This week the folks at NVIDIA have unleashed a new demo video depicting their Project SHIELD mobile gaming device playing none other than Borderlands 2. The reason this is a monstrous feat, for those of you that don’t know, is the fact that this game is a high-powered PC game that otherwise only exists on the most fabulous of gaming PC builds. This game is shown here streaming on a home-based wireless network from a Falcon Tiki PC working with a GeForce GTX 680 graphics card – it’s a top-level PC gaming experience streamed to a mobile device in the palms of your hands!
The Project SHIELD device you see here will be coming to you later this year straight from NVIDIA with very few changes between here and there – with the name being the first and perhaps largest update of the bunch. From what we’ve heard about this device thus far, it’s only the final name and a set of tweaks that need to be done to the hardware that stand between this device and its final release build. Then it’ll be the first consumer mobile smart device created by and branded straight up NVIDIA, top to bottom!
What you’re seeing here is the device running Android, but streaming Borderlands 2 from a PC over a wireless network. This is the first of a series of NVIDIA’s “Project SHIELD PC Mondays” in which you’ll see the machine busting out with PC power with great ease. The stream you’re seeing here is happening in real time, with the display of the computer in the background showing how instantaneously you’re getting not just the graphics, but the gameplay as well.
This streaming action also includes the highest graphics settings you’ve worked with on your PC as well. This is no “tune it down so you can stream” sort of situation. You’ll be working with the NVIDIA GeForce Experience to optimize your gameplay for your PC, then Project SHIELD will work with that top-notch experience. Hot stuff!
Have a peek at the timeline below to see all the NVIDIA Project SHIELD action you can handle right here on SlashGear, and check out our Tegra Hub for an NVIDIA overdose – graphics and processing power and mobile gaming, oh my!
In case you hadn’t heard the news, the open Crysis 3 multiplayer beta kicked off today. Those playing on PC will be pleased to know that NVIDIA is just as excited as you are, releasing its new GeForce 313.95 beta driver that’s said to increase multi-GPU performance by as much as 35% in Crysis 3. Naturally, the boost you get from this beta driver will vary depending on your setup, but those with a serious gaming rig should expect at least some improvement when trying to run the Crysis 3 beta.
This also happens to be NVIDIA’s first driver release of the new year, and with the company claiming improvements in 17 different games, you could argue we’re starting the year off with a bang. While the main focus will definitely be on the improvements made for the Crysis 3 beta, others like Assassin’s Creed III, Black Ops II, and Far Cry 3 are also benefiting from single-GPU and SLI performance boosts. So, if you’re not planning on participating in the Crysis 3 beta and are playing some of 2012′s biggest games instead, you’ll still want to grab this driver.
Of course, part of the problem is that Crysis 3 isn’t even out yet, so it’s hard to know what to expect from the beta. NVIDIA has compiled a list of recommended settings for a handful of its GeForce GTX 600 series cards. Again, keep in mind that you may need to change a few things depending on your hardware setup, but NVIDIA says that these recommended settings should serve as a good jumping off point. Sorry to say, but if you’re using a GTX 650, it looks like a lot of your settings will have to go down to low. Check out the full chart below.
This chart is just the tip of the iceberg though, with NVIDIA posting a series of performance bar charts to show how a number of its GPUs performed before and after installing the driver. NVIDIA has Windows XP, Windows 7, and Windows 8 packages available for desktop setups, while those on laptops will have access to Windows 7 and 8 package donwloads. If you’re interested in downloading the driver, you can grab it now from the official GeForce site.
There have already been a few 15-inchUltrabooks that have pushed the very limits of the thin-and-light category. Still, LG wants its turn at bending the rules. Its new U560 packs a 15.6-inch display and an optical drive that, together, contribute to the PC’s 4.3-pound weight and 0.82-inch thickness — really, it’s a traditional laptop in a slimmer than usual package. Not that we’ll complain too much when it involves an IPS-based LCD, a 1.8GHz Core i5, dedicated graphics (a support page suggests NVIDIA) and both a spinning hard disk as well as solid-state storage. The U560’s launch is limited to South Korea so far, although we wouldn’t be surprised to see Europe and other territories get their turn.
This past week at CES 2013, the SlashGear team was privy to a handful of fantastic or otherwise generally interesting next-generation technology, but for yours truly, there was nothing as significant for its designer as NVIDIA’s Project SHIELD. I want to be clear in saying that there may have been more market-ready, real-world devices and services presented to us that have hard release dates and/or real track records for success in earlier models, but when you take Project SHIELD and speak about how important even just the idea is for the NVIDIA brand and ecosystem, nothing else had as important a set of implications.
