Nvidia Shield Thread
- Thread starter beast786
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ss_lemonade
Member
Can't wait to get home to try this. I wonder though if the improved framerate will add more strain to my old router.
zephervack
Member
OMG maybe I'll will be finally able to play the batman games. Can't wait to get home.
The Dutch Slayer
Member
So has anyone heard anything about a release for EU?
New updates sounds awesome I would really want one now that it seems fuction far better.
New updates sounds awesome I would really want one now that it seems fuction far better.
Loving the 60FPS on Shield now!I have kept this thread bookmarked the entire time. I keep reading the updates, so you Shield lovers, keep posting.
I'm semi-close to pulling the trigger, but I have to be sure it's what I want because currently I have a NVIDIA 570 gtx and I would only be buying this thing for streaming. So I would have to get a new video card.
The main draw for me is being able to play an MMO in the bed next to my wife while she is watching all her girl shows on her tablet.
That said...other than the obvious FF14, can anybody speak on other MMOs, I'm curious to hear about all of them, but for me nately Wow, EQ 1, and EQ 2.
I know if I google, I'll hear about people doing it. But I figure GAF will give me a better sense of how well this stuff is working out for MMOs that are not controller/joystick friendly.
Thanks for any specific replies.
I'm semi-close to pulling the trigger, but I have to be sure it's what I want because currently I have a NVIDIA 570 gtx and I would only be buying this thing for streaming. So I would have to get a new video card.
The main draw for me is being able to play an MMO in the bed next to my wife while she is watching all her girl shows on her tablet.
That said...other than the obvious FF14, can anybody speak on other MMOs, I'm curious to hear about all of them, but for me nately Wow, EQ 1, and EQ 2.
I know if I google, I'll hear about people doing it. But I figure GAF will give me a better sense of how well this stuff is working out for MMOs that are not controller/joystick friendly.
Thanks for any specific replies.
I just tried the shield in console mode - I played the first 10-15 minutes of Arkham Origins. Surprisingly it worked well. There was no perceptible lag in input from the controller. The FPS dropped a couple of times, but appeared to hover around 30 (according to FRAPS). I will see if Shadowplay caught the footage and upload it later.
robertlebrone
Member
Just ordered my Shield yesterday. Perfect timing as this most recent update sounds awesome! Can't wait to play some Android games I have, but haven't got into because I can't stand the controls. That and of course emulators and PC streaming at 60 FPS. Man, I'm excited about this gadget!
well... they already said they are making Shield 2
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=701128
I'm already happy with my Shield but for Shield 2 I want it to have Tegra 6 (nvidia saying it's on par with 360/Ps3) and better screen for gaming like Oled.
I think Wifi Direct will require another method or accessory like a dongle or something and I'm not sure if Nvidia will be doing that but it'll be good idea I guess.
dunno but yeah you need good wifi connection from your modem (you even need dual band one for good streaming) to have good experience so I think a college network will not do it.
HolyBaikal
Banned
First off, I love the idea of the Nvidia Shield. And am personally interested enough in one myself. But I feel the technology isn't quite there yet.
First off, this is one of my more meaningless criticisms. But I don't like the way the system looks. It isn't meaningful, I suppose. But I very much think it looks bad. In fact I think it is one of the worst looking handhelds I have ever seen. I don't like the fact that the speakers have a metallic colour scheme. I think that the 'shield' on top is pointless and distracting looking. And the controller itself looks like the original XBOX controller, except even worse somehow. It looks strange and too large and generally completely awkward. I also don't like the default black colour scheme, too many electronics go for this. I like pastel colours, and I like the colour variation that, for instance, the Nintendo 3DS offers me. I have a light pink and white Nintendo 3DS and I wish that the Nvidia Shield looked more like that.
It's not just the dark colour scheme, though. I feel that, for instance, the dark black PS Vita has a much more clean and attractive look. I would be much happier with the Nvidia Shield if it were more in the form factor of the PS Vita. It looks garish and all too similar to many of the garish computer cases that try to be "badass" looking. I don't want badass, that's why I have a pastel blue Vita and light pink 3DS, as well as a Pikachu version.
But enough of my shallow quibbling about how the system looks.
