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[lordchompy]

Hmm, does this run full blown Windows 8?

Indeed it does run windows 8.1.

The one real caveat with these 8" tablets is the cooling isn't all that well thought out, so you need to insert a 6"x3", 24 gauge piece of copper over the CPU to keep the system from downclocking and slowing down.

As far as performance goes, the shield has around 75% faster graphics performance than the Miix 2 8 and other Intel Bay Trail Tablets, but the Atom CPU is considerably faster than the Shield's Cortex A15.

Graphics benchmarks aside, a good real world performance arbitrator is Doom 3. The shield can run an open source version of Id's seminal shooter at about 25fps average, with constant dips into the teens and single digits whenever you engage in any sort of combat or come across scenes with complex lighting or animation. The game also has to run at 640x480 to achieve this level of performance, with all details turned off.

The Miix 2, on the other hand, runs the BFG edition of the game at 1024x768, in widescreen, with all the details except motion blur enabled, and at a rock solid 30fps that only ever drops one or two frames in very hectic shootouts.

 

[Mutagenic]

I'll be picking one of these up today. Is there anything important I need to know going in, like not updating it or rooting it for anything?

 

[Forgottonone]

I didn't realize this could play android games with out needing a pc to stream.. This is definitely on my radar instead of a 3ds now.

 

[e_i]

I didn't realize this could play android games with out needing a pc to stream.. This is definitely on my radar instead of a 3ds now.

ye

Yeah, Grid is pretty cool, but not many games right now.

 

[Lonely1]

Graphics benchmarks aside, a good real world performance arbitrator is Doom 3. The shield can run an open source version of Id's seminal shooter at about 25fps average, with constant dips into the teens and single digits whenever you engage in any sort of combat or come across scenes with complex lighting or animation. The game also has to run at 640x480 to achieve this level of performance, with all details turned off.

The Miix 2, on the other hand, runs the BFG edition of the game at 1024x768, in widescreen, with all the details except motion blur enabled, and at a rock solid 30fps that only ever drops one or two frames in very hectic shootouts.

Well, you also have to consider that it's hobbyist vs professional coders including Carmack. Is going to be interesting how Portal is going to run on the shield.

 

[EvaUnit02]

I'll be picking one of these up today. Is there anything important I need to know going in, like not updating it or rooting it for anything?

I would say the biggest things are:

1) If you're going to root, it's better to do it before you set everything up on the device. You'll need to unlock your bootloader to do so and when you do, it will wipe your settings.

2) Streaming from your PC can stream any application at all, not just Shield-ready games. Remember that you need a certain grade of Nvidia card to stream (I think it's a 6 series minimum. Best to double check)

3) I had a lot of trouble using Nvidia Experience after a few updates. I couldn't get streaming to work to save my life. I uninstalled and deleted all things Nvidia from my computer, reinstalled, and everything has been smooth sailing since.

4) If you're going to be stuffing it in a bag and carrying it around with you, you might want to spring for the case. It's a great case and the rubberized back of the device will get scuffed otherwise.

5) The Shield supports SDXC so you can grab a large capacity microSD card, if you like.

6) Lift the lid from the middle so you don't put undue torque on the hinge. It's a very sturdy hinge but best to try to keep it that way.

7) The gamepad mapper is absolutely fantastic but can be a real bitch to try to figure out the first time. If you need help with it, just ask.

 

[jim-jam bongs]

Definitively not for me anymore, in my honeymoon period with it I thought it was a legit good controller but after hours and hours of gaming in bed I can't play it without resting it on something to counter the weight and even then I still get cramps. Ridiculously too heavy, bulky, awkward placement of start button, sticks are too low and too close together, bad finger support in the back etc... A new shield with weight cut off by half and some tweaks to the buttons and I will get rid of my current one so fast, I won't even be mad

I actually find the weight really comfy, I've got a wired 360 controller which feels far too light now that I'm used to my Shield. Then again, I don't do sessions longer than an hour most of the time at the moment.

What I'd really love is a Shield with a select button, though. I do some Kainy and OnLive streaming and it's a bizarre omission to be honest.

