The device formerly known as Project SHIELD will be coming from the same set of retail partners as it was when its first availability was announced before Google I/O. This change of heart affects each of the set: NVIDIA’s home page, Newegg, and Gamestop in the USA and Canada Computer in the Great White North. It’s just Micro Center that’s not got a pre-order page prepared at the moment – they’ll be going live inside the next few days.

SHIELD retains its specifications outlined in detail earlier this week, it being an NVIDIA Tegra 4 quad-core processor-powered gaming Android clamshell-style gaming handheld device made for both local and streaming game content. Utilizing the Tegra 4′s 72 GPU cores for graphics prowess, this machine is being marketed as both the highest-powered Android gaming device on the market while it brings streaming PC gaming at the same time.

It’s important to note, mind you, that the PC gaming streaming abilities SHIELD employs will not be launched in their full, finalized form when the device ships. Instead, NVIDIA suggests that this part of the equation will remain in Beta for an unspecified amount of time – but not so long that we imagine users will be freaking out.

Have a peek at the PC streaming abilities of this device as well as some Android gaming above in a couple of SlashGear’s several hands-on demos with this device as it inches closer to a final release. Expect shipping to take place sooner than later.

Inside this device you’ve got 16GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot that allows you to expand memory by 32GB, and 2GB of RAM. You’ll also be able to work with full-sized SD cards in a slot separate from the smaller cards. Inside both the slate itself and the keyboard dock you’ll find batteries ready to bring on a rather massive amount of up-time.

Sound will be handled by HP’s implementation of DTS Sound+, which sounds nice, but this device’s speakers continue to suffer from the dreaded back-facing syndrome that continues to plague the tablet universe. Until they head to the front, you’ll continue to get a bounced-sound experience.

The display on this machine is a 1920 x 1200 resolution IPS panel with some impressive viewing angles and 400 nit brightness. Through this you’ll be breaking out high-definition graphics at 224.17 PPI – not the densest panel in the world by any means, but certainly ready to compete with the rest of the 10.1-inch competitors on the market today.

This system is officially licensed by Google, meaning you’ll have access to the Google Play system for media – apps, movies, music, books, and the like. Android is a nearly-vanilla iteration with 4.2.2 Jelly Bean ready right out of the box. It’s not yet clear whether HP will be handling updates for the system itself in the future, or if Google will be able to send updates directly: once the final software build is shown, we’ll know for sure.

Above you’ll get a peek at an extended chat we had with NVIDIA’s Technical Marketing Director Nick Stam earlier this year about the NVIDIA Tegra 4 mobile processor. This processor is being delivered in the HP SlateBook x2, the first transformable machine to deliver it and one of the first devices in general to deliver it as well. Another high-powered example: NVIDIA’s SHIELD.

The HP SlateBook x2 will be available starting in August in the United States for $479.99 USD, while international sales have not yet been confirmed. This device will be released alongside a similar machine working with Windows going by the name HP Split x2 – have a peek at that machine and the rest of HP’s ever-expanding line of devices in SlashGear’s HP tag portal right this minute!

If you’ve been following email updates about Project SHIELD straight from NVIDIA before today, you’re in luck. Those signed up with the company as a gamer interested in the product as an early adopter will be given the first shot at the device.

A shot at ordering SHIELD as a pre-order, that is. The device itself will be the same, but these earliest pre-orders will be filled first – of that you can be sure.

Hardware

At the head of this device is the NVIDIA Tegra 4 quad-core A15 CPU with custom 72 code GeForce GPU. That’s a mouthful, and we’re certainly not going to try to explain the full ins and outs of it here. Instead you’ll want to head over to the SlashGear 101: NVIDIA Tegra 4 in detail post we’ve prepared for an occasion just like this. In short: it’s got so much graphics power it’ll be good to go for years to come.

SHIELD works with a 5-inch 720p multi-touch display which flips-up from its hardware controller body. In this shell-opening form-factor, this device allows the user a gaming experience only otherwise given in part by 3rd-party accessories attached to smartphones. With NVIDIA’s solution, the display is made specifically for this setup, while the controls, sound system, and form factor are all made with one final single product in mind.

With SHIELD, users will be working with integrated speakers – both a left and a right – along with two tuned ports for high-end bass response. Each time we’ve handled this machine thus far, the sound has been full and deep, with the ability to get loud enough that it’s necessary to pull the volume back. Don’t want to wake up the upstairs neighbors, after all.

NVIDIA has let it be known that the device has seen a few – not many, but some – changes between its reveal and its final form, that being the one we’re having another look at here today. The device has had a tiny bit of weight added since CES 2013 several months ago – welcome, in this case, as this adjustment allows the device to feel the correct amount of substantial in a user’s hands. The device remains largely plastic, but certainly looks and feels like a high-end product, as it should.

SHIELD will be available for a retail price of $349 USD right out of the gate. This price remains the same no matter how or through whom you’ll be ordering it. Orders will be done through NVIDIA’s own website and through NewEgg and Micro Center here in the USA. Canadian gamers will be able to pick the device up at Canada Computers as well.

Android / TegraZone Games

The device will be delivered with a couple games installed, NVIDIA’s own game portal TegraZone – and that’s it. This delivery essentially counts as a vanilla build of Android Jelly Bean, allowing users to work with as simple and recognizable – and customizable – an experience as possible.

Five new games have been promised for SHIELD and its high-powered processor backing up Android, each of them coming to Android here for the first time. Double Fine will be bringing the games Broken Age and Costume Quest. Broken Age is an epic fantasy tale set in the clouds with flying ships, computers, and oddities galore. Costume Quest is a game that’s appeared on Windows PCs, PlayStation 3, OS X, Linux, and the Xbox in the past, coming to Android for the first time here to show the power of NVIDIA’s Tegra 4 processor.

Above: SHIELD at CES 2013 hands-on with Android gaming (Hawken, specifically).

Flyhunter: Origins is a new Android game coming to SHIELD from the developers at Steel Wool Games. This game will deliver not only a strange miniature storyline, but high-class art as well – NVIDIA has specifically pointed out the lovely artistic abilities of the development group behind this game – bright and pretty!

Dedalord Games will be bringing Skiing Fred with a full free-movement system that will be entirely unique to SHIELD. Don’t get caught in the drift! Developers at Niffler will be bringing Chuck’s Challenge to life on SHIELD as a 3D puzzle game that allows users to create their own levels and share with friends.

Two high-powered Android games will be installed on the device out of the box: Sonic 4 Episode II and Expendable: Rearmed. We’ve had our own hands-on look at Sonic 4 Episode II back a few months ago in all its full super-speed glory while Expandable: Rearmed makes with the massive amounts of firepower.

PC Connectivity with GeForce game streaming / Steam

Valve has joined the party as well for this device’s PC connection. As SHIELD is made to bridge the gap between PC and mobile gaming on Android, Valve’s own Steam gaming experience will be in play. Though GeForce game streaming will be launching as a beta feature, we’ve seen it in action more than once, and it looks pretty rad.

Users will need their own compatible PC and a WiFi network they can connect with to make any and all desktop gaming a reality on SHIELD, Steam included. Once this connection is made, Steam’s Big Picture Mode is the user interface that SHIELD will use. With a healthy handful of PC games (20 games at first, we’re told) optimized and prepared for this cross-device compatibility at launch, user’s should have no problem finding a good title for which to game from their couch.

