The NVIDIA Shield has had interesting journey from its announcement event at CES to its actual launch. It started off with an interesting demo that showed unique, Android-based games that was enough to pry some attention away from its highest competitor, OUYA. We were then entertained with various demos showcased by NVIDIA that went even beyond typical Android gaming such as controlling model helicopters and things of that nature.
After a reported delay that was apparently due to a component malfunction, some were wondering how long they were going to have to wait. Now, those who jumped on the pre-ordering bandwagon should have their devices as early as this month. NVIDIA has just released a statement saying that they will be shipping the device to early adopters on July 31.
NVIDIA referred to the delay with the statement that they emailed those who have pre-ordered by saying:
Our goal has always been to ship the perfect product, so we made sure we submitted SHIELD to the most rigorous mechanical testing and quality assurance standards in the industry. We built SHIELD because we love playing games, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
With the price drop that took place not too long ago, it certainly seems that the product isn’t generating as much excitement as the company hoped it would. Powered by a Tegra 4 processors, the device is certainly capable of handling a wide variety of games. It certainly seems that NVIDIA is trying to market the device as something that can go above and beyond what is currently offered when it comes to Android gaming.
The reason for the lack of excitement could possible be due to the device’s peculiar form factor. While it is very clearly designed to be portable gaming console, it doesn’t practically look like one. It is not pocket friendly like most Android-powered devices. Additionally, even Nintendo’s and Sony’s offerings are more portable and will likely have a better selection of games when all is said and done.
So what do you think? Does this device stand a chance with devices like OUYA on the market? Is its size a problem?