 

[Mutagenic]

I would say the biggest things are:

1) If you're going to root, it's better to do it before you set everything up on the device. You'll need to unlock your bootloader to do so and when you do, it will wipe your settings.

2) Streaming from your PC can stream any application at all, not just Shield-ready games. Remember that you need a certain grade of Nvidia card to stream (I think it's a 6 series minimum. Best to double check)

3) I had a lot of trouble using Nvidia Experience after a few updates. I couldn't get streaming to work to save my life. I uninstalled and deleted all things Nvidia from my computer, reinstalled, and everything has been smooth sailing since.

4) If you're going to be stuffing it in a bag and carrying it around with you, you might want to spring for the case. It's a great case and the rubberized back of the device will get scuffed otherwise.

5) The Shield supports SDXC so you can grab a large capacity microSD card, if you like.

6) Lift the lid from the middle so you don't put undue torque on the hinge. It's a very sturdy hinge but best to try to keep it that way.

7) The gamepad mapper is absolutely fantastic but can be a real bitch to try to figure out the first time. If you need help with it, just ask.

I appreciate the insight. I'm digging it so far, but definitely notice a slight amount of input lag with emulation (even when running at full speed). Platforming is my favorite genre, so this is a bummer.

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

Vaguely interested in getting a shield when they hit Australia.

How are people liking it so far? Is there a framerate limit on the streaming?

 

[ZeroX03]

Vaguely interested in getting a shield when they hit Australia.

How are people liking it so far? Is there a framerate limit on the streaming?

It's a great device. Don't wait for it to hit Australia, just import from Amazon. There are a few retailers you can buy it via but they double the price. Streaming can be set to Auto, 30 or 60fps.

 

[DrMcNulty]

So I got mine this past Thursday. Like I said before, my gaming pc happens to be at my office so I really wanted this for the remote Gamestreaming. It works like a charm when I use it at work to connect to my office network. Really amazing with no lag at all! As soon as I got it home, however, it was unable to recognize that my PC was online. Apparently, the Nvidia forums talk about port forwarding the router, which I've never done. I guess I have to talk to our IT guy at work and hope this won't compromise our network security too much.

 

[Bastion]

Had anyone tried playing Baldur's Gate on the Shield yet?

 

[neoemonk]

I've been considering getting a Shield for a little while now. Glad to see this thread here.

I'm debating between a Shield and a PS4. I know they aren't really similar, but my PC and consoles are in the basement of my house, so I'm really most interested in these two because of the remote streaming capabilities. I already own a Vita, but I also have a lot of PC games on Steam. Not all of them can be played without mouse and keyboard, but I own zero PS4 games currently. The Shield is half the cost of the PS4 also.

I think I'm just talking myself into it right now.

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

It's a great device. Don't wait for it to hit Australia, just import from Amazon. There are a few retailers you can buy it via but they double the price. Streaming can be set to Auto, 30 or 60fps.

Amazon.com won't ship to Australia for the Shield. UK probably won't either.

 

[ZeroX03]

Amazon.com won't ship to Australia for the Shield. UK probably won't either.

Using Amazon.com, activated a free Prime trial and had them overnight it to a forwarding service to send to Aussie. Was like $40 for the service. Much cheaper than trying to buy it locally, and no shipping fee from Amazon.

 

[EvaUnit02]

I appreciate the insight. I'm digging it so far, but definitely notice a slight amount of input lag with emulation (even when running at full speed). Platforming is my favorite genre, so this is a bummer.

Which emulators are you using?

 

[Mutagenic]

Which emulators are you using?

I've tried a few different cores within Retroarch. Like I said, there's very little, but I do notice it with quick 2D platformers. I probably notice it most with Mugen and the analog stick. I'm convinced it's an Android issue, as is the slight sound delay.

 

[EvaUnit02]

I've tried a few different cores within Retroarch. Like I said, there's very little, but I do notice it with quick 2D platformers. I probably notice it most with Mugen and the analog stick. I'm convinced it's an Android issue, as is the slight sound delay.

