14 DAY TRIAL // NVIDIA's Android TV console, the famous Shield, finally arrives in Europe this week, and those on the continent will be able to pick up one at select retailers.
Featuring an NVIDIA Tegra X1 Maxwell-based chip, the new console features the GRID streaming service that has changed its name to GeForce NOW and launches officially with a new subscription option, just as we announced before.
It seems that NVIDIA is bragging that the Shield TV device is as much as 34 times faster than other media streaming set-top boxes. It also claims this is the only box capable of streaming 4K content at the moment, so in case you are among the few who have a 4K display ready, this could be a device of interest for you.
According to Jaap Zuiderveld, vice president of EMEAI at NVIDIA, "SHIELD is a fantastic, easy to use product - letting you use just one device for all your living room entertainment." The same feature will also enjoy GRID... err GeForce NOW.
NVIDIA pushes the Shield forward on a path where previous companies tried and failed
Among the main features the Shield arrives with are: a unified entertainment hub for TV shows, films, music, games and apps, 4K Everything, which means pretty much every streaming service popular right now comes in 4K format as SHIELD Android TV delivers the best 4K media streaming experience in 60fps, and that is pretty amazing.
Additionally, the Shield boasts Amazing Games, meaning support for next-gen Android games, the cloud streaming GeForce NOW service that streams games from the cloud straight on your TV, and the PC GameStream feature, allowing you to stream games from you PC straight to your tablet.
In order to not pose any danger to Google, God forbid, the Shield also has built-in Chromecast and Google Voice that work together with Shield remote and Shield controller, and yes, you can cast apps from Android or iOS straight to your TV.
This is all nice and dandy, until you realize that OnLive had tried the same business before and failed. Let's hope that a company with huge resources available like NVIDIA will be able to pull it off somehow.
In Europe, and specifically in the UK, the Shield 16GB will cost £149.99 (€202), while the 500GB Shield Pro will cost £229.99 (€310). The console comes with a Shield controller and you can pick up a Shield remote for £39.99 (€54).