I don't like how it also seems too big. The thing seems big and heavy. I understand why they did it, they wanted to give it an extended battery life. But perhaps the technology just isn't there yet. And I would personally rather have a version of the Nvidia Shield that is less bulky and heavy and sacrifice battery life for it. The 3DS and PS Vita also aren't big and bulky. And that's one thing I prefer about them. I don't want to have to sit the object my lap to be comfortable. I can pretty comfortably held the PS Vita and 3DS for extended periods of time. But the Nvidia Shield just seems too heavy. Again, I would sacrifice battery life for this to be reduced.
Also, the largeness and bulk of the Nvidia Shield makes it about as portable as a tablet or even ultrabook. There are gaming tablets and ultrabooks out there. The Nvidia Shield is far too big for a pants pocket and is barely small enough for some purses. At that point, an ultrabook would probably achieve more in terms of portability. Again, if later models can achieve a size more similar to the PS Vita this wouldn't be a problem. The Nvidia Shield is current at a size you almost need to take it around in a backpack or purse. Which isn't optimal for a portable gaming system as you can already taking a gaming laptop of some sort with you in that fashion.
The button placement also doesn't seem perfect. The start button seems like it is in the wrong place. Of course, I'm going to have to admit now, I don't actually know any of this stuff other than how it looks firsthand, which is why I spent so much time talking about how it looks. I haven't had a chance to try it out, because I don't live somewhere that I can demo the device. But from what I have seen at least, the device seems far too big, bulky, heavy, and wouldn't be well suited to by hands.
Those are a lot of major negatives though it would be hard to say for sure unless I tried it personally. I'd love to demo the device to see how much I personally really want it. But it isn't worth $300 for the device just to try it out and see how much I like it. It is a good price for a Tegra 4 device, and is exactly what I would want for Android gaming, I want a handheld device that I can, for instance, play Mega Man romhacks on. I would not be able to beat Mega Man 1 on a touchscreen only device. And buttons are exactly what I want and need. I would love to have a handheld device to play Mega Man 1 on, and aside from its problems, it seems like a very good fit. It just doesn't seem worth the investment right now when it seems like it has its problems and I have my reservations.
Other than that though, the device and the concept seems great. I do think that devices like this will lead to an actual bright future for Android and mobile gaming. And this device resolves most of my problems with "mobile gaming". The Nvidia Shield is the kind of device I can get behind. It is because of devices like this that I am warming up to Android gaming and see a real future in it. I hope that things only get better from here on out. And that upcoming versions of this product or competitors to this product make improvements on issues and complaints that I personally have. Most importantly making it a smaller and lighter device. And I'm looking forward to having a chance to try it out. If Nvidia manage to fix some of the issues I have with the device in a later version, I'll be happy to buy it.
Sorry if I sounded too negative. And I know my criticism of how it looks are pretty meaningless. I just wanted to give what little input I could on the device and I'm not trying to bash it. I can't say much else having not had a chance to demo the device myself. And I'm certainly interested in it, at least as a concept. I hope y'all won't take me as trying to bash the device, and based upon shallow reasons, no less.
First off, this is one of my more meaningless criticisms. But I don't like the way the system looks. It isn't meaningful, I suppose. But I very much think it looks bad. In fact I think it is one of the worst looking handhelds I have ever seen. I don't like the fact that the speakers have a metallic colour scheme. I think that the 'shield' on top is pointless and distracting looking. And the controller itself looks like the original XBOX controller, except even worse somehow. It looks strange and too large and generally completely awkward. I also don't like the default black colour scheme, too many electronics go for this. I like pastel colours, and I like the colour variation that, for instance, the Nintendo 3DS offers me. I have a light pink and white Nintendo 3DS and I wish that the Nvidia Shield looked more like that.
It's not just the dark colour scheme, though. I feel that, for instance, the dark black PS Vita has a much more clean and attractive look. I would be much happier with the Nvidia Shield if it were more in the form factor of the PS Vita. It looks garish and all too similar to many of the garish computer cases that try to be "badass" looking. I don't want badass, that's why I have a pastel blue Vita and light pink 3DS, as well as a Pikachu version.
But enough of my shallow quibbling about how the system looks.