Retroarch is terrible, in my opinion. I strongly recommend the Robert Broglia releases. At least try Snes9x EX+ as I believe that one is free. Give Megaman X a whirl and see what you think.

 

[EvaUnit02]

Here, I made a quick video showing Megaman X running on the Shield:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr-tY31cflo

 

[Awakened]

I've tried a few different cores within Retroarch. Like I said, there's very little, but I do notice it with quick 2D platformers. I probably notice it most with Mugen and the analog stick. I'm convinced it's an Android issue, as is the slight sound delay.

On a Nexus 7 2013 using a Saturn pad connected with an OTG cable, SNES9x Ex+ felt like it had slightly less display/input lag compared to Android RetroArch to me. But even then it was still quite behind RetroArch iOS (jailbroken 4s with wireless iControlPad), any emulator on the GCW Zero and RA Windows with hard sync enabled. I'd heard that the Shield was better about lag compared to the Nexus, but maybe Android in general is still bad for emulation if you care about sound and display/input lag.

 

[Mutagenic]

Retroarch is terrible, in my opinion. I strongly recommend the Robert Broglia releases. At least try Snes9x EX+ as I believe that one is free. Give Megaman X a whirl and see what you think.

There seems to be less input lag with this, but if you set frameskip to 0, it doesn't run at full speed.

 

[EvaUnit02]

There seems to be less input lag with this, but if you set frameskip to 0, it doesn't run at full speed.

You really shouldn't be setting frameskip to 0 as it doesn't do what you might think it does. For example, if you set frameskip to 0 on the PC version of SNES9x, you don't get all the frames at "full speed." You get the game at Mach 7. If you set frameskip to 0 on NES.emu, which is significantly less process intensive, you'll still see the same results. If you benchmark auto frameskip, you'll notice you aren't losing anything appreciable unless you're really super in to specs or something.

Still, if you really want to set frameskip to 0, you'll want to disable image interpolation. There are probably a few other features you'll want to disable as well that will speed up the emulation cycle but I'm not sure any amount of fiddling will give you what you're after.

 

[robot]

You didn't notice frame drops in the Snes9x? I noticed it right away w Mario All Stars and then a few other games I tested. Retroarch can be a pain but I personally think it runs better. I do use Neo.emu and that seems to run fine though. I'll probably grab his MSX emulator too.

 

[Mutagenic]

You really shouldn't be setting frameskip to 0 as it doesn't do what you might think it does. For example, if you set frameskip to 0 on the PC version of SNES9x, you don't get all the frames at "full speed." You get the game at Mach 7. If you set frameskip to 0 on NES.emu, which is significantly less process intensive, you'll still see the same results. If you benchmark auto frameskip, you'll notice you aren't losing anything appreciable unless you're really super in to specs or something.

Still, if you really want to set frameskip to 0, you'll want to disable image interpolation. There are probably a few other features you'll want to disable as well that will speed up the emulation cycle but I'm not sure any amount of fiddling will give you what you're after.

It isn't smooth even with frameskip on. I was really expecting more with the emulation side of things on this device.

 

[EvaUnit02]

I'd love to see videos of what you guys are talking about regarding SNES9x EX+ on auto frame limit, if you can find the time at your convenience.

 

[Hip Hop]

Is it possible to stream the desktop in console mode? It would be a good feature so I don't have to connect my PC up to the TV.

 

[Mutagenic]

I'd love to see videos of what you guys are talking about regarding SNES9x EX+ on auto frame limit, if you can find the time at your convenience.

This isn't the best video, but I made it real quick. You can see the hitching at the start of the level and throughout. And that's just for MMX. Games like Yoshi's Island can get nasty at times too.

http://youtu.be/9-tsP6d2ci8

 

[twentytwo22]

I'm super close to pulling the trigger on one of these, but I have a few questions that I've seen varying responses to that I wonder if anyone can hammer down more accurately for me:

1) Is the NES/SNES/GBA/PSX/SS/DC/N64 emulation on this thing? Are all of these pretty close to perfect for most games? Any weird hangups or issues? (I'm fine with purchasing emulators for a few bucks if they are the best).