Controls for these games will be automatically fitted to SHIELD’s own, allowing gamers to, for example, break into Borderlands 2 the first time they open it with the device. This set of games is not a limit for the device, of course, as SHIELD’s controls are able to be fit to any game that’d otherwise be able to work with a controller connecting to your PC with, for example, a USB or Bluetooth connection.

Development

NVIDIA’s SHIELD device will have more details revealed over the next few weeks, and of course the GeForce game streaming bit of this amalgamation will see mighty changes in the near future, but the main bulk of the device and its features are here. This device is a market-ready machine, and in it we’ll be seeing the NVIDIA Tegra 4 in action out in the wild for the first time.

Have a peek at the brief timeline of SHIELD items we’ve collected in the recent past and hit SlashGear’s Tegra hub for more information on NVIDIA’s mobile universe. SlashGear’s Project SHIELD tag portal will also serve to give you an exploratory look at the demonstrations and details that have emerged prior to today, as well.

With SHIELD, two accessories will be available straight from the get-go. The first of these is a Carrying Case that’s hard-packed around the edges to protect the device you’re carrying from any basic harm. This case is custom molded to SHIELD, has a lovely SHIELD name-plate, and is black with green accents.

This carrying case works with a USB port on its back so the user can keep SHIELD plugged in while the case is closed to power up whist on the go. This case also has a strap to hold at the gamers’ side. This case will be available for $39.99 USD in June when SHIELD launches.

Also coming at the same time SHIELD is available are a couple of custom lids. The top of SHIELD is a customizable, replaceable unit called a lid. Custom lids will be available for $19.99 each and, at launch, users will be able to grab a glossy black lid or a carbon fiber lid, these replacing the standard silver that comes with the device.

SHIELD itself has been detailed in its final form and prepared for pre-orders and the like this week along with its accessories. Right in the midst of Google I/O 2013, NVIDIA has revealed launch details along with a push specifically for those most interested in joining the SHIELD party in its first release wave.

We’re just days away from Google I/O 2013, this heralding the introduction of new services from the source of Android, if not new products as well. As such, it’s no surprise that companies like NVIDIA are preparing for the storm of excitement with announcements of their own, starting right here with a peek at the production of the device they introduced to the world earlier this year.

What you’re seeing above is a mold used to create the final casing for Project SHIELD as it exists today. As this mold is being presented by NVIDIA as a finished part of this puzzle, we can only assume that the final product is well on its way.

According to NVIDIA, the casing for Project SHIELD is made starting with an injection of polycarbonate material into the the RHCM (Rapid Heat Cycle Molding) tool you see above. This is done at a terrifying 10,800 PSI and 300 degrees Celsius, says NVIDIA, while the mixture is made up of 90% Sabic 500ECR-739 PC and 10% glass. That’s a mixture that’s rough and tough yet lightweight for easy carrying.

This device retains much if not the entirety of the look it did when we first saw it back at CES 2013. There it also had a set of specifications that have stuck – a 5-inch 720p HD touchscreen display, NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor inside, and connectivity with the user’s GeForce GTX-toting gaming PC at home over their wireless network for full-sized PC gaming in a hand-held package.

The NVIDIA Project SHIELD device is the first all-NVIDIA-made mobile device the company has ever made. It’ll be sold by NVIDIA straight to consumers and will be found in retailers across the United States by the end of the year – and likely much sooner than that. Have a peek at SlashGear’s Project SHIELD tag portal for more demonstrations with this device and stick around for more action in the near future as well!

This update to the Parrot AR.Drone user experience will bring on hardware controls to Android, this being what we can expect as the cross-over to similar Bluetooth-friendly controls in the near future as well. With Project SHIELD, users will end up being able to work with a bit more of a unique experience with the unobstructed display not offered on any other platform. If you work with the Parrot AR.Drone on your smartphone, your controls are on-screen.

With Project SHIELD, you’re able to utilize this quadcopters on-board camera with Project SHIELD’s 5-inch display, allowing you to feel much more like you’re onboard the flying machine with physical controls outside your camera view. This demonstration by NVIDIA points toward a unqiue app update for Project SHIELD by Parrot in the near future.

Have a peek at the timeline below to see more information on NVIDIA’s Project SHIELD and make sure you’re tuned to SlashGear’s Tegra Hub for an expanded view of what the processor inside this device is capable of. We’ll have more information on Project SHIELD in regards to release time and price in the near future – stay tuned!

What you’re having a peek at here is not a future game that’ll only be coming to Project SHIELD, nor is it a game that’s relegated to processors that haven’t been released yet – The Conduit HD is already on the Google Play app store right now! But here’s what you need to look out for in this demo – keep an eye on how fantastic this game looks on Project SHIELD, then try it out on whatever smartphone or tablet you’ve got right this minute. Let us know how it goes!

With Project SHIELD, this game comes alive with what NVIDIA says are “nearly endless customization options”. As you decide where each of your controls is mapped to the hardware on Project SHIELD, so too will you become more skilled at ending the lives of your opponents. This game was originally launched (in a lesser iteration) on the first Nintendo Wii, and it’s been optimized by its developers in collaboration with the NVIDIA developer team for placement on the NVIDIA TegraZone.

For those of you that follow the NVIDIA TegraZone releases like a hawk, you’ll know that this game has been out for a little over a week. We’ve got our own hands-on review of The Conduit HD if you care to take a peek right this minute as well! Once you’ve seen this game played on the ASUS-made Google Nexus 7 tablet, you’ll have a little bit of an idea how the NVIDIA Tegra 3 (inside this tablet) will be trumped by the NVIDIA Tegra 4 (inside Project SHIELD).

Have a peek at the Project SHIELD timeline below as well for more information on this groundbreaking system. Coming soon to a market near you!

This new platform is a big ol’ amalgamation of metal and plastic, power and next-generation precision. What developers in the smart segment of the next generation of our everyday road-ready vehicles will be doing with this beast is optimizing their ideas for the processing power of NVIDIA’s Tegra processors. Automakers will be able to work with this proof-of-concept in a tiny 1-DIN form that fits in a car stereo slot.

Jetson Development Platform package:

• Jetson main board
• Tegra VCM with automotive-grade Tegra 3 mobile processor
• Embedded Breakout Board (EBB) with a wide range of connectivity options
• NVIDIA CUDA-capable discrete GPU
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth module, and GPS antennas
• 64 GB mSATA Drive
• Touchscreen display and cables
• Power supply and cables
• USB cable (mini-USB to USB)
• HDMI to DVI cable

With the 1-DIN model of the Jetson, you’ll have the performance of a beastly NVIDIA Tegra VCM combined with the excellence of a Kepler-glass GPU. This GPU supports CUDA as well as OpenCV so any and all developers creating software for this setup will be able to do so with the following visual-based technologies:

• Pedestrian Detection
• Lane Departure Warnings
• Collision Avoidance

This development kit is made not just to make the developer’s job awesome with the processing power of Tegra and Kepler, but to make their job as easy as possible so they can concentrate on what matters most – making their ideas a reality. Jetson is designed to help automakers overcome three key challenges, too, each of them allowing for quicker and easier implementation of forward-thinking technologies.