I don't like how it also seems too big. The thing seems big and heavy. I understand why they did it, they wanted to give it an extended battery life. But perhaps the technology just isn't there yet. And I would personally rather have a version of the Nvidia Shield that is less bulky and heavy and sacrifice battery life for it. The 3DS and PS Vita also aren't big and bulky. And that's one thing I prefer about them. I don't want to have to sit the object my lap to be comfortable. I can pretty comfortably held the PS Vita and 3DS for extended periods of time. But the Nvidia Shield just seems too heavy. Again, I would sacrifice battery life for this to be reduced.
Also, the largeness and bulk of the Nvidia Shield makes it about as portable as a tablet or even ultrabook. There are gaming tablets and ultrabooks out there. The Nvidia Shield is far too big for a pants pocket and is barely small enough for some purses. At that point, an ultrabook would probably achieve more in terms of portability. Again, if later models can achieve a size more similar to the PS Vita this wouldn't be a problem. The Nvidia Shield is current at a size you almost need to take it around in a backpack or purse. Which isn't optimal for a portable gaming system as you can already taking a gaming laptop of some sort with you in that fashion.
The button placement also doesn't seem perfect. The start button seems like it is in the wrong place. Of course, I'm going to have to admit now, I don't actually know any of this stuff other than how it looks firsthand, which is why I spent so much time talking about how it looks. I haven't had a chance to try it out, because I don't live somewhere that I can demo the device. But from what I have seen at least, the device seems far too big, bulky, heavy, and wouldn't be well suited to by hands.
Those are a lot of major negatives though it would be hard to say for sure unless I tried it personally. I'd love to demo the device to see how much I personally really want it. But it isn't worth $300 for the device just to try it out and see how much I like it. It is a good price for a Tegra 4 device, and is exactly what I would want for Android gaming, I want a handheld device that I can, for instance, play Mega Man romhacks on. I would not be able to beat Mega Man 1 on a touchscreen only device. And buttons are exactly what I want and need. I would love to have a handheld device to play Mega Man 1 on, and aside from its problems, it seems like a very good fit. It just doesn't seem worth the investment right now when it seems like it has its problems and I have my reservations.
Other than that though, the device and the concept seems great. I do think that devices like this will lead to an actual bright future for Android and mobile gaming. And this device resolves most of my problems with "mobile gaming". The Nvidia Shield is the kind of device I can get behind. It is because of devices like this that I am warming up to Android gaming and see a real future in it. I hope that things only get better from here on out. And that upcoming versions of this product or competitors to this product make improvements on issues and complaints that I personally have. Most importantly making it a smaller and lighter device. And I'm looking forward to having a chance to try it out. If Nvidia manage to fix some of the issues I have with the device in a later version, I'll be happy to buy it.
Sorry if I sounded too negative. And I know my criticism of how it looks are pretty meaningless. I just wanted to give what little input I could on the device and I'm not trying to bash it. I can't say much else having not had a chance to demo the device myself. And I'm certainly interested in it, at least as a concept. I hope y'all won't take me as trying to bash the device, and based upon shallow reasons, no less.
Yeah I know they're making a Shield 2/3 whatever, just needs to be able to use Wireless AC for more bandwith so no need for ethernet to do 1080p 60fps, and to connect straight to the PC. Should not need a dongle it's Wifi Direct. And true that, I'm not getting one until Tegra 6 with their custom Armv8 cores/kepler/maxwell whatever they put in it.
The entire point of the design is to give you a complete console experience and make you able to use it for hours and hours just like a normal controller, PSV and 3DS don't do that as they are awkward and not offer all the buttons.
The main selling points is streaming PC games everywhere inside your house and having full controls layout for your android games. it's not for your tiny pocket.
and you are still talking about the size of device by the way.
Nope, there is no issue with the buttons placement, just hold the device and you'll know they are fine.
so far your points are it's big, not having lots of cute colors and you "think" that the buttons placement are not good. I wont call these "lots" or "negatives"
If someone have Nvidia GTX650 card higher and want PC streaming everywhere inside his house playing PC games 60fps on your bed, kitchen while watching football plus best android device and best device ever for emulators it's worth $300.
HolyBaikal
Banned
I suppose it is. And that's a good point.
Though, personally, just for home use like that, I think I would rather have a tablet with buttons on it that it 10 inch rather than a 5 inch flip device. The Wii U controller is comfortable enough and if such a device had all of the functionality of the Nvidia Shield I think that would be more appealing than the Shield.
