holds a long battery life.
In terms of gaming, most of my time on the Shield TV has been spent playing GTA San Andreas, Asphalt 8, Crossy Road and Dead Trigger 2. All of those games run smooth and stable and look great in full screen on my TV. I particularly enjoy using the Google Play Music App in order to play my own playlists while playing Crossy Road or Asphalt 8 (turning off those games musical accompaniment) and kicking back and relaxing in my X-Rocker Gaming Chair with the volume up. I have a gaming PC so haven't really used the Nvidia Grid streaming service, i only used it on one occasion to test it out, it ran surprisingly well with very little lag, but this will obviously depend on your internet connection. If you are looking to play PC games on the big screen, there is the option to stream your personal PC games library via Nvidia's GeForce Experience over your local connection.
Aside from playing games, the Shield TV offers live streaming to Twitch. Allowing you to stream your gameplay directly to the Twitch streaming service as well as taking screen shots at the touch of a button. It also comes with Netflix pre-installed, and is able to take full advantage of Netflix 4k streaming. Connecting to the Google Play Store, there is also a huge library of games and apps.
The console itself is lightweight and compact so is easy to pack into your laptop bag or rucksack and carry to a friends house or on your travels, allowing you to plug it in and instantly continue your gaming or movie streaming. I often take it with me to my brothers home when i visit.
Recommend?
Would i recommend the Nvidia Shield TV? as always, it really does depend on what you are looking for. Is it a viable alternative to the current generation of consoles? no! Does it offer a library which can compete with Valves mighty Steam? heck no! But what it does offer is a great addition to any of those for those of us gamers who enjoy gaming at all levels. You may not be able to purchase AAA titles on Shield TV, but you can enjoy games which wouldn't have looked out of place on the previous console generation for only a fraction of the price those games cost a few years ago. You can also download casual games, whether to kill time or get the family together for a games night. If you are anything like me, i would definitely recommend getting an Nvidia Shield TV to accompany your current gen console or gaming PC. Aside, from gaming of course, it comes with Chromecast support for media streaming from your tablet and smartphone on the big screen and Netflix and other video streaming services for 4K movies so makes a cool media unit to sit under your TV.