When we were introduced to Project SHIELD at NVIDIA’s press conference during CES, the company’s CEO Jen-Hsun Huang prefaced the situation with assurances on the future: “Next-generation gamers play literally on whatever they can, whenever they can. Just like we enjoy movies on multiple screens, just like we listen to music on multiple devices.” Though the delivery couldn’t have been as powerful as the initial reveal of the iPod, a revolutionary device for the music industry (referenced in the conference earlier as such), NVIDIA intended and intends to push Project SHIELD as a revolutionary device for the gaming industry.
We had a chat with Nick Stam, Technical Marketing Director for NVIDIA (as you’ll see above), in which we were told that not only is Project SHIELD a real project, but it’ll be coming to the market in the second quarter of 2013 as an NVIDIA-branded piece of equipment. Though the idea of creating a bridge between large hardware (PC and console) and small hardware (mobile) gaming may be more significant than the actual SHIELD device, the device is being prepared for a real release.
“What you’re seeing here is a Beta version that we’re showing at CES – and there may be some modifications to the physical design elements, some of the software elements, but our plan is to ship this Project SHIELD under an official marketing name in Q2. That’s our plan: in Q2 2013 in retail. So in retail and e-tail, with an NVIDIA name.” – Stam
NVIDIA has appeared in the news essentially the same amount of times for its mobile processor business as it has for its high-powered computing components over the past year. As we see them tie the two together with SHIELD as well as NVIDIA GRID for cloud-based gaming companies and NVIDIA GeForce Experience for high-powered gaming optimization, the circle can be made complete. With the continuation of NVIDIA’s rather successful GeForce GPU lineup and the new Tegra 4 mobile processor (also just revealed this past week) as well, NVIDIA has created a new ecosystem for themselves.
You’ll need GeForce GPU power to stream games from your PC to your Project SHIELD device, and though any number of games will work on the device from the Google Play market for Android, NVIDIA’s Tegra Zone will surely be the place where you’ll find the best of the best, optimized for the Tegra 4 processor you’ve got under the hood, made perfect for the physical controls you’ve got in front of you.
It’s difficult to say how much of an impact this device will have in and of itself as far as sales go – certainly not until we see the price, at least. The confidence with which NVIDIA presents this device as a knot that ties together its two major product lines – PC and mobile – that’s what will have the biggest effect on their future. No other company made such a unique product ecosystem presentation at CES 2013.
We’re used to CES being all about gadgets and technology in general, but this year, there were actually a surprising number of major gaming announcements. NVIDIA positioned itself front and center, leading the charge and talking about a number of new products and services that are bound to get any gamer bouncing up and down with glee. Perhaps the biggest reveal NVIDIA’s press conference held was the reveal of Project SHIELD, a new Android-based games console that’s packing the company’s latest mobile processor, the Tegra 4.
While that’s impressive enough, it gets even better: Project SHIELD won’t just play Android games, but is also capable of streaming games over Wi-Fi from a computer outfitted with a GeForce GPU. During our hands-on time with the device, we got to see it streaming Black Ops II to its 5-inch 720p screen, so there’s certainly plenty to look forward to with this new device. The streaming functionality makes a good segway to another major announcement from the company – NVIDIA GRID.
With NVIDIA GRID, we’re seeing NVIDIA enter the cloud gaming space, outfitting its server racks with enough GeForce GPUs to supposedly match the power of 700 Xbox 360s. A number of key players have failed or otherwise stalled out in the cloud gaming space, so it’ll be interesting to see if NVIDIA can excel. The company also gave us more details about GeForce Experience, which will do its best to optimize your graphics settings so that games run as good as they can on your rig.
Of course, the show wasn’t only about NVIDIA. The company made a lot of major gaming announcements – that much is true – but it had quite a bit of competition for gamers’ attention. Razer had its Project Fiona tablet on hand at the show, only now it’s been renamed the Razer Edge. Making use of Intel’s third-gen Core line of processors (with one configuration even sporting a Core i7) and an NVIDIA GT640M LE GPU, this tablet definitely has some stellar hardware. It will also have a number of accessories available separately, including a detachable controller dock, keyboard dock, 360-esque gamepad, and docking station that has all the ports you need to turn your Edge into a mini gaming desktop.
As you might imagine, we found during our hands-on time that playing games on the Razer Edge is a blast, and seeing triple-A retail titles like Dishonored running on it at excellent frame rates certainly was exciting. It seems safe to say that if the Edge catches on with gamers, then we can look forward to a whole new era in mobile gaming.
Archos was at the show, and though it had a number of different devices on display, one of the more intriguing products was its GamePad. The Archos GamePad is another tablet made specifically for gamers, though it comes with a far less expensive price tag than the Razer Edge. As one of the only Android tablets to provide physical face buttons, this makes the tablet a prime choice for people who like enjoy games but hate touchscreen controls. In our hands-on, we said that though you’ll have to map the physical controls for a fair number of Android games, the process seems pretty easy, and should keep the downtime between downloading and gaming short.
