The Shield tablet is Nvidia’s latest effort to make another gaming-capable Android system. The Taiwanese company previously released the Nvidia portable, a dedicated handheld game machine with a fold-up screen. However, with the tablet, Nvidia hopes to provide a more mainstream computing experience with a more relaxed gaming outlook.
The tablet is driven by the Tegra K1 processor, the dedicated Nvidia system-on-a-chip. It is known for its great graphics processing, capable of running all the latest Android games without a hitch – even the most taxing ones like Mortal Kombat X.
The quad-core Cortex-A9 chip in the system, together with its 2 GB DDR3L RAM memory, aids in keeping non-graphical tasks snappy. This combination translates into smooth gaming interfaces and a great overall computing experience. The amount of RAM is especially beneficial for web browsing and its quad-core chip helped with switching between its video content apps like YouTube and Kindle.
The 8 inch IPS LCD display, though not the sharpest of tablet displays, is bright and crisp enough for a decent gaming experience. The colour reproduction, on the other hand, was sorely lacking. The screen looked a tad warmer than a standard tablet, with a yellowish hue, indicating a lack in decent colour calibration. Furthermore, the tremendous amount of glare on the actual screen reduced the number of possible viewing angles; but with an anti-glare screen protector installed, or simply using the tablet’s indoor settings, you should still be enjoying its sharp visuals from all angles.
The dual front-facing speakers are one of its more gaming-focused additions, and they provide great mid-range and rich bass sounds. It isn’t loud enough to fill a room, but for a tablet that sounds flawless from 0% all the way up to 100%, these speakers are a step ahead of typical Android tablets.
The dedicated wireless controller is very much the crux of this gaming tablet, although you could still utilise motion controls or conventional touch. The controller connects to the tablet using Wi-Fi direct, which offers 2 times faster response time and bandwidth over traditional bluetooth. One caveat is that you would need to buy it separately from the main tablet itself, but when you are paying RM 1678 for a gaming-focused tablet like that, you are most likely a gamer that is willing to fork out a little more for a controller.
With additions like a stylus, a 4K output resolution through HDMI, and a 5 megapixel back and front-facing camera – there truly are a lot of features, though for the heftier pricetag. However, Nvidia certainly succeeded in its aim to produce a solid and more well-rounded tablet, outside of gaming.
With only about 400 game titles in the Android store supporting the wireless controller, targeting a broader audience might prove to be a wise move on Nvidia’s part. There are a decent number of tablets already in the market that are faster, like the Surface Pro 3, and the Nvidia Shield tablet might soon find it hard to punch above its weight. The Nvidia Shield tablet is only equipped with 2 GB of DDR3 RAM, compared to other faster Intel i7 processors and DDR4 RAM.
The Nvidia Shield tablet, however, is still a worthy device for light to moderate mobile gaming. Even if you are not a gamer, it clearly outperforms a Nexus 7 or Nexus 10 in basic computing tasks. And with a dedicated and optimised Nvidia game store, as well as a Twitch.TV game streaming feature, the Nvidia is a versatile tablet for some casual gaming and web browsing alike.
-This article was contributed by online shopping and deals site ShopBack Malaysia
