List of Problems with the Shield Tablet

[Gumba]

So I made this list on Nvidia's forum last night before I went to bed and it appears Nvidia took it down. Here's my second attempt at notifying the public what the most common issues are with this Tablet.

 

1. Wifi Connectivity - Poor Range, 20ft or less, Also dependent on Tablet Orientation, Can block signal easily if hand is positioned over the Wifi card.  

2. Remote Streaming - Doesn't work unless using an Ethernet Adapter. Wifi signal too week to stream

3. Cracks Edges on Case - Hairline cracks in all 4 corners of device. Case creaking and splitting. 

4. Poor Battery Life - 2 to 3 hours max when gaming. 

5. Bluetooth Controller Connectivity - Interference with 2.4GHz signal and inability to connect to certain devices. 

6. 1080 Streaming - Only works when Streaming at home using a dual band router, or remotely using an Ethernet adapter.  

7. OTG USB Charging and Ethernet Adapter - Not able to use a USB splitter for both the Ethernet Adapter and Charging at the same time. 

8. No Virtual Controls - No Onscreen control option to play games using touch, requires you to purchase controller to play any games. 

9. Mushy Power Button and Volume Rocker - Self Explanatory, less than ideal buttons on side of device. 

[Guest]

10. Android

[Askew]

10. Android

 

prepare your anus

 

 

 

@Gumba make a youtube video about it

[Crimluck]

Damn, and here I really wanted to purchase that tablet... seems like it's gonna be iPad Air sadly There are simply no great tablets when it comes to Android

[Frix]

10. Android

[Gumba]

Damn, and here I really wanted to purchase that tablet... seems like it's gonna be iPad Air sadly There are simply no great tablets when it comes to Android

I also own an iPad Air. Love it, but when it comes to PC Streaming you're out of luck. 

[Crimluck]

Well, actually, my main reason that I wanted the Nvidia Shield Tablet was to use it purely as a tablet, the fact that it had Keppler based cpu/gpu and the possibility for fluid "light" Android gaming (got Note 3, while playing Real Racing 3 it always lags a little at the first corner of a race) and other than that I just wanted a fast tablet for anything, the root-ability wise/jailbreak, I've got no problem as I consider myself somewhat knowledgable in that area. I was prepared to give up the alluminium chassis of the iPad Air for the Nvidia Tablet, but after hearing these sad news(cracked edges???)? 2-3 hours when gaming? Interference and weak WiFi? Srsly? Other features like game streaming and USB port I was taking as a nice bonus...

[deppman]

So I made this list on Nvidia's forum last night before I went to bed and it appears Nvidia took it down. Here's my second attempt at notifying the public what the most common issues are with this Tablet.

...

This is a list of problems some people are having some of the time due to their environment or a defective unit. I am not apologizing, but here are some explanations and solutions for each noted issue:

1. Wifi Connectivity - Poor Range, 20ft or less, Also dependent on Tablet Orientation, Can block signal easily if hand is positioned over the Wifi card.

This is the nature of 5G WiFi. I have the same issue on multiple devices. Switch to regular wifi, and the problem goes away. Also, a better router helps. Even florescent lights can affect the signal iirc.

2. Remote Streaming - Doesn't work unless using an Ethernet Adapter. Wifi signal too week to stream

See (1).

3. Cracks Edges on Case - Hairline cracks in all 4 corners of device. Case creaking and splitting.

Obvious mfg defect. Return it for a replacement.

4. Poor Battery Life - 2 to 3 hours max when gaming.

Only for the most demanding titles with uncapped frame rates - doing things no other tablet can. However, if you cap the frame rate, you will see 4-6 hours. See http://www.anandtech.com/show/8329/revisiting-shield-tablet-gaming-ux-and-battery-life

5. Bluetooth Controller Connectivity - Interference with 2.4GHz signal and inability to connect to certain devices.

Only affects those with certain 3rd party controllers. By all accounts the shield controller works great.

6. 1080 Streaming - Only works when Streaming at home using a dual band router, or remotely using an Ethernet adapter.

See (1)

7. OTG USB Charging and Ethernet Adapter - Not able to use a USB splitter for both the Ethernet Adapter and Charging at the same time.

8. No Virtual Controls - No Onscreen control option to play games using touch, requires you to purchase controller to play any games.

9. Mushy Power Button and Volume Rocker - Self Explanatory, less than ideal buttons on side of device.

All nice to have, but not defects. Outside of the mushy buttons, I don't think other products provide anything better - and many are certainly worse (for example no OTG at all). NV might improve some of this in the future with mfg changes or software updates.

