Last week Nvidia was rumored to be prepping the reveal of a new device running Android and capable of streaming games from your PC. Today, it revealed the Shield Tablet, an 8-inch tablet that uses Nvidia's Tegra K1 chip to do just that.
One of the more impressive features is the tablet's integration with Nvidia's Shadowplay service. Shadowplay allows you to livestream whatever you are playing on the Shield Tablet to your Twitch channel, and its even equipped with a 5MP camera on the front for a face-cam in the corner. When paired with the LTE coverage, streamers would no longer be limited to the traditional desk and keyboard set ups we see. However, there is no word on how you will control your twitch stream settings or chat, done through the Twitch dashboard on a PC, and if it isn't made easy then I could see a lot of current streamers not being interested.
Our own Cory Banks has spent some time with the Shield Tablet and Controller—that's his grubby paw in the controller photo—and says the hardware feels good. The 8-inch screen looks gorgeous and the tablet feels good in your hands, while the controller's chunkiness is reminiscent of the design behind Nvidia's original Shield (now called Shield Portable). Feeling good isn't enough, however, and we're looking forward to more time with the setup so we can test how usable the Android-powered tablet will be for PC gamers and Twitch streamers.
The Shield Tablet, Cover, and Wireless Controller are all set to release on July 29th in the US & Canada, and August 14th in Europe.