2) How about PPSSPP? I've seen some old videos of it not working very well at all, but I know there has been a lot of dev work on it?

3) Is it possible to stream any and all PC games? (Including PS2 emulators/visual novels that don't natively support controllers but just need enter/arrow keys/mouse/etc)?

 

[e_i]

I'm super close to pulling the trigger on one of these, but I have a few questions that I've seen varying responses to that I wonder if anyone can hammer down more accurately for me:

1) Is the NES/SNES/GBA/PSX/SS/DC/N64 emulation on this thing? Are all of these pretty close to perfect for most games? Any weird hangups or issues? (I'm fine with purchasing emulators for a few bucks if they are the best).

2) How about PPSSPP? I've seen some old videos of it not working very well at all, but I know there has been a lot of dev work on it?

3) Is it possible to stream any and all PC games? (Including PS2 emulators/visual novels that don't natively support controllers but just need enter/arrow keys/mouse/etc)?

As for emulation, it's fantastic. The DC emulation is okay, but games running on it are random. I do not know if there's Saturn emulator. For N64 emulation, get Mupen64.
PPSSPP is great! I think the God of War games run slow on it, but yes, get the emulator. Drastic is a great DS emulator (you have to pay for it though).
PC games will work off your PC, or through Grid (a free game streaming service through Nvidia, there's ten games for it right now). Emulators like Dolphin and PCSX2 work well through streaming (just add them to you stream library. I would map the emulator's controls through the PC first. For streaming through your PC, you'll need a GTX 600 or higher.

 

[SavoryCade]

I got a Shield over the weekend and played around with it quite a bit. So far I'm pretty impressed, especially on the PC streaming side of things. It even managed to stream fairly well to the furthest corner of my house that usually only shows 1, sometimes 2 bars on wi-fi.

I have a couple of questions I'm hoping other Shield owners can answer…

- What are the benefits of rooting it? I know you can enable moving apps from internal memory to SD card. If I think 16gb internal will be enough for Android apps and I'll just put roms for emulators on the SD is there any reason to root? I don't really want to void the warranty.

- What is the better way to enable Steam games that aren't officially supported? I was able to get to them through streaming Steam Big Picture mode, but at one point it freaked out and acted like I was scrolling through the game list at hyper speed. When I tried adding a few games to the Nvidia streamer, only 1 worked and the rest just went to black screen.

- Anyone want to share what settings they use for emulators? I bought a few (MD.emu, PCE.emu, Neo.emu, SNES9X) and wasn't quite as impressed with emulation as I'd hoped to be. It is very good, but I kept seeing "runs perfect!" thrown around all over the internet and I wouldn't necessarily describe it that way. Depending on the emulator, I got audio hiccups when turning frame skip off, sometimes while it was on too. I know turning other features off can improve things, just wondering what others recommend.

 

[Arpeggio23]

Had anyone tried playing Baldur's Gate on the Shield yet?

I'm also interested in hearing impressions on this.

In case people were unaware, Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition for Android finally came out the other day.

 

[flaxknuckles]

I'm also interested in hearing impressions on this.

In case people were unaware, Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition for Android finally came out the other day.

"$9.99" "Offers in-app purchases"

godammit

 

[flaxknuckles]

I just got the shield in the mail, and WOW this thing is heavy as fuck. I knew it had full controls, but I didn't expect it to basically be a 360 controller with a screen attached to it. Haven't got a chance to set it up yet because I don't know whether or not I need to root it because of the Kitkat sd card thing. I'll be installing a crap ton of games when I get home.

 

[jim-jam bongs]

Wait, does BG have any Shield enhancements? I don't see it being a great game for physical controls tbh.

 

[twentytwo22]

I just got the shield in the mail, and WOW this thing is heavy as fuck. I knew it had full controls, but I didn't expect it to basically be a 360 controller with a screen attached to it. Haven't got a chance to set it up yet because I don't know whether or not I need to root it because of the Kitkat sd card thing. I'll be installing a crap ton of games when I get home.

