NVIDIA Shield isn’t just another gaming handheld, it’s also a near “Google Edition” device [VIDEO]
NVIDIA is packing up Shield and gearing up for a big showing at this year’s E3 2013. Before they do, they wanted to take the time out to make sure you and everyone else knew that the NVIDIA Shield isn’t just a portable gaming powerhouse — it’s also a fully functional Android device.
We’ve covered this in the past, but with all the hype lately over “Google Edition” devices running a stock Android OS, NVIDIA is here to remind you that Shield is running a completely unskinned version of Android Jelly Bean as well (albeit, without direct updates from Google). This puts the device into a class of its own when compared to other gaming handhelds like the PSP Vita or Nintendo 3DS.
You can watch NVIDIA showing off all the normal “Android” things you can do with the Shield in their latest video below.
I got a chance to talk about Shield in our latest GameFans podcast, and I talked about how excited I am about Shield and where it could take Android gaming. With huge game publishers like Square Enix and Sega just now warming up to Android, I think Shield could be the nudge other game makers need to begin taking Android more seriously. With Google’s latest Google Play Games APIs, cloud saves and multi-device gaming is all possible.
My favorite NVIDIA Shield feature? Its ability to have multiple games running simultaneously. I discovered this nifty feature after playing with the device for hours at GDC a few months back.
The included 2GB of RAM allows for Android gamers to quickly and seamlessly switch between two games open in the background at the same time. No more closing one game to play another, you can keep Bejeweled Blitz open while you play a few levels in Dead Trigger, then switch back and pick up exactly where you left off, on the fly. No waiting. No loading. No downtime. Let’s see you do that on the 3DS.