NVIDIA Shield Releases July(ish?)... For $299

[GTRagnarok]

Different browsers on the same device can have vastly different scores in SunSpider, so it's not much to go by.

Nvidia puts on a good show in their presentations, but I'm not convinced Tegra 4 will be that special in real world use. Let's leave this argument until Shield is fully benchmarked.

 

[ChronoReverse]

Shield is a full Tegra 4, it should be fast =)

 

[ams23]

FWIW, NVIDIA did release a T4 SPECInt2006 benchmark score to the Linley Group, in addition to a variety of other benchmarks including SPECInt2000, Sunspider, Web Page Load, WebGL Aquarium, Google Octane, Kraken, Geekbench, Antutu, Quadrant Pro, CFBench, GLBench 2.5 HD, Basemark ES 2 Hoverjet (T4i scores are not yet available for most of these benchmarks). Unfortunately it takes hours to run the SPECInt2006 benchmark, which is not practical for most reviewers, so as a more practical alternative NVIDIA suggests running individual components of SPECInt2000.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Shield is a full Tegra 4, it should be fast =)

That is all I care about. I'm not really worried that someone else may have a faster processor by the time Shield comes out. I imagine the Tegra 4 will be more than sufficient for playing Android games. And Nvidia has Tegra Zone, they work with game developers and optimize special perks for Tegra users. Nvidia's focus is games, so I think the real story here is Nvidia bringing this all together in a nice package. Their processor, their hardware, their software Tegra Zone optimizations, and PC streaming.

And from yesterday's Google IO keynote, there is some nice improvements coming to Android gaming that'll make this all even better (assuming the devs take advantage of it).

 

[sontin]

People really care abput the fastest SoC? I would care about the most usable. Nobody is playing the offscreen setting of GLBenchmark. Yet they using it to define which GPU is better...

Tegra 4 will be one of the fastest SoC. And that matters for most people. There will be no huge difference in performance or battery time between Tegra 4 and S600 or E5 or whatevery other SoC will be available.

 

[lopri]

Does this thing have a fan inside? There are vents like holes in back of the controller..


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[sontin]

Yes, it has a fan.

 

[Imouto]

Active cooling... this is indeed a new low.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Active cooling... this is indeed a new low.

I don't think it'll be an issue. According to Brian Klug it doesn't come on much and it's inaudible...

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6564/hands-on-with-nvidias-project-shield-
"At the front of the Shield is a small gap and grille, it turns out that heatsink in the NVIDIA press event video was in fact real, as air is drawn from the front of the Shield, over the heatsink, and exhausted out the back. There is indeed a fan inside, albeit a small one. NVIDIA says it won't come on all the time during normal use, and after playing a few Android games natively (Hawken) on the device this seemed to be the case. One Shield left in the sun did have the fans kick on though, which are essentially inaudible. I didn't actually feel Shield get hot at all during use, but that heatsink wasn't just for show in the press event video/demo, it's real."

 

[Imouto]

Other mobile devices and console handhelds don't even need a heatsink like that not to talk about a fan. Noise ain't the issue here.

It's just sad and probably the reason behind losing design wins.

 

[ChronoReverse]

I wonder what the battery life will be when actually using this as opposed to low power streaming (claimed at 20 hours). The device big enough that the battery life better be immense.

 

[ams23]

Does this thing have a fan inside? There are vents like holes in back of the controller.

There is a slick looking air intake on the front of the controller, a built-in heatsink inside the controller, and an outlet for air to exhaust on the back of the controller.

Shield's form factor is great because it allows NVIDIA to seamlessly fit an internal heat sink (which provides better performance during long continuous periods of gaming compared to smartphones due to reduced thermal throttling of frequencies), and it allows NVIDIA to fit relatively high battery capacity (which provides about 3-4x longer battery life during gameplay compared to smartphones).

 

[ams23]

Other mobile devices and console handhelds don't even need a heatsink like that not to talk about a fan. Noise ain't the issue here.

You don't get it. The use of a heatsink is an advantage for Shield because one can use it for hours of continuous gameplay without throttling frequencies. T4-powered tablets and high end smartphones will not use any heatsink/fan due to the form factor depth constraints.

