Nvidia Shield Available Now, is Handheld Device Worth Price on its Release Date?

The Nvidia Shield offers potential buyers the chance to play their favorite Android-based games on a mobile device, but using a traditional video game controller with a fold-down touchscreen to mix both old and new school gaming techniques. We offered a preview of the device earlier, and now the mobile gaming device is available starting today to all those wishing to purchase it . Nvidia is offering the game on their official website for $299, but is it worth the steep buy-in?

One of the strengths of the device is that it is made by Nvidia, one of the top computer technology companies today. IGN notes in their review of the device that the device is technologically impressive, and offers a lot of value for the price tag that comes with the device:

"While other handhelds use scaled down buttons and thumbsticks, the Shield affords players the same suite and size of controls you can find on a console controller. The thumbsticks have the same surface area and range of motion as the DualShock 3 or Xbox 360, while the action buttons, d-pad, and triggers are springy and responsive. The system has a pair of stereo speakers that deliver surprisingly loud and tonally rich audio, though in many on-the-go cases, owners are more likely to use headphones. The Shield's body also houses a substantial 3400 mAh battery, which compares to the Galaxy S4's 2600 mAh and 9.7" iPad's 11,560 mAh batteries. In real terms, the Shield can drive up to a day's worth of use, accounting for 5 hours or so of Tegra games, 10 hours of standard Android titles, and 20 hours of PC streaming."

However, like many consoles and devices, the Nvidia Shield suffers from a lack of software to get people invested in the system. PC Mag said it best when reviewing the device:

"Like all Android devices, the Shield suffers from a lack of top-tier games. The local PC streaming feature helps, but it requires a specific hardware configuration and only works locally. The games you can pick up on the Google Play store (and play away from your home) aren't as varied, deep, or high-quality as the games you can get for the 3DS...The Shield simply doesn't have any system-seller in its launch lineup."

While the Shield certainly has potential as a handheld gaming device, right now it lacks the library to give gamers on the fence about the Shield a reason to pick up the device at launch. Nvidia definitely has a solid device on their hands, it is just a matter of getting the right titles on the device and optimizing the strong hardware the device has under the hood in order to make it a success and able to compete with the 3DS, Vita, and mobile phones.