NVIDIA Shield Priced At $349, Coming By End Of June

NVIDIA's Project Shield, which is now known as NVIDIA Shield has been priced at $349 and will be released by the end of June.

The NVIDIA shield runs on Android Operating System (Jelly Bean), and Tegra 4 which combines both CPU, GPU (72-core), memory controller and other curious stuff into one package.

According to engadget, even with Tegra 4, it's unlikely that we'll see Vita-quality games on the device. It supports PC streaming but still requires a decent GPU (GTX 650 or higher).

Let's take a peek at the specs. As mentioned before, the NVIDIA Shield runs on TEGRA 4 which has a Quadcore A15 CPU and 2GB RAM. It also has a 16GB storage which can be expanded up to 64 Gb.

The screen is a 5-inch IPS (In-Plane Switching technology) display with 1280 x 780 resolution (720p retinal display). The screen also has multi-touch support.

The device has a clam shell design similar to the Nintendo 3DS. The faceplate can be removed at will and you can buy a spare (or something cooler) for $19.99.

As for wireless connectivity, the Shield has 802.11 MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output) WiFi support, Bluetooth 3.0, and GPS support. For wired connection, the Shield has a micro USB support, mini HDMI and a place to plug-in your standard 8-inch headphone jack.

The Shield, just like the Vita and the 3DS have physical controls. They look sleek and tactile in that sense, and seems to be a hybrid PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 controller. In fact, NVIDIA claims that the controller is console-grade.

The device comes pre-loaded with two games: Sonic 4 Episode II THD, and Expendable: Rearmed. You can purhcase games from Google Play and NVIDIA TegraZone for Shield-optomized games.

You might ask why we cover it here at Game Rumble and that's simple to answer. It's a handheld device. It seems like the Shield is a good device for the hybrid handheld and PC gamers, and so we're very interested. You can pre-order Shield at shield.nvidia.com.

Do you think that the NVIDIA shield is a strong competition to the 3DS and Vita? Are you planning on buying one? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below!