You can do the streaming that the Nvidia Shield does with a tablet and splashtop. And you can also do something like cook food in the kitchen while streaming your PC games via Splashtop. A router that will give low latency with the Nvidia Shield should also give low latency with a 10 inch tablet. And there are many stands for tablets as well as bluetooth keyboards.
I think that the PC stream angle of the Nvidia Shield would be more of a selling point if more than so few games were currently supported. And if such a thing weren't already so possible via other Android devices like tablets.
There's a difference in streaming via splashtop and streaming with the Shield. When streaming over the shield, the video card is doing all of the work on its own without a performance hit. Splashtop is using your CPU to capture that video, compress it and send it out.
Also, there is a "supported game list" that nvidia put out... and indeed it's quite small, mostly limited to the more popular recent games. However, you can also launch steam big picture mode, and launch and game or shortcut you put into steam. Some stuff is incompatible, but it boils down to stuff like resolution switching, or the game doesn't detect a controller input.
Also, yes the Shield is quite heavy. I was kinda surprised when I first got it. However, the weight is very well distributed, and it's highly unlikely you'll experience any fatigue unless you're laying on your back in bed and holding it up.
the weight is like the original Xbox controller I think but I got used to it in no time.
now the shape and the grips are absolutely fantastic and really help, Shield just destroys Vita and 3DS in comfort it's not even funny, I can't hold 3DS XL or Vita for one hours before feeling pain in my hand but with Shield it's exactly like holding a 360 controller and I can play for hours and hours.
JonnyKtyler
Member
Is there any way to use GameStream on a phone with my own controller instead of on a shield, or do I have to just use one of the already existing solutions for that?
Is the phone Tegra 4? If it is, the answer is "maybe in the future".
ColonelSkills
Member
Like a Duke?
I tend to add weights to the controllers that support such things (like my mouse and a few of those third party controllers) because I like the heft.
Legit talk, if that feel is there that actually brings my interest up a fair bit. I worried that it would be too light.
ss_lemonade
Member
Not if you use splashtop thd (which I believe uses similar tech to the current streaming solution). I too first thought the native streaming tech used by the Shield was superior because I had a pretty crappy experience with splashtop when I first tried it on my non tegra phone. After installing the latest update and seeing bitrates taking a nose dive and streaming framerates not holding a stable 60fps, I decided to try splashtop gamepad thd coupled with droidmote to emulate the 360 controller and man was I surprised at how much better the quality was. You also don't have to fiddle around with supported games anymore since what appears on your PC screen is streamed directly through splashtop. I only tested it with some emulators so there may be some games that might have issues when it comes to running full screen but so far, I just find it odd how a 3rd party app does much better than nvidia's own solution. Nvidia might have even had a hand in the development of the splashtop thd app since I remember them showcasing it before for streaming games from geforce enabled PCs.
Yup, similar in both size and weights -and feel- to the Duke controller (it even got the long grips like the duke) if you like the S controller or Duke you'll feel like home with Shield.
You tried it with emulators only? Then the reason is simple, you arent taxing the host PC. Nvidia's solution is designed to have a minimum impact on the host PC by using a dedicated encoder found the newer cards.
Does the touch screen emulate Mouse pointer?
I woudl really like to use this to play some Battlefield 4 sometimes but the goddamn game doesn't let you use a controller for the load out. You have to use a mouse. Everything else works find.
Launching BF4 via the Shield could be an issue due to the battlelog requirement.
ss_lemonade
Member
Yeah, pcsx2 and dolphin. I did also try it with RE 6 and it was still much better than native streaming.
If I remember correctly, you can control the mouse using the right stick if you have the streaming menu up (else it will just act like the right stick for xinput controllers)
I haven't tried streaming bf3 or 4 yet but if you have Steam, I don't see why it wouldn't work if you just add the game as a non steam entry
I can only launch BF4 from battlelog in a browser - not from within the origin client or from an executable (neither of these options will even open battlelog). YMMV.
SaiyanRaoh
Member
I'm hearing from the Retroarch forums that since the Shield update, N64 emulation is at a new level. Games like Conker run at full speed. Shadows of the Empire runs full speed as well. All with 0 frameskip, A GL codepath optimization from the update is said to be the reason.
ss_lemonade
Member
Oh is that it? I don't have bf4 yet but I always though bf3 would launch battlelog when running the executable (which should then open up a browser on Shield if launched through steam).
