NVIDIA announced a new addition to its Shield lineup of devices, an Android-based console capable of 4K playback, during its Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2015.
“First, it’s based on the most popular OS in the world. Second, the richness of the Google Play store, with its huge range of applications,” said NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang. “Third, it syncs with all my other devices. Finally, it has an incredible voice search capability.”
The ‘world’s first Android 4K TV’ will be able to receive 4K, 60 hertz video. The living room entertainment device also packs Android TV functionality so users can access a library of movies and apps.
The set-top box and console hybrid packs a Tegra X1 processor, which sports a 256-bit Maxwell GPU with 3GB of memory. Its body features a MicroSD slot, a Micro USB 2.0 port, two USB Type-A 3.0 ports, gigabit Ethernet port, and HDMI port.
The NVIDIA Shield supports Android Bluetooth 4.1 and dual-band 801.11ac Wi-Fi connections, 7.1 and 5.1 surround sound over HDMI and an IR receiver.
The NVIDIA Shield can run both local, and streamed games via its NVIDIA Grid subscription based game streaming service. Grid will come in two tiers—a premium subscription level that streams games in 1080p at 60 frames per second, and a cheaper model limited to 30fps and 720p, and both will have access to a ton of always-available games to stream. The gaming-centric device will launch with more than 50 games on the Grid store.
“What we need is a great store,” Huang said. “Well, Google Play will have thousands of games. We created a store to curate the best of the best games, the ones designed for Shield.”
Some of the games declared during the press meet include ports of Doom 3, Crysis 3, Portal, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Half-Life 2: Episode 1, The Talos Principle, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, The Witcher 3, Dead Rising 2, Metro Last Light Redux, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Batman: Arkham Origins and Ultra Street Fighter 4.
NVIDIA will launch Shield TV in May with a base subscription and a premium subscription — which gives access to triple-A games.
“GRID will do for gaming what Netflix did for videos. Do what Spotify did for music. I believe that someday everybody is going to want a smart television experience,” said Huang. “This is likely a multibillion dollar market.”
The device will ship bundled with the Shield Controller for $199.