The Nvidia Shield Portable (Nvidia Shield or NSP) is a

handheld game console A handheld game console, or simply handheld console, is a small, portable self-contained video game console with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers. Handheld game consoles are smaller than home video game consoles and contain the con ...

developed by

Nvidia Nvidia Corporation ( ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and incorporated in Delaware. Founded in 1993 by Jensen Huang (president and CEO), Chris Malachowsky, and Curti ...

, released on July 31, 2013. It runs on Android

Lollipop A lollipop is a type of sugar candy usually consisting of hard candy mounted on a stick and intended for sucking or licking. Different informal terms are used in different places, including lolly, sucker and sticky-pop. Lollipops are avail ...

5.1, featuring a flip 130mm (5-inch) touchscreen display with 1280×720 resolution. It is similar in shape to an

Xbox 360 controller The Xbox 360 controller is the primary game controller for Microsoft's Xbox 360 home video game console that was introduced at E3 2005. The Xbox 360 controller comes in both wired and wireless versions. The Xbox controller is not compatible wit ...

and similar in control setup to a

DualShock The DualShock (originally Dual Shock, trademarked as DUALSHOCK or DUAL SHOCK, with the PlayStation 5 version as DualSense) is a line of gamepads developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment (formerly Sony Computer Entertainment) for the PlaySta ...

controller, with two analog joysticks, a

D-pad The D-pad (short for directional pad) is a compact input method developed for video games, designed to translate thumb movement into directional control through a flat, cross-shaped surface that rests on four internal switches. Each switch corres ...

, and other buttons. It is the first device to use Nvidia's

Tegra 4 Tegra is a system on a chip (SoC) series developed by Nvidia for mobile devices such as smartphones, personal digital assistants, and mobile Internet devices. The Tegra integrates an ARM architecture central processing unit (CPU), graphics pr ...

processor. It was originally called Shield or Nvidia Shield, but since the launch of the

Shield Tablet The Shield Tablet, later relaunched as the Shield Tablet K1, is a gaming tablet, developed by Nvidia and released on July 29, 2014. It was Nvidia's second portable gaming device that uses Android. Compared to the Shield Portable, the controlle ...

, it is called the Shield Portable. Due to being out of stock for many years, it is presumably discontinued, but there has not yet been any official announcement from Nvidia. An update in 2022 removed the GameStream feature from all Shield devices including the portable models.

Features

Through Nvidia's GameStream suite, Shield Portable allows the streaming of games running on a

desktop A desktop traditionally refers to: * The surface of a desk (often to distinguish office appliances that fit on a desk, such as photocopiers and printers, from larger equipment covering its own area on the floor) Desktop may refer to various compu ...

PC equipped with a GeForce GTX 650 or higher video card (formerly known as ''GeForce PC Streaming''). The Android 4.4.2 update for Shield Portable adds Console Mode, which allows a Shield Portable to be connected to a TV at either 720p, 1080p or 4K resolution (either using a wireless connection or MicroHDMI) and controlled with a

Bluetooth Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is li ...

controller, and software for mapping on-screen control buttons to the device's hardware buttons for Android games which do not natively support them. Alongside the exclusive games available through Nvidia's own TegraZone market and

GeForce Now GeForce Now (stylized as GeForce NOW) is the brand used by Nvidia for its cloud gaming service. The Nvidia Shield version of GeForce Now, formerly known as Nvidia Grid, launched in beta in 2013, with Nvidia officially unveiling its name on Septe ...

game-streaming service, Shield Portable can also access the

Google Play Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store, Play Store, or sometimes the Android Store (and was formerly Android Market), is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certifie ...

store, as with most other Android-based devices.

Software updates

Nvidia released SHIELD Portable Software Upgrade 103 on July 23, 2015, which added Android 5.1,

Chromecast Chromecast is a discontinued line of digital media players developed by Google. The devices, designed as small dongles, can play Internet-streaming media, streamed audio-visual content on a high-definition television or home audio system. The u ...

support to connect to a TV and removes some games that do not work with Android 5.1. Miracast support was also removed. Nvidia released SHIELD Portable Software Upgrade 106 on September 3, 2015. Nvidia released SHIELD Portable Software Upgrade 110 on July 6, 2016.

Critical reception

Nvidia Shield Portable has received mixed reception from critics. Generally, reviewers praised the performance of the device, but criticized the cost and lack of worthwhile games.

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

's Scott Lowe rated the Shield Portable a 6.8/10, noting the "impractical cost and a scarcity of compelling games".

Engadget Engadget ( ) is a technology news, reviews and analysis website offering daily coverage of gadgets, consumer electronics, video games, gaming hardware, apps, social media, streaming, AI, space, robotics, electric vehicles and other potentially ...

's review noted the system's "extremely impressive PC gaming", but also that due to its high price, the device was "a hard sell as a portable game console", especially when compared to similar handhelds on the market. CNET's Eric Franklin states in his review of the device that "The Nvidia Shield is an extremely well made device, with performance that pretty much obliterates any mobile product before it; but like most new console launches, there is currently a lack of available games worth your time."

Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 alongside parent company Gamer Network. In 2008, it started in the formerly eponymous trade fair EGX (Eurogamer Expo until 2013) organised by its parent company. Fr ...

's comprehensive review of the device provides a detailed account of the device and its features; concluded by saying: "In the here and now, the first-gen Shield Portable is a gloriously niche, luxury product - the most powerful Android system on the market by a clear stretch and possessing a unique link to PC gaming that's seriously impressive in beta form, and can only get better."

References

External links

*
NVIDIA Untethers Gaming with Project SHIELD
{{Portal bar, 2010s, Video games, Electronics Nvidia products Products introduced in 2013 Android-based handheld game consoles Portable media players ARM-based video game consoles Eighth-generation video game consoles

Features

Software updates

Critical reception

See also

References

External links