NVIDIA’s Jetson Development Platform does the following:

1) Simplifies and streamlines the development of advanced driver assistance and connected car technologies.

2) Accelerates the transition to each new generation of mobile SoC, enabling automakers to better keep pace with the rapid innovation cycle in consumer electronics.

3) Reduces the number of processors and independent silver boxes needed to develop infotainment, navigation, computer vision and driver assistance capabilities.

Sound pretty good to you? Have a peek at the timeline we’ve laid out below for all the NVIDIA action you can handle from this past week alone! NVIDIA is ramping up for not just GPUs in your most masterful gaming desktop computers, not just for some of the most powerful mobile processor architectures in the mobile universe for your superphones and tablets, but for next-generation smart vehicles of all kinds, soon and very soon!

What you’re seeing here is a demonstration done by NVIDIA at the official GTC 2013 conference. That the GPU Technology Conference, a multi-day event we attended with bells on – have a peek at our GTC 2013 tag portal now for everything we got to see – with more coming up in the future! The demonstration shown here is of a technology originally revealed earlier this year at NVIDIA’s keynote presentation at CES 2013 – head back to the original reveal post to see a whole different angle!

Here a high dynamic range scene has been arranged behind a device running the Chimera photography experience with an NVIDIA Tegra 4 (or perhaps 4i) processor inside. While a traditional HDR-capable camera takes two images one-after-another at different exposures and fuses them together, NVIDIA’s Always-on HDR feature works to take away the two negative bits involved with traditional HDR by allowing the following:

• Live preview through your camera’s display (on your smartphone, tablet, etc).
• The ability to capture moving objects.

With traditional HDR, if you’ve got someone running through the scene, you’ll get even more of a blur than you’d normally get because you’re effectively taking two photos. With NVIDIA’s method you’re capturing your image 10 times faster than you’d be capturing it without a Tegra 4 working to help. Because of this, when you’ve got a Tegra 4 processor in your smartphone, you’ll be able to use a flash in your HDR photos, use burst mode to capture several HDR shots in quick succession, and you’ll be able to capture HDR video, too!

We’re very much looking forward to rolling out with the Tegra 4 on smart devices soon – until then, we can only dream of the colors! Check out the full NVIDIA mobile experience in our fabulous Tegra hub right this minute!

Parker is the newest in a line of code-named Tegra processors, coming after Wayne (Tegra 4) and Logan (Tegra 5, more than likely), and bringing on the innovations of past generations and/or outdoing them with the following firsts:

• First with Denver CPU.
• First 64 bit ARM processor coupled with NVIDIA’s next-gen Maxwell GPU.
• First to use FinFET transistors.

According to NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang, this is only the beginning. Huang noted that “In five years time, we’ll increase Tegra by 100 times, though Moore’s Law would suggest an eight-fold increase.” With Logan we’ll see the first mobile processor on the planet to work with CUDA. This processor will also bring Kepler GPU power and OpenGL 4.3 – and it’ll be in production by early 2014.

Parker, on the other hand, is still in the pipeline. While we may see it out by 2015, we can’t be sure until NVIDIA gives the real word.

Then there’s Kayla. With NVIDIA’s Kayla, we’ve got what’s been described by Huang as “Logan’s girlfriend.” This device is around the size of a tablet PC at the moment, and is beastly enough already to run real-time ray tracing. As Huang said, “this is showing the kind of demos we used to do on massive GPUs.”

Inside Kayla you’ll find CUDA 5, Linux, and PhysX processing. All of this runs on a rather tiny ARM-toting computer – and it’s coming sooner than later. Have a peek at the timeline below for more Tegra and GeForce GTX action from NVIDIA as GTC 2013 continues – hit up our tag portal for more action as well, we’ll be here the whole conference long!

And don’t forget to check our massive Tegra hub for more mobile processing action than you can handle – more big blasts coming up quick!

Speaking on how they created the idea of a single energy-saving core – seen first in the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor – with 4-PLUS-1 technology, sleeping with this one sleeper core for low-powered tasks. Huang spoke also of the first software-defined radio – Deep Execution Processor – and the Computational Camera using both the CPU and the GPU with the sensors of the mobile camera – introduced on the Tegra 4.

Inside Logan we’ll be seeing CUDA 5 and Kepler. This is the first time we’ve seen a mobile processor incorporating CUDA, and also the first time a Kepler GPU will be coming to the mobile universe. This processor will also be bringing on full CUDA 5 as well as OpenGL 4.3.

Interestingly enough, Huang mentioned that Logan – this next generation – will be coming out at the beginning of next year. As we’ve heard from NVIDIA not too many weeks ago, Tegra 4 and Tegra 4i will not be coming to market any sooner than the second half of 2013. In other words, we’re looking at some rather rapid movement between the two generations, without a doubt.

Have a peek at the timeline below as well as the GTC 2013 tag portal for more information on Tegra and the ever-expanding GPU universe of NVIDIA in many great and rather exciting ways! We’ll be here the whole conference long!

Be sure to tune in all week in our massive Tegra hub as well!

Obviously this will be all about developers, gaming, and high performance graphics, but we’re also expecting some exciting news on the NVIDIA GPU front (aka TITAN) as well as some details on their impressive mobile chipset recently announced, the NVIDIA Tegra 4 and Tegra 4i.

From Ray Tracing to Crysis 3 gaming and graphics will obviously be the star of the show here. From emerging technology, emerging companies and much more we’ll be here live with all the details.

The official GTC Keynote is about to begin here shortly this morning with NVIDIA’s own Jen-Hsun Huang taking the stage as usual to share some details. We’re expecting the focus to be on content, developers, partners, and a few nice announcements about the products mentioned above. Stay tuned for all the details live from SlashGear! Don’t forget to check out our Tegra Portal for more NVIDIA news.

The demo you’re seeing here shows one of two different types of futuristic gaming action you’ll be able to experience on Project SHIELD. While you’ll also be able to do streaming gaming from your GeForce-toting PC on your own wireless network, this demonstration is working with pure Android. This game will be released by the time the Project SHIELD hardware becomes available – soon and very soon!

According to NVIDIA, a collection of Tegra 4-specific features are appearing here in addition to the hot-powered action you’ll get outside of the NVIDIA environment. While you’ll be rolling hardest with this game on Tegra 4-toting smart devices, as with the original Riptide GP, you’ll still be able to (eventually) rock and roll with this game on most Android devices. Of course with a Tegra 4 processor you’ll be getting the best of the best!

• Full 3rd Party Controller Support
• Enhanced Water and Particle Effects
• HDR Lighting
• Boosted Reflection Shaders
• All-New Spectator Mode with Project SHIELD

So get pumped up – and have a peek a the timeline below for additional demonstrations of the hardcore power of Project SHIELD as well!

[via NVIDIA]

Burn Zombie Burn is a survival game where you fight endless waves of zombies, with each wave (of course) being harder than the previous. The goal is to reach the highest score you possibly can. You have a hefty arsenal of weapons that you can use to take out the hordes of zombies. From bats to machines guns to chainsaws to nukes, you have all the firepower you need to ensure your self-preservation.