Let me know if you have any enlightening information after you've gone through the process, as mine is coming tomorrow!

I don't think I'll need to root, unless I'm missing something. I'm planning on putting android apps on the internal and roms and stuff on a micro sd.

 

[sörine]

I just got mine but haven't had time to set everything up yet. My 128GB micro SDXC is formatted and ready to go!

If you put roms on an SD card I believe you need to make sure they're uncompressed files and you need to still store save files/stares on the internal memory. Also remember to transfer and backup any saves because if you delete the emu it'll take all that stuff with it now.

What are the most recommended emulators? I was just planning to use Retroarch for everything 8/16-bit and PS1/N64, and then use OpenMSX, Reicast, PPSSPP and Drastic for the systems it doesn't cover. Is there anything different I should consider?

 

[ss_lemonade]

- What are the benefits of rooting it? I know you can enable moving apps from internal memory to SD card. If I think 16gb internal will be enough for Android apps and I'll just put roms for emulators on the SD is there any reason to root? I don't really want to void the warranty.

AFAIK, NVIDIA will still do replacements and stuff if you have any issues with your Shield, even if you are rooted.

With 4.4, running compressed roms on your sd card can be problematic. I've only tried retroarch but because it uncompresses your games in the same directory, it will crash due to not being able to write to your sd card. Your save files also have to be located in your Shield's internal memory for the same reasons. I was root free until 4.4 came out and decided to just root the thing

What are the most recommended emulators? I was just planning to use Retroarch for everything 8/16-bit and PS1/N64, and then use OpenMSX, Reicast, PPSSPP and Drastic for the systems it doesn't cover. Is there anything different I should consider?

That's pretty much it. PPSSPP can be a hit or miss when it comes to performance with some games. Reicast is also still under development so you may run into a game or 2 with visual glitches. It seems to run fairly well though with the games I've tried. Just make sure to enable custom key mapping and set the triggers to the Shield's should buttons. For some reason, triggers aren't mappable. You can download a custom Shield mapping config for it but using that makes the onscreen controls overlay popup

 

[flaxknuckles]

Either The Conduit HD has input lag or this thing has massive deadzones on the sticks. Not feeling this too well right now.

EDIT: Haven't been able to get the gamepad to work when streaming non-Steam games (Spiderman 3 and Shattered Dimensions specifically).

I don't like the way this thing feels in the hands at all and android is not a good os for a gaming device. Can't believe I am disliking this thing so much. I just put in a request for a return on Amazon.

 

[Lonely1]

Either The Conduit HD has input lag or this thing has massive deadzones on the sticks. Not feeling this too well right now.

EDIT: Haven't been able to get the gamepad to work when streaming non-Steam games (Spiderman 3 and Shattered Dimensions specifically).

I don't like the way this thing feels in the hands at all and android is not a good os for a gaming device. Can't believe I am disliking this thing so much. I just put in a request for a return on Amazon.

The Conduit HD controls suck. Try Dead Trigger 1-2 and Shadowgun before you judge the sticks.

 

[flaxknuckles]

The Conduit HD controls suck. Try Dead Trigger 1-2 and Shadowgun before you judge the sticks.

lol I Just got out of kneejerk mode and canceled my return. I know I can't judge it badly just from a few hours of playing with it. I do wish I could get this Ethernet streaming set up, I bought the parts Geforce forums said would work but it still doesn't. My current 2.4ghz router is losing too many frames while streaming.

 

[Lonely1]

lol I Just got out of kneejerk mode and canceled my return. I know I can't judge it badly just from a few hours of playing with it. I do wish I could get this Ethernet streaming set up, I bought the parts Geforce forums said would work but it still doesn't. My current 2.4ghz router losing too many frames from streaming.

2.4ghz performance depends on how many signals are in your area. The only thing you can do is to move or buy a dual band router.

 

[flaxknuckles]

2.4ghz performance depends on how many signals are in your area. The only thing you can do is to move or buy a dual band router.

