Shield Portable | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Fri, 26 Apr 2019 13:31:16 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png Shield Portable | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 New code suggests that Nvidia could be working on a 2-in-1 gaming tablet https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/damien-cox/new-code-suggests-that-nvidia-could-be-working-on-a-2-in-1-gaming-tablet/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/damien-cox/new-code-suggests-that-nvidia-could-be-working-on-a-2-in-1-gaming-tablet/#respond Fri, 26 Apr 2019 13:31:16 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=411605 With the discontinuation of the Shield Tablet last year and Shield Portable seemingly no longer on sale, Nvidia looked to have given up its portable gaming efforts. This could change in the near future, as code within the Shield Experience software suggests that Nvidia could be planning to re-enter the market with a 2-in-1 device. …

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With the discontinuation of the Shield Tablet last year and Shield Portable seemingly no longer on sale, Nvidia looked to have given up its portable gaming efforts. This could change in the near future, as code within the Shield Experience software suggests that Nvidia could be planning to re-enter the market with a 2-in-1 device.

Nvidia hasn’t released a new iteration of its tablet in five years, leaving its operating system stuck on Android 7.0 Nougat. Instead, focus has shifted to the Shield TV, which has been provided with frequent updates. Within the latest patch, XDA Developers found mention of a device codenamed ‘Mystique’, supposedly a new 2-in-1 tablet that Nvidia has in development.

It isn’t certain where in development this might be beyond a simple concept, but accompanying details suggest that it will be powered by Nvidia’s Xavier processor. This chip is built to be versatile, optimised for video performance but simultaneously used for autonomous machines.

As expected, a line of code refers to software called “NvDtExp,” which stands for NVIDIA Desktop Experience. Alongside the reported Desktop mode, Mystique is said to feature a Tablet interface and a third Dynamic mode that presumably sits somewhere between the two.

Last year, Nvidia stated that it had no plans to reinvest in the tablet market after the lukewarm reception to its previous devices, but remained open to the concept if it could provide something new to customers. The aforementioned lines of code clearly aren't meant for the Shield TV, Nvidia’s only device on the market, meaning something new could very well be on the way.

KitGuru Says: It’s entirely possible that Nvidia could be observing the success of the Nintendo Switch, in which its own custom Tegra CPU resides. While speculation is futile given that nothing has been officially unveiled, the idea of a tablet that can be both docked for connection to an external display or connected to a keyboard when travelling is quite appealing. Would you invest in a new Nvidia tablet if it brought something new to the table?

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Nvidia Shield Portable 2 prototype appears in the wild https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/nvidia-shield-portable-2-prototype-appears-in-the-wild/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/nvidia-shield-portable-2-prototype-appears-in-the-wild/#comments Wed, 30 Aug 2017 12:43:24 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=345600 Before Nvidia branched out into tablets and set top boxes, the Nvidia Shield lineup got its start as a portable Android handheld. The console consisted of a Shield controller and a flippable screen, similar to the Gameboy Advance SP. Since its initial release, Nvidia has taken the Shield brand in different directions but it looks …

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Before Nvidia branched out into tablets and set top boxes, the Nvidia Shield lineup got its start as a portable Android handheld. The console consisted of a Shield controller and a flippable screen, similar to the Gameboy Advance SP. Since its initial release, Nvidia has taken the Shield brand in different directions but it looks like at one point, the company did consider releasing a Shield Portable 2, as an unreleased prototype has mysteriously appeared at a pawn shop in Canada.

The original Shield Portable launched in the US back in 2013 and unfortunately did not release internationally. It was a really cool device at the time but for one reason or another, it didn’t quite catch on commercially, even with features like Nvidia Game Stream supported, allowing users to stream their PC games to the console over their home network. After its release Nvidia, switched to the Shield Tablet instead but it looks like before that, the company was working on a Shield Portable 2. The unreleased product features a front camera, a better screen, a better button layout for the controller and a beefier SoC powering the whole thing.

Over on Reddit, user FwrigginRwootbeer made the discovery at a pawn shop in “a small Canadian city”. He then posted all the images you can see in the gallery above. Previously, this person owned an original Shield Portable, so when they spotted a slightly different looking version in the shop, curiosity got the better of him, leading to him buying it. AndroidPolice later got in touch with its contacts to verify that this was an unreleased Shield Portable 2 prototype and confirm the specs.

The report confirms that this was a developer unit of the Shield Portable 2 and was never intended for public release. The photos match an FCC filing from Nvidia made last year and going by the CPU-Z screenshots, it appears to be powered by the Tegra X1, as the specs are very similar to that chip.

We don’t know why Nvidia decided not to release this particular product but there are a number of factors at play. For starters, we know now that Nvidia has partnered with Nintendo to provide hardware for the Switch. This console also uses the Tegra X1, so perhaps Nvidia decided to put its own portable on the back burner to focus on providing SoCs for Nintendo instead. Alternatively, the developer kit may have received poor feedback or had its own share of issues that we don’t know about. Either way, it would be interesting to see Nvidia speak out on this.

KitGuru Says: It’s not every day you see prototype hardware make it out into the wild, especially not from a company as secretive as Nvidia. I wouldn’t be surprised if Nvidia attempted to recover the prototype though, after all, it is technically the company’s intellectual property.

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Nvidia’s Tegra X1-based Shield game console certified in S. Korea https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/anton-shilov/nvidias-next-gen-tegra-x1-based-shield-game-console-certified-in-s-korea/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/anton-shilov/nvidias-next-gen-tegra-x1-based-shield-game-console-certified-in-s-korea/#respond Thu, 14 May 2015 03:45:04 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=249354 Nvidia Corp.’s first Tegra-based Shield portable video game console has failed to become popular on the market, but the company still believes that it can create a commercially successful dedicated gaming device for Google Android titles. In fact, Nvidia’s second-gen Shield powered by its latest Tegra X1 application processors has already been certified in South …

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Nvidia Corp.’s first Tegra-based Shield portable video game console has failed to become popular on the market, but the company still believes that it can create a commercially successful dedicated gaming device for Google Android titles. In fact, Nvidia’s second-gen Shield powered by its latest Tegra X1 application processors has already been certified in South Korea.