NVIDIA’s Project SHIELD is NVIDIA’s own portable, Android gaming device running on their latest-gen processor, the Tegra 4. Project SHIELD is capable of running PC-quality like games and is set to revolutionize the mobile gaming industry. It was one of the highlights of the Consumer Electronic Show this year, and it has many people anticipating its Q2 launch. The device features a 5-inch LCD display and promises around 5-10 hours of gameplay per charge. The screen is attached to a console-like gamepad that should make gameplay feel more easier and familiar. Project SHIELD’s UI runs on Android Jelly Bean and there’s a ‘Tegra’ button on the physical controller that will bring you to your games menu.

Burn Zombie Burn is an intriguing title and one that should keep you entertained for hours. One thing that’s pretty noticeable is the FPS lag that happens occasionally during the gameplay demo. Hopefully NVIDIA or Tick Tock Games figures out the reasoning behind that before they officially launch the game. We don’t have an official release date, or the official pricing on the Project SHIELD, but we’ll let you know as soon as we do. For the latest news on NVIDIA, check out our NVIDIA Tegra Hub.

[via Android Community]

What you’re going to see first here is a hands-on look at Tegra 4i as it runs on the Phoenix Developer Platform. What you’ll see is Real Boxing being played, this game not quite out yet for Android, but looking fantastic on the Phoenix. It’s important to note that while the software on this device – and the device itself – are not quite out in their final form, the setup we’ve seen here is monstrous.

Next you’re going to see a similar sort of situation, this time with an unnamed tablet running a full-fledged NVIDIA Tegra 4. This device is also plugged in with an Xbox controller and running Zombie Driver. You’ll see that with a massively impressive game like this – updated for the Tegra 4, mind you – it’s all good for the future.

Then there’s a video coming up with some power management demonstration action. You’ll find that the NVIDIA Tegra 4 has the ability – in a developer setup here, again – uses up next to no power at all when you need it. Now we’ve just got to see this excellence in final form in a real product! Not for some months though, mind you – NVIDIA doesn’t expect final form Tegra 4 or Tegra 4i products to be out for some time.

You’ll enjoy the following gallery especially if you’re a fan of up-close-and-personal action with processors. We’ve gotten the chance to capture both the Tegra 4 and the Tegra 4i as they’d appear in a board inside a mobile device. While this isn’t exactly how they’d be arranged no matter what device you’ve got, it’s nice to see how the 4i looks on its own, with the i500 modem built in, then the Tegra 4 with the Icera modem separate – it’s the right-most black rectangle above.

Finally – the benchmarks. You’ll find that the NVIDIA Tegra 4 mock-up situation the company has made up here is ready for action only in a very rudimentary sense. While you’re able to play games and rock and roll with benchmarks galore, you’re not exactly going to be popping this unit into your backpack. That said, you can see how NVIDIA’s next-generation processor is blasting forth here well before it hits a final product.

Stay tuned all week long as we continue to rock and roll with NVIDIA and the rest of the wireless environment at Mobile World Congress 2013!

Currently available release aside, the latest Android related Project SHIELD teaser is for Zombie Driver and we are given a brief look at the game running and we have learned that it will be given a “full HD over haul” that will bring “a ton of mind-blowing optimizations.” Given the current release is pretty solid on the Nexus 7, we are more than a bit excited to play this when it becomes available with Project SHIELD.

Otherwise, details of the Tegra 4 optimizations include teasers such as how it will contain “real-time dynamic lighting, per-pixel shading with custom per-material specular masks, custom blood splatter and double the zombies.” Again, this does nothing other than make us want to play now. But alas, we must wait for Project SHIELD to come available.

While we wait, make sure to checkout the demo video (embed above) where they not only show a bit of game play on Project SHIELD, but also give a side-by-side look at the non-Tegra 4 version as compared to the Tegra 4 optimized version. Bottom line, while both look (and play) pretty nice, the Tegra 4 optimized version of Zombie Driver looks that much nicer.

[via NVIDIA Blog]

With ZTE once again joining up with NVIDIA to bring a “first” to the market, we’ve got to wonder how much of it we’ll see at Mobile World Congress (coming up in just a few days). ZTE generally brings quite a show to the international mobile event, but with an announcement set so close to the actual reveal, we can’t imagine a real bit of hardware really ready for the public so quick. Regardless, we will be seeing something big from NVIDIA and ZTE separately without a doubt.

Check our SlashGear 101: NVIDIA Tegra 4 in detail guide for more information on Tegra 4 as well – pump up your brain!

As far as this first Tegra 4 Super Phone from ZTE – whenever we do get to see it – it’ll be working with Android and will have the full-fledged NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor rather than the NVIDIA Tegra 4i we saw earlier this week. This means that the i500 LTE modem will not be integrated in on the SoC and the amount of GPU units inside will be higher as a result. While the Tegra 4i works with 60 GPU cores, the full Tegra 4 works with 72.

You’ll also be seeing the Tegra 4i in action with the Phoenix Reference Platform before too long as well. No release date has been mentioned with that device either, but we’re crossing our fingers for soon!

With ZTE bringing another hit to the market in 2013, we can’t help but hope that it’ll enter the USA this time around. ZTE is responsible for such cool devices as the ZTE Grand X with the first Tegra processor / Icera modem combo – we saw that last year at MWC as well. There’s also the ZTE U950, a Tegra 3-toting smartphone for less than $160 USD – an undeniably enticing combo.

Stick around in our Mobile World Congress 2013 portal for more information from the NVIDIA and ZTE teams in the near future – we’ll be flying in this weekend!

With the Phoenix reference platform you’ll get an 8mm thin smartphone with 4G LTE connectivity as well as all the rest of the next-generation features the Tegra 4i offers. With the Tegra 4i you’ve got the NVIDIA i500 software-defined radio modem which gives you the 4G LTE you crave – this time integrated on the chip rather than separate. On the Tegra 4 you’ll also find compatibility with the i500, but in that case it’s optional and the end result is a significant amount larger physically.

As the Phoenix works with all of the greatest features the Tegra 4i offers, you’ll also find PRISM 2, DirectTouch, and Chimera – what NVIDIA notes is the world’s first mobile computational photography architecture. PRISM is a technology developed by NIVIDA back with the Tegra 3, improved here with the Tegra 4 family with PRISM 2 for more Pixel Rendering Intensity and Saturation Management than ever before, allowing the Phoenix to reduce backlight power at the same time as it enhances pixel color – the result being longer battery life than you’d otherwise get with the same “visual quality”, as they say.

With DirectTouch you’re getting touch responsiveness that’s made much less reliant on battery power as its offloaded to the Tegra 4i processor. This innovative technology was also introduced with the Tegra 3 – the last big boost here, on the other hand, is all new. With the NVIDIA Tegra 4 and Tegra 4i, and live in effect with the Phoenix, you’ll find NVIDIA’a own Chimera Computational Photography Architecture.

With Chimera you’ve got several new innovations made possible by the many graphic processing cores the Tegra 4i (or the Tegra 4) has available. With the Phoenix phone you’ll be able to use each of the three new abilities revealed thus far by NVIDIA: Persistent Tap-to-Track, HDR Panorama, and Always-On HDR. With the Tegra 4i’s Always-On HDR this phone’s camera always captures multiple exposures instantly, allowing you to see a final product that’s near-real vivid “similar to how the human eye sees the world” as NVIDIA says.

