Can it run Crisis? Yes! Nvidia has just announced SHIELD, an Android TV Game Console powered by the latest Tegra X1 SoC coupled with 3GB, 16GB flash, and which I believe to be the very first consumer ARM system with true 4K video output, decoding/encoding up to 60 fps, as well as both VP9 and H.265 codec at 4K resolution. I’m still not 100% sure gaming will be feasible at 4K resolutions. Since they already have a Shield tablet, and Shield portable game console, it would have been nice to find another name though…
SHIELD specifications:
- SoC – NVIDIA Tegra X1 octa-core processor with 4x Cortex A57 cores, 4x Cortex A53 cores, and a 256-core Maxwell GPU
- System Memory – 3GB RAM
- Storage – 16 GB + MicroSD slot
- Video Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 4K @ 60 Hz
- Video – 4K playback and capture up to 60 fps (VP9, H265, H264)
- Audio
- 7.1 and 5.1 surround sound pass through over HDMI,
- High-resolution audio playback up to 24-bit/192 kHz over HDMI and USB
- High-resolution audio up-sample to 24-bit/192 kHz over USB
- Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11ac 2×2 MIMO 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1/BLE
- USB – 2x USB 3.0 (Type A) + 1x micro-USB 2.0 port
- Misc – IR Receiver (compatible with Logitech Harmony)
- Power Supply – 40 W power adapter
- Dimensions – 210 x 130 x 25 mm
- Weight – 654 g
The SHIELD will run the latest version of Android TV (Lollipop) with Google Cast support, include PLEX, support NVIDIA gaming features such as GRID, Share, and GameStream, and receive software upgrades directly from NVIDIA. The console will be sold with a SHIELD controller, and optional accessories such as a stand and a SHIELD remote.
PC Perspective ran ICE Storm Unlimited benchmark in the SHIELD, and compared the results to the SHIELD Tablet and iPad Air 2.
|
SHIELD |
SHIELD Tablet (Tegra K1) | iPad Air 2 (Apple A8X) |
|
| Overall | 42,406 (+42%) | 29,668 | 21,541 |
| Graphics | 56,179 () | 37,983 | 31,419 |
| Physics | 22,823 (+15%) | 19,837 | 10,256 |
* Percentage value represents the improvement over the SHIELD tablet.
200 games (or is it 50+ games?) will be available at launch in May, and it will sell for $199 with the SHIELD controller. You can find more information on Nvidia SHIELD product page.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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