Nvidia’s Shield Tablet represents one of the more powerful tablets available today. It combines Nvidia’s 2.2 GHz quad core 32-bit Tegra K1 processor, 2 GB of memory and either 16 GB or 32 GB of storage. Each comes with a MicroSD slot but the 32 GB version happens to come with LTE. It has an 8.0-inch, 1080p display, dual front speakers and an optional LTE radio. Nvidia didn’t skimp on the battery, either, which promises ten hours of browsing or five hours of gaming. The Shield Tablet also offer a near-stock interface, not unlike the Moto smartphones. And like Moto, Nvidia are able to release Android 5.0 Lollipop not so long after Google released the code. It’s due inside a week, actually: Tuesday 18 November is Shield Tablet Lollipop Day.
In addition to the new version of Android, the Shield Tablet is also going to benefit from updates to a number of Nvidia’s applications and services. Nvidia’s drawing application, Dabbler, now supports layers, custom colors and stencils. It’ll also include support for Google Drive and Nvidia Twitch, should you wish to broadcast your artistic skills to the world. But of course, the Shield Tablet is about gaming and Nvidia haven’t left this stone untouched. Half-Life 2: Episode One is coming to the mobile platform, rather, the optimized Tegra K1 version is going to be exclusive to the Shield Tablet and it’s available free with the 32 GB LTE version of the device.
In Nvidia’s words, one of the best games of all time, Half-Life 2: Episode One, is coming to mobile, optimized for Tegra K1 and exclusively on SHIELD tablet. The bundle will also include Half-Life 2 and Portal, which are already available for the Shield Tablet. Nvidia have announced a number of Tegra K1-optimized games available via the Google Play Store including OddWorld: Stranger’s Wrath, Pure Pool, Strike Suit Zero and Turbo Dismount. And there’s more: GRID is finally ready. GRID connects the device to state-of-the-art Nvidia GPU servers and gives the tablet a GeForce GTX gaming experience on the device (or on a connected television). GRID will be released in the United States in November, Western Europe in December and it’s coming to Asia in the New Year. GRID is best described as streaming games, similar to how one might use Google Play Music to stream music, or Netflix for films. GRID already includes 20 AAA gaming titles and will be free until the end of June 2015 for all Shield Tablet and Shield portable devices.
It’s great to see GRID finally coming and of course, to see the update being pushed out quickly. Good on you, Nvidia!