Last week, NVIDIA highlighted its Project SHIELD in the first video of its PC Mondays series by showing us how exactly the device will sync up with your PCs. The process was easier than we originally anticipated as it took very little effort to get the PC version of Borderlands 2 up and running through Steam.
One concern people had regarding the demo was how exactly non-Steam games would play. This week’s video highlights playing non-Steam games, one of which is EA Games’ Need for Speed: Most Wanted. (more…)
Today the folks at NVIDIA are once again showing off the PC-streaming prowess of their Project SHIELD device with none other than the game Need For Speed: Most Wanted. It’s not often that a game with this much heavy-duty need for graphics backup is seen on a device smaller than a desktop computer – but here it is, in full-on instant-gratification streaming action from the comfort of your couch. Project SHIELD is a device that will soon be delivered by NVIDIA to a retail store near you – at the moment it’s still in production.
The NVIDIA Project SHIELD device you’re seeing here consists of an amalgamation of gaming excellence, including soft plastic grips, a lovely high definition display, and an NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor under the hood. The whole device runs with Android for high-powered mobile games and has the ability to stream games from a computer in your home network wirelessly – GeForce GTX to the rescue!
This is just one of several games that’ll be optimized for play between your NVIDIA GeForce-toting computer and Project SHIELD. While thus far NVIDIA has been focusing on games that can be streamed via Valve’s Steam, today the focus is EA Games. The connection today is made with Need For Speed: Most Wanted, but as our NVIDIA host reminds us, Battlefield 3 will also work right out of the box. Each of these games works with a pre-set mapping of controls to the NVIDIA Project SHIELD device, allowing you to jump right in without a hiccup.
With Project SHIELD packed with an NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor, you know you’ve got an undeniable 72-core GPU under the hood. When you’re working with a game streamed from your PC, you’re also using the graphics processing power of your GeForce GPU. In this case the computer does “all the heavy lifting” as NVIDIA’s Will Park notes, allowing you to work with the game at its full-on usability and graphics potential.
Have a peek at the timeline below for additional insight into this beast of a device and gaming environment as it all unfolds through the future – right here on SlashGear. Along with it, be sure to head to our NVIDIA Tegra hub for more Tegra than your eyes can handle!
We saw NVIDIA’s Project SHIELD for the first time back at CES 2013 early last month, where we got our hands on the device. The Tegra 4-sporting device combines the best of Android, large displays, PC gaming, and NVIDIA’s processor. Today the company released a demo of the device running Vivid Game’s Real Boxing, a game built to take advantage of its powerhouse hardware.
Real Boxing has been built from the ground up specifically to take advantage of the Shield’s quad-core Tegra 4 processor and 72-core GeForce GPU. According to NVIDIA, users get higher poly count and animations, true depth of field, and enhanced textures. The game is played out in career mode, with several different boxers to choose from. You can check out the game play in the video below.
There are a total of 20 opponents to fight against, each one of them designed with their own fighting styles, strengths, and weakness. The boxers were modeled after real boxers to give the game realistic movements. The character gamers choose can be customized via mini games that earn points and take the gamer through various bought of training, such as heavy bag work and speed bag sessions.
This is the first of weekly Android Thursday demos, which complement its PC Monday videos, which started earlier this month. On February 4, we saw Borderlands 2 demoed on the device via live streaming from a PC over an ordinary wifi network as the first of its Project SHIELD PC Mondays video series.
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!
Are you still at a loss on what NVIDIA’s Project SHIELD is all about? Fret not, we have a primer on the Tegra 4-powered Project SHIELD that should prove to be an entertaining read, but this time around, here is a new take on Project SHIELD when it comes to the game known as Borderlands 2.
Perhaps your mind and body are just plain tired after investing most of your energy into a marathon Badlands 2 session, or maybe your bladder is about to burst, but being the good soldier that you are, you do not want to abandon your post unless there is really, really an emergency that needs to be attended to. Regardless, you need not fret about losing precious gaming time any more due to a status change to “Away From Keyboard”, as Project SHIELD will let you continue gaming on your Android-powered mobile gaming device.
In the video above, a demo of Project SHIELD running the ‘Badass Crater of Badassitude’ level of Borderlands 2 from a GeForce-enabled PC is depicted, and you can be sure that the AFK status would take on new meaning for you and your gaming mates.
