NVIDIA Shield

Zitat: Wie gut ist die Bildqualität? (30 %): Note 1,30 Wie gut ist die Tonqualität? (10 %): Note 2,40 Welche Dateiformate lassen sich abspielen? (20 %): Note 1,00 Welche Online-Dienste sind verfügbar (30 %): Note 3,28 Wie einfach ist die Bedienung? (10 %): Note 1,00 Aufwertung: gute Spiele-Auswahl, Sprachsuche, 4K-Videos

Zitat: Pro: + Great craftsmanship + Crams a lot of pixels into a 5" screen (294 PPI) + Tegra 4 processor equates to a great gaming experience + Added value with two games and Hulu Plus pre-loaded + Integrated controller makes this the best Android gaming device + An emulator-junkie´s best friend + PC Game Streaming (if your PC supports it) + Console Mode + LOUD, high quality speakers + Can increase storage via microSD cards beyond the built-in 16GB + Comparatively good battery life + NVIDIA Holiday Bundle $50 or $100 discount, if you´re in the market for a new video card Contra: - Heavier and bulkier than most (all?) other handheld devices - Gamepad controls not always supported, not even with Gamepad Mapper - Typing and other touch functionality may feel awkward with the permanently attached controller - PC Game Streaming requires a fairly beefy desktop PC and high-end router - Playing PC games on a 5" screen isn´t always a great experience - Don´t even bother trying to read your GooglePlay Newsstand subscriptions on that tiny screen - Expensive if all you care about is gaming on-the-go Make no mistake about it, the NVIDIA SHIELD is a great device. But whether it´s worth the $300 USD price tag is entirely dependent on what you plan on using it for. There´s no better Android gaming device on the market, but if that´s all you want it for, the price tag may be a bit steep. Indeed, if you´re not interested in the PC Game Streaming and/or Console Mode, I´d have to recommend a PlayStation Vita or Nintendo 3DS instead. If you are interested in the PC Game Streaming, you better ensure your PC meets the minimum requirements. If you´re running an AMD GPU, you´re out of luck. Same goes for notebook users, as none of the mobile NVIDIA GPUs support PC Game Streaming (at least not currently). If you do happen to be a desktop member of the green team, not so fast – you still need a GTX600 series or better, which means a card released within the last year and a half. The good thing is, if you happen to be in the market for a new video card, NVIDIA is running a special Holiday Bundle promotion; you can grab a GTX 660, 660 Ti, 670, 680, 690, or 760 and receive $50 USD off the SHIELD, or go all out with a GTX 770, 780, 780 Ti, or TITAN and receive $100 USD off the SHIELD. It´s hard to recommend the SHIELD at its current price point if you´re not going to take advantage of the PC Game Streaming and Console Mode. What can I say, I love my Vita and it was cheaper. That being said, if you´re obsessed with emulators, having a portable emulation device with a real controller is hard to resist. While you can play PSP and PS1 games on the Vita (if they´re available on PSN) and GBA games on your 3DS (if they´re available in the eShop), the SHIELD allows you to play all three, plus several other systems. While you can do that on any Android device, having the integrated controller makes the experience much more akin to playing the actual console. One last thing I will add is that NVIDIA has already shown a great commitment to improving the SHIELD over time, such as adding Console Mode in the latest major update. The list of officially supported PC games is constantly expanding as well, and I´m sure that´ll increase even more knowing NVIDIA´s strong relationships with several developers. In the end, it´s up to you whether you feel $300 USD is justified. For what the SHIELD offers, the price is more than acceptable, but if you don´t plan on utilizing all that it offers, you´ll be in for a tougher decision. Still, if you have a high-end NVIDIA PC or are planning on buying a new GPU, the SHIELD will make a great addition to anyone´s holiday wishlist. Just don´t forget to factor in an additional $39.99 for the official carrying case, because you´re going to want that to.

Zitat: + Hohe Leistung + Erlaubt das Streaming vom PC auf den Fernseher - Für einen Handheld sehr teuer - Bisher wenig gute Spiele - Kein Aufrüsten möglich

Zitat: Pro: + Offers a fully immersive gaming experience on the go + Has all of the buttons a gamer could want + Streams PC games--if you have the right NVIDIA GPU + Excellent battery life, sound quality, and display Contra: - Heavy, not as portable as other dedicated gaming devices - Regular Android games are playable only in portrait mode - Somewhat expensive considering its limitations-you still need a phone to stay in touch - PC streaming requires very particular hardware While the Nvidia Shield may have a tough time finding its audience, it is an excellent portable gaming device. Yes, you can play games on your iPad, but not with this level of sound quality, and certainly not with the precise control offered by dual joysticks and plenty of face buttons, triggers, and bumpers. The Shield would be perfect for someone who is a hardcore gamer first, second, and third, and only peripherally interested in general tablet functions. While it is certainly capable of handling your Gmail or being used as a music player, it isn´t exactly pocketable. But it plays, sounds, and looks beautiful, and works exactly as advertised...so long as you´re playing Shield-enhanced games from the TegraZone. Otherwise it has some serious limitations, so carefully evaluate your needs before you take the plunge.

Zitat: The good: + First thing first - the Nvidia Shield is insanely powerful. Nvidia´s Tegra 4 chipset is the absolute cutting edge in terms of mobile tech; it blows away pretty much every other Android hardware on the market when it comes to pure, unadulterated processing clout. From a gaming perspective this means that the Shield runs every Android game with ease; even taxing 3D titles like Real Racing 3 don´t cause the hardware any issues. Polygon-pushing prowess is just one element of the Nvidia Shield´s appeal, however - the console boasts a full suite of gaming controls, including two analogue sticks, a D-pad, four face buttons and two analogue shoulder triggers. Nvidia has basically crammed an entire Xbox 360 joypad into a handheld device, setting a new standard for mobile gaming interfaces. And for those times when you´ve simply got to have a game of Angry Birds, the console boasts a five-inch capacitive touch screen as well. Factor in a micro SD card slot, Android 4.2, complete connectivity with the Google Play store (many rival Android gaming platforms don´t work with Google´s official app store) and the ability to mirror PC games to the console (providing you have a compatible graphics card on your PC) and you´ve got a seriously impressive piece of hardware. The latter feature effectively transforms the system into a challenger for the Nintendo Wii U, allowing you to play top-of-the-line computer titles from anywhere in the house. The bad: - Although the Nvidia Shield is comfortable to hold and a pleasure to use, it´s massive and very, very heavy. Fitting all those gaming controls into the casing has resulted in a console which makes the PS Vita look positively tiny in comparison - this isn´t a handheld that you´ll effortlessly be slipping into your pocket before leaving the house. Another issue relates to the console´s reliance on Android. Although the Google Play store has made significant gains in past months, it still trails Apple´s iOS App Store by some margin, at least in quality. To make matters worse, many of the games (Real Racing 3 included) aren´t optimised to make the most of the Shield´s physical controls - an issue which will surely be rectified in time but is very annoying in the short-term. When you´ve spent $300 on a games console it´s frustrating that so many games aren´t totally compatible with it. The Nvidia Shield isn´t going to be for everyone - the price tag alone will be enough to put off many potential buyers, and the lack of truly killer games on the Google Play market rather limits its appeal with hardcore players. However, if you value raw power, brilliant controls and like the sound of being able to mirror cutting-edge PC games to a handheld system, then the Shield could be your dream portable. Android gaming is set to explode with the likes of the Ouya, GameStick and M.O.J.O all arriving in quick succession, and the Shield currently offers the best platform on which to enjoy this revolution - just try not to think too hard about that price tag.