Nvidia’s Shield does have some power behind it, but I would say it’s more comparable to portable gaming consoles and handheld consoles. Sure, it has support for gamers to play their most beloved PC titles remotely, but at its core it’s an Android powered device.
Nvidia thinks otherwise, however. They are hoping that a recent adoption of Android gaming will make the $349 Shield an alternative to next-gen consoles, or more specifically the Xbox One and Playstation 4. Before you get your panties all in a wad, they’re not suggesting in any way that the Shield is on par with those consoles. What Nvidia is suggesting is that thanks to the sudden focus shift in the gaming market, there’s a chance their $50 cheaper handheld could compete with those more expensive consoles.
I can dig it Nvidia, I mean the OUYA and Project MOJO are looking pretty nice.
Tom Petersen, the director of technical marketing at Nvidia says that right now Shield is not intended to compete directly with game consoles. At this point in time it’s meant to provide an alternative to gaming on mobile phones or tablets, and it’s a good one too because neither of the aforementioned platforms are quite accurate with touch controls.
Petersen says that in the future though, Shield will compete on a more even playing field. Hardware is improving fast, and graphics have improved just as quickly. As Android grows in popularity, it stands to reason that so will games offered for the platform. In addition, they’re generally a lot cheaper than AAA blockbuster titles, and some offer just as much content if not more.
“If Android gaming continues to get better–that’s our goal and that’s what we’re spending a ton of money to do–the differentiation of a console becomes less and less. Sooner or later you’re going to hit this inflection point.”
Until recently, Android games have only been offered on tablets and smartphones, but now more consoles are starting to drop there’s a chance we’ll see them amount to something more. As more advanced hardware is included in Android game consoles like the Shield, mobile games will become something better. Furthermore, Petersen says that Shield will be refined to match evolution in the industry.
“We’re going to continue to refine Shield. This is our first-generation Shield. It’s probably the case if we have moderate success with this then we’ll continue down this path.”
Via Tech Hive