With HDR panoramic photos on the Phoenix you’ll be getting that same amazing instant-HDR processing you get with regular photos, but here in many different long modes. You can capture long photos side-to-side, up-and-down, or diagonally. Finally there’s tap-to-track technology here that allows you to attach a virtual sensor to whatever object you like – human or not – the camera continuing to keep focus as well as exposure levels based on that object.

Can’t wait to check it all out? Have a peek at our NVIDIA Tegra hub to follow SlashGear right up until and through the point at which we get our own hands-on opportunities with this reference platform in the future. It’ll be then that we’ll also find out how you will be able to get your hands on this device as well – good luck on that!

Tegra 4i vs Tegra 4

While the Tegra 4i (codename: “Grey” up until this week) is handling massive amounts of smartphones across the market across the world, NVIDIA’s Tegra 4 (originally called codename: “Wayne”) will be handling Tablets and what NVIDIA calls Superphones. This is a term NVIDIA has been using since all the way back when the original Motorola ATRIX was introduced to define their forward-looking approach to mobile computing. With Grey, NVIDIA retains a power greater than that of the Tegra 3 and gives it a boost while an i500 modem is integrated in with it.

The Tegra 4i works with R4 ARM A9 CPU architecture, this still employing 4-PLUS-1 technology with a fifth battery-saver core that works with low-power tasks for battery conservation. This is compared with the Tegra 4 which works with four ARM A15 cores (plus a fifth with the same technology onboard). The Tegra 4i also works with a 60 Core GPU arrangement rather than the 72 Core setup the Tegra 4 has.

Sizing up Tegra 4i

This little beast known as the Tegra 4i is what NVIDIA calls the “highest performing single chip smartphone processor [in the world]” when this article is published. While we’ll only be able to test this for ourselves when we’ve gotten our hands on the hardware, it would appear that their first show of power relies on the power per millimeter squared results from NV R&D, as you’ll see in a press deck shot here:

NVIDIA also shows a comparison between the S800 Krait CPU (used in some key competitor processors, mind you) and the CPUs of both the Tegra 4 and 4i. You’ll see here that the max Perf and Perf / clock are superior on the Tegra 4, while the size of the core is smallest on the Tegra 4i’s R4 A9 CPU, as is what NVIDIA says will be the raw ability to conserve battery power. It’s the Perf per millimeter squared, again, that shows the intense power of the Tegra 4i, working at more than double the ability of the Tegra 4 (based on size ratio, of course).

With Tegra 4i you’ve got a a new quad-core architecture with ARM R4 A9 cores clocked at 2.3GHz each. You’ve got your integrated i500 (Icera, that is) modem, and 60 GPU cores. Inside you’ve also got an integrated video engine, image signal processor, optimized memory interface, and some fabulous computational photography architecture (going by the name “NVIDIA Chimera”) as well.

NVIDIA Chimera

With the NVIDIA Tegra 4i we’re seeing another revelation in the abilities of the Tegra 4 family (including Tegra 4 and 4i at this point) to shoot great photos. With the reveal of the Tegra 4i, we’ve been shown (in brief) not only that this processor will enable phones to work with NVIDIA Chimera’s “Always On HDR”, but “Tap to Track” and “HDR Pano” as well. This is also the first time we’ve heard the brand “NVIDIA Chimera” attached to the suite of computational photography architecture features.

With Tap to Track you’ll be able to tap on your device’s viewfinder to keep focus and lighting based on a single object – and not just a person. Tap to Track is able to lock on to any kind of object and will retain a sensor on that object as long as it (or they) remain in view. This will be fabulous for tracking a soccer ball, for example.

With HDR Pano you’ll be working with panographic photos that collect multiple exposures instantly – not unlike the Tegra 4′s previously announced Always On HDR. Here you’ll get vibrant and wonderfully thick-colored panographic photos every time you shoot.

Phoenix Reference Phone Platform

With the Tegra 4i, NVIDIA begins creating reference platforms for each new processor. In this case it means you’ll be seeing a 5-inch display-toting smartphone with 1080p resolution across the front, an 8mm thin body, and 4G LTE connectivity. This device also works with PRISM 2, DirectTouch, and the full-on Tegra 4i build for NVIDIA Chimera Computational Photography Architecture use – snap away!

Wrap-up

In the end with the Tegra 4i you’ve got the second wing in a flying processor bird that is NVIDIA’s next-generation Tegra 4 family. With the NVIDIA Tegra 4i the company has presented their solution for entering the mass market in a way they’ve not attempted in the past. With this release, the Tegra smartphone floodgates can officially be opened.

Have a peek at the timeline below to gain more insight into what the Tegra 4 family is bringing to the market in the coming weeks and months. Expect the NVIDIA Tegra 4i to be in smartphones within the next few months and mass adoption to be on the market around the start of 2014.

From N3V Games, Dead Arrival 2 features an array of custom weapons, including a minigun and rocket launcher, wrapped up in an industrial series of maps filled with snares and zombies. The game is played from a birds-eye perspective that looks similar to the Dead Ops Arcade map on Black Ops. The graphics have been ramped up for SHIELD’s ultra-powerful hardware.

The upgrades for the Tegra 4 become more apparent when the enhancements are shut off via a toggle on the device, which is showcased in the video above. Dead Arrival 2 features dynamic shadows that transform realistically as the player moves, rather than the typical “baked-in” shadows often seen on mobile games.

Other enhancements include physics added to items such as crates, which can be impacted by the player (shot with a rocket, for example), as well as realistic gore when zombies are annihilated. Because no zombie game would be complete without it, there’s also a multi-player mode, which allows gamers to play with other gamers online, or with other Shield-owning friends from the comfort of their own living room.

[via NVIDIA]

NVIDIA announced today that they repurchased a monstrous $100 million in stock while they paid a dividend of $0.075 per share back to investors, that equalling out to be a lovely $46.9 million in the end. GAAP earnings per share this reported year were $0.90 per diluted share, one of only a few down-turns compared to last year. Another was Non-GAAP earnings per diluted share being reduced from $1.19 in fiscal 2012 to $1.17 in fiscal 2013.

One of the highest points in the report was NVIDIA’s reported $4.28 billion in revenue for fiscal 2013, that being a record for the company. Outlook for the future is being shown to be quite positive as well, with revenue for the first quarter of NVIDIA’s fiscal 2014 set to be a fabulous $940 million – plus or minus 2 percent. NVIDIA also notes that they plan on paying another quarterly cash dividend of $0.075 per share on March 21st, 2013 – this will go to all stackholders on record as of February 28th, 2013.

Operating expenses for this upcoming quarter are expected to be “approximately” $430 million – that’s up for $402 million this past quarter. Over the entirety of fiscal 2013, NVIDIA reported $1,578.1 in operating expenses, while fiscal 2012 came in at $1,408.2 – and all of these numbers are GAAP, mind you, with non-GAAP numbers available to you in the full NVIDIA report.

An expanded growth over the next 12 months has been projected by NVIDIA and lots of exciting things are in store without a doubt. Stay tuned to SlashGear for more information on NVIDIA’s future through our Tegra hub as well as the NVIDIA tag portal for more!