Right before Pepcom kicked off, we heard that Xi3 and Valve would be showing off a new product. Xi3 was there in force at Pepcom, showing off its brand new 7 series modular computer, and while we made a few guesses at what Valve would be using it for, in the end it turned out that we were wrong. It would appear that Valve has invested heavily in Xi3′s modular computer to offer set-top “Steam boxes,” meant for gaming and streaming content, so we’ll be keeping and eye on that.
Switching gears completely to move from hardware to peripherals, there were two companies in particular that were showing off new gaming mice. One was Genius, which let us get a little hands-on time in with its relatively new Gila mouse. The Gila comes with a number of accessibility options, letting users program any of the twelve buttons and featuring highly adjustable dpi settings.
Mad Catz is not one to be outdone, however, giving us a look at its new R.A.T.M and M.O.U.S.9 mice. If you’re a serious PC gamer, these mice seem to be aimed directly at you. Both mice are quite similar, with the M.O.U.S.9 being just a bit bigger than its brother. Both have very unique designs as far as gaming mice go, with buttons everywhere on the pair. They each can supposedly boast one year of battery life as well, so that’s something to get stoked about if you’re always on your gaming PC.
In the end, this was actually a pretty big year for gaming at CES. All of the stuff we saw during the show will of course being popping up more and more as the year goes on, and we’re hoping that we’ll get the chance to spend much more time with Project SHIELD, the Razer Edge, and the Archos GamePad soon. Keep it here to SlashGear for more information on all of these cool devices, and in the meantime, be sure to check out our CES portal for our full show coverage.
Just last night we first heard of the Tegra 4-toting NVIDIA Project SHIELD for the very first time, and right here and now we’ve gotten our own opportunity to get our hands on it. This machine is a large piece in a gaming ecosystem NVIDIA is bringing forth to the world combining not only Android and its brand new Tegra 4 processors, but large screen monitors like your HDTV, and PC gaming too! We’ve been shown this device in its current state playing an early version of the new-to-Android game Hawken, Call of Duty: Black Ops II streamed from a GeForce-packing PC wirelessly, and some interesting moves through the device’s unique user interface.
As we spoke about in the initial announcement last night, NVIDIA intends this device to be not only a key device for accessing their NVIDIA Tegra Zone for Android, but to stream games from GeForce GPU-toting PCs as well. NVIDIA assured us today that until the data connectivity ecosystem is strong enough here in the USA, this machine will be streaming games from PCs only over a local area network. That said, it certainly can roll out with undeniable power completely wirelessly – over wi-fi, that is.
It was also made clear to us that developments still may be made before the final product would be launched – both in its software and its hardware. At the moment it’s clear that NVIDIA has the structure ready for prime time, there’s simply a few kinks to iron out as far as which situation requires what action: certainly forgivable given the fact that they’ve targeted Q2 of 2013 for the release – that being still relatively far off and plenty of time for software bug fixes.
The hardware, on the other hand, is extremely close to being complete. While there could be changes to the level of hardness with which the buttons need to be pressed as well as the materials that the casing will be made of, this beast is essentially ready for action. One important point of order for controller aficionados: the now-hard-plastic surrounding the left, right and front of the machine will likely be replaced by a softer plastic in the future – so says NVIDIA. Grippier plastic for a more controlled action experience.
The speakers on this machine are immense in their ability to blast your ears off. I was personally unable to play a game without turning the sound down somewhat – it can get too loud. That’s not to say that the sound is bad – not at all – in fact the sound is both full and deep, ready to be used on its own without a doubt. Another point of order: while most built-in speakers on devices like these working with heavy bass have a bit of a problem rumbling around on a flat surface, this machine’s audio system is set in a way that keeps it still. High fidelity and a controlled experience, top to bottom.
We saw the game HAWKEN in its newest state: Android-based and as high powered as we’ve seen it played on the PC. It seems every bit as immense here on this 5-inch 720p display as it does on the big screen, and from what we’ve experienced, this Android version is going to turn the mobile gaming world on its ear – in the mech universe, at least.
We also saw some awesome PC-streamed gaming with Call of Duty: Black Ops II from a GeForce-packing PC in the same room with this machine’s 802.11n 2×2 MIMO “game-speed” Wi-Fi. From what we’ve seen, game streaming from a GeForce-powered PC to Project SHIELD works flawlessly. Once you’re in-game, that is. By the time this device is released, we’re expecting an undeniably smooth experience start to finish.
Have a peek at the photos and videos above and below and let us know what you think about the device and the future ecosystem NVIDIA is building around it. Also be sure to tune in to our Tegra hub for all the NVIDIA action you can handle through the future!