I guess you could try mupen64. The latest update seems to implement some updates from squarepusher (one of the retroarch devs).
I'm guessing its needed for optimal streaming quality. I don't have one but can still stream fine with a few hitches here and there. The biggest problem I have is sometimes the connection would drop (might be because of interference?)
zephervack
Member
While it hasnt been a perfect experience, I just realized I have played over 50 hours of Fallout 3 from my Shield.
This is time I would have spent just reading GAF and Reddit on my cell phone while my main TV is in use by the wife and kids.
Without a doubt this is easily my most used device at home now, I'm just looking for a docking station that charges and outputs hdmi so I can convert the shield into a console.
Anyone knows if I can somehow pair a PS3 control to the shield and use it for game streaming?
This is time I would have spent just reading GAF and Reddit on my cell phone while my main TV is in use by the wife and kids.
Without a doubt this is easily my most used device at home now, I'm just looking for a docking station that charges and outputs hdmi so I can convert the shield into a console.
Anyone knows if I can somehow pair a PS3 control to the shield and use it for game streaming?
MutonCommander
Banned
The PS3 controller is Bluetooth, right? You should be able to do it with Shield's console mode, if you have the latest update it should be already available:
http://www.engadget.com/2013/10/28/nvidia-shield-update-brings-android-4-3-and-console-mode/
SaiyanRaoh
Member
So glad I backed the right horse here. I'm very big on emulation and I've wasted money on other portables to achieve on the go emulation. PSP had terrible SNES and SCD emulation. That Archos Gamepad doesn't even deserve further discussion and for a while the GCWZero had my attention but I've been paying attention to the thread here and I'm glad I didn't pull the trigger on it. I lol at that train wreck.
This thing runs everything I throw at it. For me, this is an emulation device with the BONUS feature of streaming PC games and running android apps.
This thing runs everything I throw at it. For me, this is an emulation device with the BONUS feature of streaming PC games and running android apps.
robertlebrone
Member
True dat. I love the streaming, but the emulation on this thing is perfect and the games look great on the screen. Super Metroid...
So I'm thinking about making the plunge and grabbing a shield along with a gtx 770, anyone have information on how you get the $100 discount? I've read some posts about having trouble getting the coupon.
Ideally I'd like to purchase both from Amazon because I'm a Prime subscriber..
Ideally I'd like to purchase both from Amazon because I'm a Prime subscriber..
ss_lemonade
Member
Yes. Upping the game's resolution while streaming will effectively give you a downsampled image
zephervack
Member
Mother of God, so there was some talk over at the nvidia forums regarding the compression artifacts while streaming pc games, some guy suggested using something called Splash top THD.
I reluctantly gave it a try and it is eons ahead nvidias implementation, barely any compression, consistent 60fps whereas the nvidias solution keeps struggling, almost never get disconnected, its just so ahead.
Gave a new life to my shield.
I reluctantly gave it a try and it is eons ahead nvidias implementation, barely any compression, consistent 60fps whereas the nvidias solution keeps struggling, almost never get disconnected, its just so ahead.
Gave a new life to my shield.
Any info on how to set this up? A walk through or a link would be appreciated.
zephervack
Member
This is what I followed, if you get stuck let me know and I'll help you, there are some steps that aren't well documented. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=47009656#post47009656
Wait, if I am reading this right, you can do this with NON-Nvidia GPUs.
My buddy who has an AMD card was bummed he couldn't buy/use Shield.
zephervack
Member
I'm not sure but I think Splash top doesn't support full screen gaming on AMD.
I might be wrong though as it seems that with the new Android 4.3 you can use regular splashtop instead of THD.
I do have a rig with a 7970,so I will give it a try later and let you guys know.
ss_lemonade
Member
AFAIK, normal splashtop can't do full screen streaming even if you have an nvidia card. The thd version was developed to get over that.
I guess the only issue with the splashtop route is needing to drop the xinput dll in the folders you want gamepad support. I may be wrong but that seems to interfere with native 360 controller support (I couldn't use my 360 emulated Dual Shock 3 controller without removing or renaming that dll)
zephervack
Member
Yeah thats the only thing, for me its not a problem as I have a rig dedicated to streaming, but I can imagine how annoying it would be otherwise.
It's worth it though, the quality and reliability of the stream is way ahead nvidias.