The NVIDIA Project SHIELD device you’re seeing here consists of an amalgamation of gaming excellence, including soft plastic grips, a lovely high definition display, and an NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor under the hood. The whole device runs with Android for high-powered mobile games and has the ability to stream games from a computer in your home network wirelessly – GeForce GTX to the rescue!

This is just one of several games that’ll be optimized for play between your NVIDIA GeForce-toting computer and Project SHIELD. While thus far NVIDIA has been focusing on games that can be streamed via Valve’s Steam, today the focus is EA Games. The connection today is made with Need For Speed: Most Wanted, but as our NVIDIA host reminds us, Battlefield 3 will also work right out of the box. Each of these games works with a pre-set mapping of controls to the NVIDIA Project SHIELD device, allowing you to jump right in without a hiccup.

With Project SHIELD packed with an NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor, you know you’ve got an undeniable 72-core GPU under the hood. When you’re working with a game streamed from your PC, you’re also using the graphics processing power of your GeForce GPU. In this case the computer does “all the heavy lifting” as NVIDIA’s Will Park notes, allowing you to work with the game at its full-on usability and graphics potential.

Have a peek at the timeline below for additional insight into this beast of a device and gaming environment as it all unfolds through the future – right here on SlashGear. Along with it, be sure to head to our NVIDIA Tegra hub for more Tegra than your eyes can handle!

The Project SHIELD device you see here will be coming to you later this year straight from NVIDIA with very few changes between here and there – with the name being the first and perhaps largest update of the bunch. From what we’ve heard about this device thus far, it’s only the final name and a set of tweaks that need to be done to the hardware that stand between this device and its final release build. Then it’ll be the first consumer mobile smart device created by and branded straight up NVIDIA, top to bottom!

What you’re seeing here is the device running Android, but streaming Borderlands 2 from a PC over a wireless network. This is the first of a series of NVIDIA’s “Project SHIELD PC Mondays” in which you’ll see the machine busting out with PC power with great ease. The stream you’re seeing here is happening in real time, with the display of the computer in the background showing how instantaneously you’re getting not just the graphics, but the gameplay as well.

This streaming action also includes the highest graphics settings you’ve worked with on your PC as well. This is no “tune it down so you can stream” sort of situation. You’ll be working with the NVIDIA GeForce Experience to optimize your gameplay for your PC, then Project SHIELD will work with that top-notch experience. Hot stuff!

Have a peek at the timeline below to see all the NVIDIA Project SHIELD action you can handle right here on SlashGear, and check out our Tegra Hub for an NVIDIA overdose – graphics and processing power and mobile gaming, oh my!

We’ll start right off with Vizio‘s 7-inch tablet, which is obviously the company’s answer to the wildly popular Nexus 7. Its specs aren’t all that different from those of the Nexus 7 either, sporting 1200 x 800 resolution, 16GB of internal memory, and a NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor. Users will also have WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity at their disposal, and for a 7-inch tablet, this one looks pretty good. The tablet itself looks sleek and the visuals are sharp thanks to the 1200×800 resolution. It also feels pretty good in the hand, as most 7-inch tablets seem to.

Moving right along to the 10-inch tablet, we’ll have 2560 x 1600 resolution, so starting right off, we can already see similarities between it and Samsung’s Nexus 10. With that kind of resolution, I’d typically be worried that the processor would struggle a bit, but this tablet is running a brand new Tegra 4 under the hood. Add to that 32GB of internal storage with the option to expand thanks to the microSD slot, Bluetooth 4.0 functionality, and a microHDMI port, and you’ve got a tablet worth getting excited about.

The screen on the 10-inch tablet looks absolutely great, and if you’ve seen the display on the Nexus 10 in person, then you should have a relatively good idea of what to expect. The only downside is that 7-inch tablets seem to have spoiled me and 10-inch tablets now feel weird to hold. That’s more likely a personal hang up than a negative mark against Vizio, but in any case, this tablet certainly isn’t without heft. What’s more, swiping through screens on the tablet seemed very smooth, and there were only a few dropped frames that I noticed during HD video playback. There’s no word on when this bad boy will launch, but expect to be waiting awhile considering that Vizio wants to put a Tegra 4 in it.

All in all, I was pretty impressed by what I saw from Vizio. These tablets may not being anything incredibly new, but they’re still both solid pieces of equipment. Now we wait for release dates to be announced, which could be some time away in the case of the 10-inch tablet. Vizio’s 7-incher is scheduled for launch sometime in the first half of 2013, so we’ll have to see if Vizio can stick with that launch window. Be sure to check out our CES hub for all you need to know from the show!

This system is similar, though not the same, as the NVIDIA TegraZone for Windows RT. One of the big differences here is that the TegraZone works with games that have been optimized for the Tegra 3 (and Tegra 4) processor, the Microsoft PLAY environment is specified for Windows 8 and Windows RT. So crossover games are possible, but we’re talking about different things entirely as far as how the games are being marketed.

The games you’re going to be able to access today in the Microsoft PLAY environment number to 15, this providing a modest offering for the initial launch, including titles that’ll keep your eyes peeled for more in the future. These titles are all being tagged with Microsoft Studios in this case, this meaning they’re good enough for that seal of approval, likely to be appearing in stores as the demonstration-level quality they want all Windows 8 and Windows RT machines to be up at in the wild.

• Skulls of the Shogun
• Gunstringer: Dead Man Running
• ilomilo+
• Wordament
• Toy Soldiers – Cold War: Touch Edition
• Taptiles
• Rocket Riot 3D
• Reckless Racing
• Pinball FX
• Microsoft Minesweeper
• Microsoft Solitaire Collection
• Microsoft Mahjong
• Hydro Thunder : Hurricane
• Adera
• 4 Elements II

You’ll be able to find these games on the Windows Store right this minute, and many more games are on the way. What we’re hoping for in the future is more than these arcade-style games – full-fledged Xbox 360 (or 720 by the time we see them) games ported over or made optimized at the moment they’re ready for the gaming console, available everywhere. Of course that might not be Microsoft’s game, but NVIDIA’s. We shall see!

[via OXM]

NVIDIA Tegra 4

The NVIDIA Tegra 4 System-on-Chip with five ARM Cortex A15 cores – four of them with 1.9GHz max clock speed, a fifth synthesized to work at lower power. The technology working around this fifth Companion core is similar to the Tegra 3, and for the lay person, it may as well be presented as the same due to how similar it really is. The fifth core is not visible to the operating system you’re using (be it Android, Windows, or something else), acting as more of a “Shadow Core” or a “Ninja” as we’ve been apt to call it, just as it was with Tegra 3.

Above you’re going to see a rundown of what Tegra 4 is, how it compares to Tegra 3, and what the future holds for mobile processing. The talk you’re seeing above is with NVIDIA Technical Marketing Director Nick Stam who presented us more of a detailed look at the Tegra 4 and what it means for mobile devices in 2013 (and beyond.)

For those of you that want to get rather technical with it all, you’ll be interested in knowing that the die size here in this new model is 80mm^2, ever so slightly larger than Tegra 3, but a whole lot denser as well. The cores you’re seeing here work on 28nm HPL, that being 28nm low power with high-k plus metal gates. What that basically means here is that you’re going to get one extremely optimized experience, made for high performance and low power consumption – as every great processor should.

