Nvidia has responded to consumer concerns over the price of its Android-based handheld, dropping the price this morning. Additionally, the company has announced that it will start shipping the units next week. Nvidia was coming to market with its Tegra 4-powered handheld at a price of $349 but now the price has come down to $299. We expect that the price of the PlayStation 4 ($399) may have resulted in the rethink.
It’s not hard to get excited by Project Shield’s feature set, but if you’re not familiar with Nvidia’s Project Shield, it’s an Android-driven mobile device that comes attached to a controller. Nvidia hopes it will help boost Android’s gaming potential and reach new markets, or at least help offer a platform for game makers to deliver better products.
On paper the device sounds great. The controller is comfortable and looks a lot like an Xbox 360 controller, except that it also features a 5-inch, 720p touchscreen, which folds down over the controller itself. The system runs stock Android, so that – and the fact that it houses a Tegra 4 processor, a step above Ouya’s Tegra 3 core – means it will be able to run just about any Android game out there.
The system also allows you to stream games from another device, such as your PC, as long as both systems are on the same WiFi network, so you can finally play PC games in your bed, which might be one of the most exciting features of the whole system.
All told, Project Shield could be an interesting alternative to systems like the 3DS and PS Vita. Its wide variety of cheap and increasingly creative Android games means you’ll never run out of things to do. On the other hand, if you already have an Android phone, is it really worth buying another Android device that doesn’t make calls just for the attached controller? (Especially considering how cheap many mobile controllers are these days.)
That’s the biggest problem with the Project Shield. If priced right it might be a cool portable Android gaming option, but it probably targets a fairly select group of gamers. Those are questions that we’ll just have to wait to answer.
News Source : Gameinformer