Was Sony’s Tap 20 too small for you? Then what about a gorgeous 27″ Lenovo then? Yep you are reading this right, Lenovo announced today the IdeaCenter Horizon a gorgeous 27″ 10 point multi-touch screen (Full HD) that comes with a Ivy Bridge Core i7, an Nvidia GeForce GT 620M, WiFi N, USB 3.0, Optional SSD and an Internal Battery that will give you up to 2h of battery life for just 1699 USD. Sure this new IdeaCentre Horizon may not be for everyone but if developers start …
This week NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsung Huang spoke at CES 2013 about the potential of the gaming industry, making it clear that the cloud was the next great place for that industry to go. With that, he revealed NVIDIA GRID. The beast you’re seeing in the images below works with 20 GRID servers per rack, 240 NVIDIA GPUs, working at 200TFLOPS, this equaling approximately 700 Xbox 360s.
This machine is what NVIDIA calls “revolutionary cloud-gaming architecture”, and they proved it with a television connected to an Ethernet cord alone. This television was an LG Smart TV connected to the cloud, allowing the user to render graphics completely in the cloud. This allows you, in the near future, to play full graphics games via the internet from anywhere.
Streaming gaming, with NVIDIA’s system shown this week, will be able to be as impressive visually and in-use as your console or PC connected at home. This was also revealed in an NVIDIA Tegra 3-packing ASUS Transformer Prime. This tablet works with an NVIDIA GRID app that connects to the cloud.
With this system, essentially any device, not just a smart TV or a PC, will be able to play full-feature, full-graphics games in the cloud. What we’ve seen here is being presented by NVIDIA as the next generation in gaming and, from what we’ve seen, truly appears to be prepared to change the way we play games from top to bottom.
Check our CES portal for more hands-on and up to the minute action right here at SlashGear all week!
This week at CES 2013 Jen-Hsun Huang, CEO and Co-founder of NVIDIA stepped on stage to reveal GeForce Experience, a new technology environment made to instantly optimize your gaming experience. He began back when the world changed via mobile, starting with the iPod “a thousand songs in your pocket”. Interestingly, Huang’s talk went through the course of 10 years in a few minutes of mobile history, landing on streaming as the key technology for today.
He then made it clear that the big missing piece in the puzzle of today’s mobile-connected universe is, in NVIDIA’s view, the one relatively untouched market insofar as you’re able to play, as he put it, “the same video game on any device” without tethering. Huang went on to speak on the powerful markets within gaming on the PC, speaking on the high points in game sales in general, speaking on how interesting it is that the gaming industry continues to grow but, at the same time, remains stagnant (so to speak).
Huang moved on to Game Settings and how when they first arrived, it was both a blessing and a curse – not everyone wants to make the amplifications needed to make the game run at its highest potential. “Dad I just want to play it”, said Huang, speaking on how back when his son installed technology NVIDIA made with the G80.
With the NVIDIA GeForce Experience – aka GFE – your game will be optimized based on your hardware. With the press of a button, your machine will be able to work instantly at top-notch mode. The performance, scalability, and experience you should have, instantly.
Stick around SlashGear to see the full details on this system as they appear via NVIDIA all week long. Hit up our giant CES portal to make with the reading, viewing, and chatting all week long.
Starting things off fresh for CES 2013, Lenovo has just announced a new lineup of touch-based devices running Windows 8. The company unveiled new additions to the IdeaPad U series of Ultrabooks and the Mainstream Z Series, as well as the new ThinkPad Edge E431 and E531 business-minded laptops.
Lenovo’s new IdeaPad U310 and U410 Ultrabooks are just 18mm thin and boast a wake-up time of just one second, thanks to Lenovo’s own Instant Resume technology. The new Ultrabooks come packing with up to a 3rd-generation Intel Core i7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce graphics with DirectX 11. The U310 will be available in March starting at $779, while the U410 will release in April starting at $850.
Lenovo also has shown off the new IdeaPad Z400 and Z500 laptops and are the latest additions to the company’s Z series. These machines are optimized for Windows 8’s touch-based UI, supporting 10-finger touch at any given point. Both laptops come with a 3rd -generation Intel Core i7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce graphics. The Z400 will come with a 14-inch display and will be available starting in March at $699, while the Z500 will feature a 15.6-inch display and will be released in April starting at $699 as well.
Lastly, Lenovo announced the ThinkPad Edge E431 and E531 (also pictured at the top of this article). They’re the first ThinkPad laptops to include the company’s all-new OneLink technology, which allows users to connect to various external devices through a single cable connection, thus eliminating cable clutter without compromising performance. The ThinkPad Edge E431 and E531 laptops also feature improved graphics and higher-resolution displays, as well as a five-button ClickPad that will let users control various Windows 8 features from the keyboard. Both models will be available in May starting at $499.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