 

[ams23]

I wonder what the battery life will be when actually using this as opposed to low power streaming (claimed at 20 hours). The device big enough that the battery life better be immense.

The battery capacity in Shield is about 3-4x more than most smartphones.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Other mobile devices and console handhelds don't even need a heatsink like that not to talk about a fan. Noise ain't the issue here.

It's just sad and probably the reason behind losing design wins.

There is plenty of room for a fan, why not?

My Nexus 4 obviously has no room for a fan and when I'm gaming or other heavy apps, the Snapdragon S4 Pro makes the phone really hot. So it's not like these chips can't be cooled better and since the Shield has the room, it's a great idea to use it.

 

[ViRGE]

There is plenty of room for a fan, why not?

My Nexus 4 obviously has no room for a fan and when I'm gaming or other heavy apps, the Snapdragon S4 Pro makes the phone really hot. So it's not like these chips can't be cooled better and since the Shield has the room, it's a great idea to use it.

For a handheld console a fan is a bit absurd though. No console in the past has ever needed one, so this is unprecedented. It's a sign that the SoC is drawing a lot more power than the sub-2W that typically define handhelds.

* Keep in mind that you could run a DS Lite off of 4Whr battery for over 8 hours on brighter screen settings. Even the Vita is 8Whr for ~4 hours.

 

[Ravynmagi]

For a handheld console a fan is a bit absurd though. No console in the past has ever needed one, so this is unprecedented. It's a sign that the SoC is drawing a lot more power than the sub-2W that typically define handhelds.

* Keep in mind that you could run a DS Lite off of 4Whr battery for over 8 hours on brighter screen settings. Even the Vita is 8Whr for ~4 hours.

Does it really mean that or is Nvidia just being more proactive to make sure the device remains cool and comfortable in your hand, even outdoors in the 115 degrees Arizona summers?

Either way, I really don't see it as a negative. Now if Tegra 4 tablets and phones needs fans, that'll be a problem. 🙂

 

[ams23]

For a handheld console a fan is a bit absurd though. No console in the past has ever needed one, so this is unprecedented. It's a sign that the SoC is drawing a lot more power than the sub-2W that typically define handhelds.

All high end quad-core mobile SoC's would easily surpass 2w TDP if allowed to run at maximum CPU/GPU operating frequencies without throttling. The advantage for Shield is that the CPU/GPU operating frequencies can be kept consistently high without the thermally induced throttling that one would typically see in a smartphone after long and continuous gameplay with graphically intensive games.

 

[Imouto]

I highly doubt anyone would think about carrying this outdoors due its size.

 

[ams23]

Yeah, it is such a chore to lift a game controller and carry it outside...

 

[ChronoReverse]

In fact it is. Portables tend to be pocketed.

 

[ams23]

Right, so an iPad Mini is not portable because it can't be "pocketed"? Portables can easily be put in a small bag or case when traveling. The primary useage of Shield will be at home anyway, but since it is a portable WiFi device, it would be exceedingly easy to take it outside on the porch or patio.

 

[ViRGE]

All high end quad-core mobile SoC's would easily surpass 2w TDP if allowed to run at maximum CPU/GPU operating frequencies without throttling. The advantage for Shield is that the CPU/GPU operating frequencies can be kept consistently high without the thermally induced throttling that one would typically see in a smartphone after long and continuous gameplay with graphically intensive games.

You're approaching this as a smartphone. I'm approaching this as a handheld game console. The two are typically very different in design and expectations. A handheld game console would never need to worry about throttling because they don't run above a couple of watts.

 

[ams23]

Thermally induced throttling is a concern not just for smartphones but also for portable game consoles using thin form factors (such as PSVita). Portable game consoles that are pocketable typically have more strict limits to CPU/GPU operating frequencies than something like Shield. That is the price to pay for "pocketability".

 

[lopri]

How is a fan inside NOT a negative in these days.. Anyone who could skip a fan in there devices would do so. I won't list the drawbacks of fans. I thought those were common sense.


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