You may already be aware that the NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV device came out in the US and Canada on May 28th, but you might also still be wondering if and why you might want one. Believe us, if you like games, movies, music or apps, you will want one, once you realise what this $199 marvel will allow you to do with your humble television sitting in the corner of your lounge or the den at home.
Gamers, in particular, are going to be blown away by what NVIDA’s SHIELD will allow them to do on their TVs. No matter if you are the hardest of hardcore PC gamers or ‘just’ a casual gamer who enjoys playing the odd mobile game on your smartphone or tablet. The SHIELD will completely revolutionise the way in which you play games at home. Period.
So why is the SHIELD such a ‘game changer’? Let’s get straight down to the nuts and bolts of it. These are the five essential reasons why gamers, movie fans, music nuts and TV aficionados are going to want to invest in NVIDIA’s latest set-top marvel.
1.The SHIELD is way more than a set-top box
Let’s face it. Set-top boxes are hardly the sexiest entertainment tech in the store. They have a reputation for being low-tech, cheaply made and poorly designed. Which is why NVIDIA describes the SHIELD as an Android TV device. One that happens to be built around the company’s most powerful mobile processor to date, the Tegra X1.
2.The price belies the SHIELD’s power
You can’t get high-end PC gaming power and quality for $199, says the sniffy gamer that’s spend the big bucks on building the uber gaming rig. Well, we hate to break it to you, but you now can. And if you want to stream the hundreds of PC games in your library to the TV via the SHIELD, you can do that as well. Double whammy PC gamer bonus!
3.The games are genuinely amazing
The SHIELD offers gamers considerably more than Android apps on a big screen. NVIDIA’s beefy, sleekly designed Android TV box will give you access to some of the greatest PC games ever. Titles such as Doom 3: BFG Edition are already available, amongst many others. And you’ll soon be able to download Half-Life 2: Episode 2, Battle of Sol, Q.U.B.E. Director’s Cut, Brawl, Burn Zombie Burn, Exiles, Funk of Titans, BeatBuddy, Frozen Synapse Prime and many more.
4.It looks beautiful
Looks aren’t everything. But they help. And NVIDIA has paid attention to the important details here. Firstly, straight out of the box the SHIELD is obviously a solidly built, premium piece of hardware, designed in a gloss black with understated green trim. And secondly, the accompanying console-style controller will impress the most demanding gamer, particularly as it features a headset input, to allow for late night gaming sessions that won’t wake or annoy the rest of the household or that irritable neighbor in the flat upstairs!
5.It’s a cutting-edge hub for music, movies and apps
You want to watch movies in glorious 4K resolution? You got it. You want crystal clear home cinema sound for your 5.1 or 7.1 speaker set up? Yep, you got that as well. Streaming movies to your TV via Netflix or one of your other favourite film or TV services or apps has never been so good. Need we say more?
