nVidia Shield?

[r0bot j0nes]

I was considering nabbing one of these over a Linux handheld, as I'm a PC gamer at heart and the emulation looks rather good.

How well does the Shield handle N64/PSX/Arcade emulation, compatibility and performance wise?

[FerretGamer]

I actually grabbed one of these a few days ago from Amazon Warehouse ($160!) and it is definitely an emulation powerhouse. It also can handle Reicast (Dreamcast) emulator really well.

The Shield has other wonderful things it offers as well. There is a beta service called Nvidia GRID which is essentially Onlive or what Gaikai service hopes to be for PS4. They have 8 games available to play for FREE and it is full on PC games being streamed to your Shield from a server in California. It works quite brilliantly for a beta service.

Then, there is the Gamestream which allows you to stream locally from your PC (must have a Geforce 650GTX or better) such as Steam games.

Outside of that, they have their own Tegra "hub" which compiles all of the games designed for the Tegra chip inside the Shield. However, it all ties into Google Play and yes it supports Google Play store out of the box so load it up with all of the useful Android apps and games.

Finally, the Shield has a console mode and you can connect your PS3 or other bluetooth controllers to it (up to 4) and essentially turn it into a home console that plays retro games and android games on your TV using either a Mini HDMI to HDMI cable or Miracast (have not tried it).

I was pleasantly surprised by it. The screen is very nice and sharp and the speakers are insane on this device (the best speakers I've heard on a handheld/portable.) The controller is great and the d-pad is actually very nice.

I can try to take some pictures over the weekend.

[r0bot j0nes]

Buying one this month!!!! =D

Thanks for the info

[noiseredux]

necro-ish bump. So I'm planning to upgrade my GPU to an Nvidia fairly soon. And in researching, I stumbled upon mention of compatability with the Shield. I had seen this thing around but really always thought it to just be an Android device, so I had no interest as I already have a tablet. But once I started reading more about the Shield and started reading in-depth reviews, I'm fairly sold on the concept. For a while now I've been saying that if there was a handheld that could just play my PC games I'd pretty much be all set. I've been joking that I'm waiting for the Steamboy to be released so I can get rid of my 3DS. Between the Android games, PC streaming and emulators this thing looks like exactly what I've been wishing existed.

[samsonlonghair]

Seems like the shied can only stream PC games while you're at home, not on the go. I think the shield would make a cool emulation handheld, but I don't see the value of playing your PC games on the shield while at home.

[noiseredux]

Seems like the shied can only stream PC games while you're at home, not on the go. I think the shield would make a cool emulation handheld, but I don't see the value of playing your PC games on the shield while at home.

personally, the farthest my 3DS has ever gone away from my house... was my front porch. I just don't have situations where I'm out of the house, but sitting alone killing time that often. So for me handhelds are played on the living room couch or in bed.

That said, I thought I had read that there was some way to access your network from outside your home network. I'm not really sure though, as again it's kind of a non-issue for me.

[samsonlonghair]

I'll give it this much: the shield looks like it has the best controller/input of any handheld. That thing looks like it was made for big beefy man hands. I like that. The Vita2000 feels too thin and flimsy in my hands. I don't care for that.

[FerretGamer]

necro-ish bump. So I'm planning to upgrade my GPU to an Nvidia fairly soon. And in researching, I stumbled upon mention of compatability with the Shield. I had seen this thing around but really always thought it to just be an Android device, so I had no interest as I already have a tablet. But once I started reading more about the Shield and started reading in-depth reviews, I'm fairly sold on the concept. For a while now I've been saying that if there was a handheld that could just play my PC games I'd pretty much be all set. I've been joking that I'm waiting for the Steamboy to be released so I can get rid of my 3DS. Between the Android games, PC streaming and emulators this thing looks like exactly what I've been wishing existed.

Sorry noise, I completely missed that this was bumped. The Shield is really great at all of the three things you mentioned. I will warn you though that the PC streaming will require some potential upgrades in your setup depending upon what you have.

On the topic of streaming outside of the home, it is now an officially supported feature. Therefore, it can be done outside of the home as long as the connection is up to snuff.

[noiseredux]

I will warn you though that the PC streaming will require some potential upgrades in your setup depending upon what you have.

well, I'm planning on getting a GTX 970 in the very near future. I've got 8GB RAM currently. My PC is hardwired to my network, and my router is Wireless N. Is there anything else I should be concerned with?

[FerretGamer]

I will warn you though that the PC streaming will require some potential upgrades in your setup depending upon what you have.

well, I'm planning on getting a GTX 970 in the very near future. I've got 8GB RAM currently. My PC is hardwired to my network, and my router is Wireless N. Is there anything else I should be concerned with?

The router might need to be upgraded. I say give it a shot with the existing router but that could prove to be a problem for the streaming. Other than that, your setup is perfect and having your PC hardwired to the network is even better.

BTW, keep an eye out on Amazon Warehouse deals as they pop up for under $200 quite often.