The Tegra 4 processor will be working with “Always-On” HDR camera technology as well. You’ll find a rather interesting set of details in our initial reveal post, and we’ll be seeing this technology in-person sooner than later. It’s then that we’ll be seeing what it really means to be able to instantly take a shot with multiple exposures at once!

NVIDIA Icera i500 Soft Modem with 4G LTE

The NVIDIA Icera i500 Soft Modem is what the company describes as 40% smaller than a conventional die – this referring to other modems they’ve worked with from companies other than themselves, of course. The Icera i500 will work with Soft Modem technology, starting with UE Category 3 LTE (100 Mbps downlink on 20 MHz FDD-LTE) and moving forward to UE Category 4 LTE in the very near future. VoLTE is supported with other voice mode technologies, and the modem will be paired with a new never before seen transceiver built on 65nm LP CMOS.

The NVIDIA Icera i500 Soft Modem is built on TSMC’s 28nm high performance High-K Metal Gate process, and the company is able to power gate each of its cores individually. Depending on the needs of each device’s software package, each of the NVIDIA Icera i500′s 8 cores can be used or not used, gating based on changing load conditions.

Following Tegra 4

Those of you getting pumped up about Tegra 4 and NVIDIA’s full 2013 experience, you’ll have a fabulous time hitting up our massive Tegra Hub. There you’ll find not just your everyday NVIDIA Tegra mobile processor news, but featured hands-on articles, must-read up-to-the-minute updates, and reviews of Tegra-toting devices of all kinds.

Right this minute you’ll find several stories on the first device to have been revealed working with the Tegra 4 processor: NIVIDA’s own Project SHIELD. You’ll find plenty of awesome Project SHIELD action in the immediate future and up with its final name some time in Q2 of this year. Also have a peek in the timeline below to see the first important detail articles to have come down the line here in the first week since Tegra 4 was first revealed – Project SHIELD included!

When we were introduced to Project SHIELD at NVIDIA’s press conference during CES, the company’s CEO Jen-Hsun Huang prefaced the situation with assurances on the future: “Next-generation gamers play literally on whatever they can, whenever they can. Just like we enjoy movies on multiple screens, just like we listen to music on multiple devices.” Though the delivery couldn’t have been as powerful as the initial reveal of the iPod, a revolutionary device for the music industry (referenced in the conference earlier as such), NVIDIA intended and intends to push Project SHIELD as a revolutionary device for the gaming industry.

We had a chat with Nick Stam, Technical Marketing Director for NVIDIA (as you’ll see above), in which we were told that not only is Project SHIELD a real project, but it’ll be coming to the market in the second quarter of 2013 as an NVIDIA-branded piece of equipment. Though the idea of creating a bridge between large hardware (PC and console) and small hardware (mobile) gaming may be more significant than the actual SHIELD device, the device is being prepared for a real release.

“What you’re seeing here is a Beta version that we’re showing at CES – and there may be some modifications to the physical design elements, some of the software elements, but our plan is to ship this Project SHIELD under an official marketing name in Q2. That’s our plan: in Q2 2013 in retail. So in retail and e-tail, with an NVIDIA name.” – Stam

NVIDIA has appeared in the news essentially the same amount of times for its mobile processor business as it has for its high-powered computing components over the past year. As we see them tie the two together with SHIELD as well as NVIDIA GRID for cloud-based gaming companies and NVIDIA GeForce Experience for high-powered gaming optimization, the circle can be made complete. With the continuation of NVIDIA’s rather successful GeForce GPU lineup and the new Tegra 4 mobile processor (also just revealed this past week) as well, NVIDIA has created a new ecosystem for themselves.

You’ll need GeForce GPU power to stream games from your PC to your Project SHIELD device, and though any number of games will work on the device from the Google Play market for Android, NVIDIA’s Tegra Zone will surely be the place where you’ll find the best of the best, optimized for the Tegra 4 processor you’ve got under the hood, made perfect for the physical controls you’ve got in front of you.

It’s difficult to say how much of an impact this device will have in and of itself as far as sales go – certainly not until we see the price, at least. The confidence with which NVIDIA presents this device as a knot that ties together its two major product lines – PC and mobile – that’s what will have the biggest effect on their future. No other company made such a unique product ecosystem presentation at CES 2013.

We were there reporting on it live as it all unfolded before our eyes, but if you’d like to experience the whole thing for yourself, then you’ll be pleased to know that fine folks at NVIDIA have popped it up online for everyone to watch. If you’re a fan of NVIDIA or even gaming in general, this might be a good press conference to check out, as NVIDIA has a lot of cool things coming down the the pipeline. Of course, you’re bound to see a stumble or two during the conference as well, so there’s another reason for you to watch.

NVIDIA has put the entire press conference up on Twitch.tv, so head over there if you’d like to give it a watch. At one hour and 48 minutes long, though, it’s certainly one of the more lengthy conferences we’ve seen here at CES, so you might want to make some popcorn or put on your comfy pants before firing this one up. At any rate, get ready to watch a number of very exciting announcements.

We’ll hopefully be getting our hands on some of these new NVIDIA products and services really soon, at which time we’ll be able to better judge the claims NVIDIA made throughout its press conference. We’ll be able to take a much more in-depth look later on, but for now, be sure to have a look at our hands-on with the Project SHIELD to see some early impressions. All of news from the show can also be found at our CES portal, so stop by there while you’re at it!

As we spoke about in the initial announcement last night, NVIDIA intends this device to be not only a key device for accessing their NVIDIA Tegra Zone for Android, but to stream games from GeForce GPU-toting PCs as well. NVIDIA assured us today that until the data connectivity ecosystem is strong enough here in the USA, this machine will be streaming games from PCs only over a local area network. That said, it certainly can roll out with undeniable power completely wirelessly – over wi-fi, that is.

It was also made clear to us that developments still may be made before the final product would be launched – both in its software and its hardware. At the moment it’s clear that NVIDIA has the structure ready for prime time, there’s simply a few kinks to iron out as far as which situation requires what action: certainly forgivable given the fact that they’ve targeted Q2 of 2013 for the release – that being still relatively far off and plenty of time for software bug fixes.

The hardware, on the other hand, is extremely close to being complete. While there could be changes to the level of hardness with which the buttons need to be pressed as well as the materials that the casing will be made of, this beast is essentially ready for action. One important point of order for controller aficionados: the now-hard-plastic surrounding the left, right and front of the machine will likely be replaced by a softer plastic in the future – so says NVIDIA. Grippier plastic for a more controlled action experience.

The speakers on this machine are immense in their ability to blast your ears off. I was personally unable to play a game without turning the sound down somewhat – it can get too loud. That’s not to say that the sound is bad – not at all – in fact the sound is both full and deep, ready to be used on its own without a doubt. Another point of order: while most built-in speakers on devices like these working with heavy bass have a bit of a problem rumbling around on a flat surface, this machine’s audio system is set in a way that keeps it still. High fidelity and a controlled experience, top to bottom.

We saw the game HAWKEN in its newest state: Android-based and as high powered as we’ve seen it played on the PC. It seems every bit as immense here on this 5-inch 720p display as it does on the big screen, and from what we’ve experienced, this Android version is going to turn the mobile gaming world on its ear – in the mech universe, at least.

