Nvidia is aggressively moving forward with their mobile console. The company has not only announced the Shield is now available for pre-order, they also revealed the gaming platform will be priced at a hefty $349.
Pre-orders are being taken through the Nvidia website "Notify Me" section.
General orders will be available on May 20 through Gamestop, Newegg, Canada Computers, and Micro Center. The console will then begin shipping in June.
The Nvidia console's big selling point is the Tegra 4 mobile processor, allowing it to actually stream full-on PC game titles. The console was unveiled at CES running Dishonored with respectable settings and a pretty surprising frame rate. The games can then be played with the device's integrated controller.
Unfortunately, according to Nvidia's last update, the PC streaming feature is still in beta and requires a 600-series Nvidia GPU on your computer to run.
If PC gaming isn't your thing, the Shield can also run Android games and apps on its 720p multi-touch display, although I'm not sure $349 is worth that feature alone.
The Shield will be going up against the Nintendo 3DS, the Sony PlayStation Vita, and possibly a rumored Microsoft handheld; all of which have arguably better first party experience and support. The 3DS and Vita are also both significantly cheaper.
Historically, expensive hardware launches have done rather poorly. A $349 price point is a pretty stiff asking price for any console, much less a mobile one. This is on top of the fact that the Shield can only stream or download games. Granted, the games it can play look a heck of a lot better than anything else currently on mobile platforms.
However, without direct game support, exclusive titles, and the need for an additional (and expensive) Nvidia component to run the device's most compelling future, I'm personally very uncertain about the Shield's launch.