14 DAY TRIAL // NVIDIA’s new Shield tablet has been with us for a short while, bringing to the table the company’s own Tegra K1 processor.
The slate was touted as being the downfall of gaming consoles in some circles and we saw some spectacular benchmark results involving the slate, showing the device is quite capable of tearing away at the competition.
Anyway, as most electronics owners today know, at some point in time something is bound to go wrong.
Sometimes, it happens sooner rather than later. For example, a few months after Samsung launched the Galaxy Tab S duo of AMOLED tablets, a few customers started complaining about the tablet overheating and damaging the back panel.
Now, it’s time for NVIDIA Shield tablet owners to cry out in despair. According to some users on the GeForce forums, the tablet has started to crack, which is not a good sign of the quality of this so-called premium device.
Vidvox started the 31-page-long thread by saying “Myself and others have noticed the edges of our Shield Tablet's cracking on multiple sides, possibly due to heat expansion.”
“Is Nvidia aware of this issue? Currently it isn't anything except a minor cosmetic issue but I worry that it could cause problems.”
Other owners confirm the issue, as they demand a solution from NVIDIA.
“I got a couple cracks that started appearing today. Thought I'd be lucky. Seems like the back piece is ever so slightly loose as well. I can see it move when I push at it as if it’s not glued on as tight as when I got it. Kind of bummed and hope nvidia comes up with a solution real soon.”
The good news is, NVIDIA has reached out to dishearten users with a comment saying:
“There have been reports of hairline cracks in the corners of the SHIELD tablet casing. The crack is cosmetic and does not affect performance. We believe this imperfection is caused by a material control issue during the production of a small number of tablets.”
“This caused the material to become more brittle than expected. We will replace anyone’s unit that sees this imperfection. We’re still in investigation mode and will continue to provide updates as we learn more.”
So here’s the verdict. Of course you can make do with a cracked tablet, but why should customers have to put up with this, especially after paying good money? The tablet is just a few months old, so if it is facing issues at this early stage, who knows what’s going to happen in the future.
Our advice is that you contact your local representative and get your tab replaced.
