Nvidia Shield Tablet

The basics

Last year's Nvidia Shield handheld games system was a true innovation, offering fantastic internal tech and amazing physical gaming controls, but it was always going to be a niche product with limited commercial potential. Nvidia isn't abandoning the concept just yet, but the Shield's successor is a very different beast to what we saw in 2013 - the handheld form factor has been dropped in favour of a more traditional tablet style. Does this valiant attempt to create a tablet for gamers deliver the goods, or has it lost its uniqueness by adopting the slate-like appearance? Get those thumbs ready, because we're about to find out.

The good

The original Nvidia Shield was a technological powerhouse, proving the graphical strength of the Tegra 4 processor. The Shield Tablet is another massive step forward, boasting Nvidia's new Tegra K1 chip, which boasts the same kind of power you'd see inside the Nintendo Wii U or Xbox 360. This is evidenced by Trine 2, a visually stunning action adventure which comes pre-loaded on the device. It's indistinguishable from the home console versions, yet it runs on a device which is small and light enough to slip effortlessly into your bag.

Although it doesn't come bundled with the tablet, the Shield Wireless Controller is an essential part of the package. It apes the same control arrangement seen on the Shield handheld, and offers the kind of interface you'd normally expect to see on the PS4 or Xbox One. The pad is brilliantly constructed and very comfortable to use, and thanks to its use of WiFi Direct, offers low-latency response.

When you're not playing Android games, you can also stream the latest PC titles to the tablet's screen and control them using the Shield pad - assuming you have one of Nvidia's graphics cards in your PC, of course. The experience is stunning, with no discernible lag to speak of.

Nvidia has used stock Android 4.4.2 to power this device, which means there's no custom user interface to clog up the experience like with Samsung's TouchWiz. It also means that the system should get fast software updates, just as the Shield handheld did since it launched in 2013.

The bad

The Shield Tablet's technological power isn't in doubt, but aside from Trine 2, there's not much out there that really pushes it to its limits at the moment. Most Android games are rather basic visually, although the pre-installed Nvidia Hub does make the process of finding them that little bit easier.

Battery life is a real issue with the Shield Tablet, and that's largely because of the demands of the K1 chip. When it's running at full pelt it has a massive appetite for power, and will drain the tablet's battery in less than three hours. Normal use doesn't drain the juice quite as dramatically, but if you're looking to use this as a gaming platform first and foremost, then you might find it's not as mobile as you'd like.

Not bundling the Shield Wireless Controller with the tablet is also a real mistake, and at £50 it's rather expensive - even more so when you consider that it doesn't have Bluetooth and therefore can't be used with any device outside of Nvidia's Shield range.

The bottom line

Nvidia's approach may be slightly different this year, but the end result is the largely the same - if you're serious about Android gaming then this really is the only option in town. It offers console-standard graphics - along with a console-quality controller (albeit at an additional cost) - and a fantastic user experience. Add to this the ability to stream PC games and you've got a slate which will have serious players drooling with excitement; it's just a shame that the controller doesn't come as standard and that there are so few Android games out there that truly push the Shield Tablet to its absolute limits.

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