Having failed to garner enough consumer interest in its SHIELD handheld console, Nvidia has been said to be working on a SHIELD tablet to try and turn things around. Less than a day ago, a leaked image gave us the first look at Nvidia’s upcoming gaming-focused tablet, and today, newly leaked images have revealed a ton of info on the device, along with details of a SHIELD Controller that will accompany it. The SHIELD tablet will feature an 8-inch Full HD (1920×1200) display, a Tegra K1 processor clocked at 2.2 GHz, 2GB of RAM, 16 or 32 GB of inbuilt storage, a microSD slot for up to 128 GB of storage, 5-megapixel rear and front-facing cameras, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and LTE connectivity, a mini HDMI port, and a battery that’s good for up to 10 hours of video playback. The DirectStylus stylus, which debuted with the Tegra Note, is included as well, and the tablet also has front-facing speakers along with dual bass ports.
Since the SHIELD is a gaming device, a controller is unsurprisingly included as well, and Nvidia is simply calling it the SHIELD Controller. The controller will connect to the tablet through Wi-Fi Direct, and will contain the usual array of buttons and joysticks that you see on game controllers, along with a headphone jack and a microphone. Given the more traditional design of the controller, you won’t be able to dock the tablet on it, but you will be able to prop the device up with the SHIELD Cover, which is also a separate purchase.
It looks like Nvidia is hoping to sell us on the SHIELD tablet with some impressive pricing. The Wi-Fi-only 16GB variant will start at $299, the LTE model with 32 GB of storage will be priced at $399, and the controller will set you back by only $59 – that’s a lot of value when you consider the fact that a tablet is a multipurpose device as opposed to a dedicated console, and that Nvidia has also packed in top-of-the-line specs. The SHIELD Tablet, Controller and Cover will go up for sale in the US and Canada on July 29, followed by Europe on August 14 and the rest of the world in the fall, and it should only be a matter of time before Nvidia makes them official. Anyone looking forward to buying the SHIELD tablet?