This week the folks at Splashtop have announced the Configurable Shortcuts and Gamepad app for both iPads and high-powered Android tablets, this bringing a whole new chapter to PC gaming streaming in the mobile universe. Splashtop has been working as a remote desktop app for several years now, allowing both iOS and Android mobile devices view and work with desktop machines running Windows and Apple’s Mac OS X. Gamepad functionality takes on what the recently announced NVIDIA Project SHIELD hardware aims to do with virtualized streaming PC game playing on a mobile device and, instead of working with one piece of hardware, spreads it to a collection of tablets.
Another major difference between the NVIDIA solution and what Splashtop is offering up here is the price – while no pricing exists for Project SHIELD, we must assume they’ll be dropping one single price, one time. Here with the Splashtop Shortcuts and Gamepads app you’ll be paying $0.99 USD once and $9.99 USD a year for a subscription to the service. This app will be available for download starting on the 1st of February, 2013.
The primary use case for this app is being demonstrated in a set of games with pre-made profiles. You’ll have game profiles for World of Warcraft, Diablo III, and ProEvolution Soccer 2012 right out of the box, connecting you to the action with a series of controls on the surface of your tablet and connecting you to your PC wirelessly with ease. You’ll also be able to create customized virtual joy sticks and buttons galore for each game you want to play.
You’ll also be working with customized shortcuts of your own creation as well as mouse controls – with every version of Android 4.0 and up you’ve got built-in mouse functionality, mind you, and that’ll be working with Splashtop here as well. This app will be released with built-in productivity profiles for a series of applications like Windows Media Player, QuickTime Player, web browsers of several different types, and Microsoft Office. Mac OS X and Windows 8 will also have their own unique profiles.
Have a peek at the demonstration video above and let us know if this seems like a solution you’ll be trying out this year. Also be sure to keep in mind that the $9.99 a year subscription is mandatory for all functionality in the Configurable Shortcuts and Gamepads app and that you’ll need to be using SplashTop 2 to make everything a reality.
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.
If we were to list the companies that have enjoyed a really, really big CES 2013, NVIDIA would probably rank toward the top. Not only did the company announce new and interesting things like GeForce Experience and NVIDIA GRID, but it also unleashed the Tegra 4 mobile processor on the world and introduced us to Project SHIELD, a new Android-based gaming console of sorts that has everyone talking.
We were there reporting on it live as it all unfolded before our eyes, but if you’d like to experience the whole thing for yourself, then you’ll be pleased to know that fine folks at NVIDIA have popped it up online for everyone to watch. If you’re a fan of NVIDIA or even gaming in general, this might be a good press conference to check out, as NVIDIA has a lot of cool things coming down the the pipeline. Of course, you’re bound to see a stumble or two during the conference as well, so there’s another reason for you to watch.
NVIDIA has put the entire press conference up on Twitch.tv, so head over there if you’d like to give it a watch. At one hour and 48 minutes long, though, it’s certainly one of the more lengthy conferences we’ve seen here at CES, so you might want to make some popcorn or put on your comfy pants before firing this one up. At any rate, get ready to watch a number of very exciting announcements.
We’ll hopefully be getting our hands on some of these new NVIDIA products and services really soon, at which time we’ll be able to better judge the claims NVIDIA made throughout its press conference. We’ll be able to take a much more in-depth look later on, but for now, be sure to have a look at our hands-on with the Project SHIELD to see some early impressions. All of news from the show can also be found at our CES portal, so stop by there while you’re at it!
On Sunday evening, we reported that NVIDIA had launched Tegra 4, its next-generation quad-core chip with four ARM Cortex A15 CPUs, and a new massive GPU. At the same time, the company has announced the NVIDIA Shield, a “pure Android” portable gaming device that is designed to bring a unique mobile gaming experience. Shield has been built as a great game controller which happens to host one of the fastest next-gen mobile chip along with a 720p screen. Shield is obviously capable of running Android games like nothing else can, but that’s not it: using technology specific to NVIDIA, Shield can also stream games from a nearby PC and effectively brings “PC gaming” into your hands. I’ve spent some private time with the device here at CES, and here are my first impressions. (more…)
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