Back in April it was reported that Nvidia had developed two own-brand solutions featuring its Tegra X1 system-on-chips: Shield Portable/P2523 and Shield Console/P2571 devices. RRA, South Korea’s regulation agency akin to the U.S. FCC and the U.K. Ofcom, has already certified the P2523 “special-purpose low power wireless device”, which means that it is now possible to sell the product in the country.

Nothing particular is known about Nvidia’s next-generation Shield portable, except the fact that it is powered by Tegra X1 and may be incoming. At present, it is unknown when it can hit the market and how much will it cost.

nvidia_shield_1

According to a listing in a benchmark database, last year Nvidia already tested a new Shield portable game console internally. The model, which has never made it to the market, featured a 1440*810 display, 4GB of LPDDR3, 16GB of NAND flash storage as well as Google Android 4.2.2 operating system. It was expected that the new console sported an enlarged monitor amid a lower weight and sleeker design.

Nvidia’s Tegra X1 application processor integrates four high-performance ARM Cortex-A57 cores, four low-power ARM Cortex-A53 cores as well as an advanced graphics sub-system powered by the Maxwell architecture that features 256 stream processors (two Maxwell stream multiprocessors), 16 texture units and 16 raster output pipelines. The chip fully supports OpenGL ES 3.1, OpenGL4.5, DirectX 12.0 (feature level 11_3), and AEP application programming interfaces as well as all modern video codecs, including VP9, H.265 (HEVC), H.264 and others. At least in theory, the Tegra X1 should be perfect for portable game consoles.

Nvidia did not comment on the news-story.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Certification itself does not mean that the device is about to hit the market. Many gadgets are certified months before releases. Still, an authorisation from regulators means that there are at least intentions to sell the product commercially.

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Nvidia Tegra X1 to power desktops, notebooks, tablets, portable consoles https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/base-unit/anton-shilov/nvidia-tegra-x1-to-power-desktops-notebooks-tablets-portable-consoles/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/base-unit/anton-shilov/nvidia-tegra-x1-to-power-desktops-notebooks-tablets-portable-consoles/#comments Thu, 02 Apr 2015 10:38:01 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=243367 Unveiled early this year, Tegra X1 system-on-chip from Nvidia Corp. was positioned mainly for automotive applications. However, given rather serious processing horsepower it has, it can be used for many other devices. In fact, according to recent leaks and listings, Nvidia and its partners plan to use the Tegra X1 SoC for laptops, tablets and …

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Unveiled early this year, Tegra X1 system-on-chip from Nvidia Corp. was positioned mainly for automotive applications. However, given rather serious processing horsepower it has, it can be used for many other devices. In fact, according to recent leaks and listings, Nvidia and its partners plan to use the Tegra X1 SoC for laptops, tablets and even portable game consoles.

The Bluetooth SIG [special interest group] recently certified mainboards for previously unknown Shield Portable/P2523 and Shield Console/P2571 devices. Qualification tests took place in late January, hence, it is more than likely that the motherboards were powered by the latest Tegra X1 application processor from Nvidia. Recently the company officially refocused its Tegra business to gaming and automotive applications. Therefore, a portable game console and a gaming tablet sold under Nvidia Shield brand make perfect sense for the company.

Meanwhile, Google Chromium OS already contains references to the Nvidia T210 application processor, which is the internal name of the Tegra X1. Since Chrome OS is used primarily for laptops (called Chromebooks) and low-power desktops (called Chromeboxes), it is obvious that there are certain parties working on appropriate products powered by Nvidia’s Tegra X1. According to CNX Software, the platforms based on the Tegra X1 are code-named Smaug and Foster.

nvidia_tegra_x1

The Tegra X1 system-on-chips incorporates four high-performance ARM Cortex-A57 cores and four low-power ARM Cortex-A53 cores. The SoC also integrates advanced graphics sub-system powered by the Maxwell architecture that features 256 stream processors (two Maxwell stream multiprocessors), 16 texture units and 16 raster output pipelines that supports OpenGL ES 3.1, OpenGL4.5, DirectX 12.0 (feature level 11_3), and AEP application programming interfaces. The application processor’s memory controller supports up to 4GB of LPDDR3 or LPDDR4 memory, whereas the AP’s storage controller supports up to eMMC 5.1 interface with CMD queuing. All other I/O interfaces are also present (see the diagram below). The SoC features hardware decoding of video in all high-definition and ultra-high-definition (4K) formats at 60Hz, including VP9, H.265 (HEVC), H.264 and others.

Thanks to high performance and maximum level of integration, Tegra X1 can power almost any device. Unfortunately, its thermal design power (TDP) of up to 10W is too high for mobile electronics. As a result, it will not be that easy for Nvidia to squeeze the chip into tablets or portable game consoles without reducing its clock-rates as well as performance. Still, there are plenty of applications that Nvidia can address with its Tegra X1.

nvidia_tegra_x1_block_diagram nvidia_tegra_x1_cpu_configuration

Nvidia’s Tegra X1 already powers Shield game console for the living room.

Nvidia did not comment on the news-story.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Even if Nvidia Tegra X1 is too hot for mobile devices, there are plenty of applications, where it can be used, including embedded electronics, drones, robots, set-top-boxes with gaming capabilities, Blu-ray 4K players etc. However, to enter these markets, Nvidia will need to develop appropriate software platforms…

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