We also saw some awesome PC-streamed gaming with Call of Duty: Black Ops II from a GeForce-packing PC in the same room with this machine’s 802.11n 2×2 MIMO “game-speed” Wi-Fi. From what we’ve seen, game streaming from a GeForce-powered PC to Project SHIELD works flawlessly. Once you’re in-game, that is. By the time this device is released, we’re expecting an undeniably smooth experience start to finish.

Have a peek at the photos and videos above and below and let us know what you think about the device and the future ecosystem NVIDIA is building around it. Also be sure to tune in to our Tegra hub for all the NVIDIA action you can handle through the future!

BONUS: Hit the gallery below for larger versions of all of the photos above. Get up close and personal with this lovely new piece of hardware!

At its heart is Tegra 4, the freshly-announced fourth-gen chipset which NVIDIA expects to dominate Android phones and tablets in the coming months. In a head-to-head test on-stage yesterday, NVIDIA showed how Tegra 4 could load 25 unique, full websites in 27 seconds, versus the Exynos-powered quadcore Nexus 10 which took 50 seconds to do the same.

That’s thanks to 72 GPU cores and four A15 CPU cores, along with NVIDIA’s work on pulling all those engines together to squeeze the best out of the chipset. Tegra 4 also includes some potent real-time image processing, which could make for interesting augmented reality type games when Project SHIELD is out in the wild.

Where Project SHIELD gets interesting – and maybe shaky – is in remote play. Rather than solely relying on Android games, the handheld can wirelessly stream games from your PC or notebook. That requires a specific set of hardware components, however, most notably an Intel Core i5 or above processor, and one of NVIDIA’s beefier GeForce graphics chips.

However, there’s also support for NVIDIA GRID, for cloud gaming. The chip company didn’t say whether that will entirely free up gamers from having to leave their PC on permanently, on the off-chance they might want to play a game; instead, it focused on the STEAM integration and positioned GRID as more of a conduit between the various components of the Project SHIELD system.

Unfortunately, in many ways there are still more questions than there are answers about Project SHIELD. NVIDIA says the console is expected to launch in Q2 this year, though there’s no telling whether that ship date will slip, and the name is set to change before it arrives on shelves. Biggest question, however, is price: NVIDIA conspicuously gave no indication of how much the pocket powerhouse would cost.

If the company can bring it in within the 3DS and PS Vita bracket – under $320, the same price a PS Vita with 3G goes for – then it could well find some buyers. However, the requirement for a decent-spec gaming PC or notebook for the remote play functionality means players may have to set aside some extra cash for upgrading or replacing their home rig. That might start to get expensive, especially compared to the bundle deals around on mainstream consoles like the PS3 and Xbox 360.

We’ll have more coverage – including some hands-on time – with NVIDIA Project SHIELD during the show, so keep an eye on the SlashGear CES Hub for all the news!

That’s set to change by the time launch comes around, however, just as OS is likely to. Currently, Jelly Bean is running on the new chip, but NVIDIA says it’s aiming to keep up to date with whatever version of Android Google has whipped up at the time.

As for the release itself, the name is likely to change before there’s any sign of the console on store shelves. Exactly what to is, unsurprisingly, something NVIDIA either doesn’t know or isn’t talking about here at CES, but it’ll be the US and Canada which gets to plunk down an unspecified amount of cash first.

Meanwhile, if you’re keen to see if your PC is up to speed with the necessary specifications for remote gaming with Project SHIELD, you can check the system here. In short, you’ll need a Core i5 processor or higher, and either an NVIDIA Kepler-based GeForce GTX 650 or above on your desktop, or a GTX 660M or above on your notebook.

This means, if it wasn’t plain before, that you’ll be able to play games you own on STEAM with your NVIDIA Project SHIELD device no matter where you are – not just at home, not just in a place where you can bust out your laptop. The fabulous graphics and gameplay shown in the NVIDIA presentation were not just shown on the Project SHIELD device itself, it was pushed to an LG 4K television as well.

The Google Play app store curated by the NVIDIA Tegra Zone and the STEAM store from Valve will play host to the NVIDIA Project SHIELD device. Because this machine goes by the name “project” SHEILD, we’re not expecting to see it tonight – but later this week? We shall see!

Have a peek at the rest of the action as presented by NVIDIA through our very own Tegra hub through the week and through the future, and don’t forget to stick to the SlashGear CES portal as well – hands-on and up to the minute updates galore!

The world’s first custom-based reflex system lives inside this device, this understanding and knowing when you set the device down so it can stop rumbling around, and right on par with a dedicated Jambox – so sayeth Huang. This machine works with Android and is able to “drop back into Android” at a press of the SHIELD button right up front and center.

UPDATE: Have a peek at the construction video we’ve described right here front and center – and experience one of the more impressive looking reveal reels we’ve seen in recent history:

This amalgamation of gaming magic works with a 5-inch 1080p touchscreen display and has mini HDMI out, micro-USB, and a headphone jack for good measure – not to mention a microSD card slot. The whole system has one giant customizable tag on its back (or on top if you close the lid) – this being another “SHEILD” that, when this beast comes to fruition, you know good and well we’ll be blasting with SlashGear and Android Community marks galore.

Project SHIELD is set up to work with Android, so you’ll be working with Android games, of course, but it’s also connected to the cloud – so you’re able to play games with the same prowess we’ve seen made possible with NVIDIA GRID. Have a peek at more information on NVIDIA GRID from earlier today (if you’ve not already) in the timeline below and make sure you stick close to SlashGear for more on this device and the ecosystem that surrounds it all week long and into the future through our NVIDIA Tegra portal!

A demonstration was done with an unnamed tablet onstage with a bright window behind a bar, a photograph taken of NVIDIA’s CEO and a lady. This photo, with most traditional cameras, would be blown out in one way or another without a doubt. What NVIDIA was able to do was not only take an image with exposures mixed to create a balanced image, they were able to do it instantly, right there on the spot. Additionally, it was shown onstage live, with a sliding screen showing a preview of what would be photographed with ease.

This is what NVIDIA calls the first “Always-On” HDR Camera. They’ve made to clear that this process will work for all apps – anything working with a Tegra 4 processor. Much in the same way that music changed for the better, became much more high definition with each new generation of transmission technology, NVIDIA makes the case that this technology will change photos.

Stick around all week right here on SlashGear in our NVIDIA Tegra hub as well as our CES portal for more NVIDIA action than you know what to do with!

This processor loaded 25 unique, high traffic sites in 27 seconds while the Nexus 10 loaded the same in 50 seconds. That simple test means one thing, said Huang, is that if you’re loading a webpage with the NVIDIA Tegra 4, you’ll get it “in one second”, while when you’re working with the current most powerful tablet on the planet (the Nexus 10, so they say), you’ll get it “in two seconds.”

In a comparison chart onstage, Huang showed the Tegra 4 as fastest, the iPad 4 as right behind it (though slightly slower, of course), the Nexus 10 coming in next, Droid DNA after that, and the Kindle Fire HD down at the bottom of the pack. Though we’ll be investigating these claims in the very near future, it’s fairly plain at the moment that NVIDIA’s architecture here is the most powerful solution for mobile devices on the planet.

Stay tuned as we continue to transmit all the details straight from CES 2013 through our massive CES portal all week long!