I'll plop down the money at some point. On another note, it's crazy how much better Dead Trigger 2 controls than The Conduit. That game is just bad, I remember when everyone with a Wii were hyping it up when it was first coming out,

 

[flaxknuckles]

I hate you Nvidia, this thing better not come out till 2015

http://phandroid.com/2014/04/22/nvidia-shield-2-info/

 

[plc268]

I hate you Nvidia, this thing better not come out till 2015

http://phandroid.com/2014/04/22/nvidia-shield-2-info/

I would hope they have more storage options than just 16gb. Copy to SD is good and all when it works, but I'd just rather have larger internal storage.

 

[Rukes]

What are the most recommended emulators? I was just planning to use Retroarch for everything 8/16-bit and PS1/N64, and then use OpenMSX, Reicast, PPSSPP and Drastic for the systems it doesn't cover. Is there anything different I should consider?

I would suggest at least moving MAME stuff to MAME4droid Reloaded at least, the UI for tons of MAME games, as well as the MAME-specific options, is a bit better than running MAME in RetroArch.

 

[topplehat]

I hate you Nvidia, this thing better not come out till 2015

http://phandroid.com/2014/04/22/nvidia-shield-2-info/

This is cool, but the hardware in the current Shield is good enough for me. I'm more interested in screen size and form factor before I get upset.

 

[outunderthestars]

I hate you Nvidia, this thing better not come out till 2015

http://phandroid.com/2014/04/22/nvidia-shield-2-info/

This has Fall release written all over it. The original is 9-10 months old now. It is due for an upgrade.

 

[chickdigger802]

I'll plop down the money at some point. On another note, it's crazy how much better Dead Trigger 2 controls than The Conduit. That game is just bad, I remember when everyone with a Wii were hyping it up when it was first coming out,

Its the halo killer!

I hate you Nvidia, this thing better not come out till 2015

http://phandroid.com/2014/04/22/nvidia-shield-2-info/

looks neat. ill buy that for $250.

 

[nampad]

Indeed it does run windows 8.1.

The one real caveat with these 8" tablets is the cooling isn't all that well thought out, so you need to insert a 6"x3", 24 gauge piece of copper over the CPU to keep the system from downclocking and slowing down.

As far as performance goes, the shield has around 75% faster graphics performance than the Miix 2 8 and other Intel Bay Trail Tablets, but the Atom CPU is considerably faster than the Shield's Cortex A15.

Graphics benchmarks aside, a good real world performance arbitrator is Doom 3. The shield can run an open source version of Id's seminal shooter at about 25fps average, with constant dips into the teens and single digits whenever you engage in any sort of combat or come across scenes with complex lighting or animation. The game also has to run at 640x480 to achieve this level of performance, with all details turned off.

The Miix 2, on the other hand, runs the BFG edition of the game at 1024x768, in widescreen, with all the details except motion blur enabled, and at a rock solid 30fps that only ever drops one or two frames in very hectic shootouts.

Doom 3 only runs so bad? :/
Considered playing it on an Android handheld but maybe I have to wait for something more powerful.

I hate you Nvidia, this thing better not come out till 2015

http://phandroid.com/2014/04/22/nvidia-shield-2-info/

Hopefully they release it in Europe this time so I could get it at a fair price. Specs are pretty much as expected except the weird resolution bump. I'd rather have them leave it at 720p instead of such a minor bump which will lead to unneccessary scaling of 720p content. 720p resolution is enough an that small screen and will also save hardware ressources for displaying games in native resolution.
It pretty much sounds like an alibi bump so they can say it has a better screen.

 

[mapla]

Taking into account that the GPU clock will be likely 500 MHz at least we can expect a handled PS3:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7622/nvidia-tegra-k1/3

With a GPU clock of 950 MHz it achieves 365 GFlops. Yeah, it has less bandwitch but is awesome.

However, if someone want to use it to GameStream I don't think it will be better than the original Shield.

Right now the Android market can't take advantage of this power. In fact, the original Shield has more power than any app could use, am i right? I'm not sure.