So I guess my point is calm down gang. I'm still buying the 32GB/LTE model over the iPad mini (I originally wrote this for an online comment) for the following reasons:

1. Mediocre iPad Mini performance VS a tablet that beats in almost all benchmarks (see: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1251?vs=1298)

2. To cup a hand around the back of the iPad Mini to hear weak, lousy sound for media consumption VS front facing speakers with dual bass resonance ports and broad frequency response?

3. No stylus system at all VS a highly responsive and accurate stylus input system (some say the best in the market)?

4. A SoC that throttles to 70% performance after a few minutes VS one that runs for hours with no drop in performance?

5. No memory expansion options VS an SD card slot where we can triple storage for ~$45?

6. The iOS walled-garden VS a comparable ecosystem without the same level of lock-in and better key apps (Gmail, Maps, etc)?

7. And if we want to game, iPad Mini performance, VS a tablet that can perform up to 3x better at peak, or 1.5x while providing better battery life and no throttling at the same time? (See: http://www.anandtech.com/show/8329/revisiting-shield-tablet-gaming-ux-and-battery-life) And do we want Apples OGL ES 3.0 or OGL ES 3.1/OGL 4.4 and CUDA?

8. Pay $629 for an iPad Mini 32GB/LTE VS $399 for the Shield tablet 32GB/LTE.

People use tablets to watch videos, web browse, communicate, play games, and run productivity applications. The Shield is the better choice in at least 4/5 of those categories. And for most people (those not locked into Apple) it's 5/5.

Objectively the Shield a better general purpose tablet. The reviewer at Anand said he never considered a non-Windows tablet before the Shield. He didn't say that about any iOS device.

[Crimluck]

Damn, @deppman... You totally changed my view on this tablet... the thing with 5G Wi-Fi, it was so obvious but at the spur of the moment I forgot -_-" Even Linus said that many times in his videos the problems with Nvidia Shield "Portable"... thanks for opening my eyes

[deppman]

Thanks Crimlck! Sometimes posting like this takes some time. I'm glad you appreciate it.

I'm curious to see how the Nexus 9 stacks up with the 64 bit K1. But right now this looks like the best general purpose tablet on the market, especially with its reasonable cost. I look forward to playing GT racing 2 at a consistent 30 fps!

[connorpiper]

Damn, and here I really wanted to purchase that tablet... seems like it's gonna be iPad Air sadly There are simply no great tablets when it comes to Android

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S, Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro, Nexus line, Sony Tablet Z2.

 

What!?

 

[Crimluck]

Samsung Galaxy Tab S, Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro, Nexus line, Sony Tablet Z2.

 

What!?

 

Sony_Xperia_Tablet_Z2_4.png

 

Wait what? Z2 tablet???

[GlassBomb]

I'm sorry that the Shield Tabled isn't made by Voodoo magic and powered by unicorn blood

[Warcony]

I've had no problems with my tablet so far. Battery life has been great, aside from playing heavy games on it which WILL suck battery on anything. Build quality of my unit is excellent, certainly no cracks and no flex. One of the most solid devices I've ever used. In terms of wifi signals, I have noticed it's a bit on the weak side with the 5ghz networks but otherwise pretty good. Maybe you got a defective unit?

[SnowGhost1212]

Well, actually, my main reason that I wanted the Nvidia Shield Tablet was to use it purely as a tablet, the fact that it had Keppler based cpu/gpu and the possibility for fluid "light" Android gaming (got Note 3, while playing Real Racing 3 it always lags a little at the first corner of a race) and other than that I just wanted a fast tablet for anything, the root-ability wise/jailbreak, I've got no problem as I consider myself somewhat knowledgable in that area. I was prepared to give up the alluminium chassis of the iPad Air for the Nvidia Tablet, but after hearing these sad news(cracked edges???)? 2-3 hours when gaming? Interference and weak WiFi? Srsly? Other features like game streaming and USB port I was taking as a nice bonus...

 

Tegra K1 will also be in Nexus 8, that should be good. Install Cyanogenmod 11 (or dont) and you're good to go.

[XTankSlayerX]

I have one and I have no issues with it...

[Aniallation]

Tegra K1 will also be in Nexus 8, that should be good. Install Cyanogenmod 11 (or dont) and you're good to go.

Nexus 8 = SHIELD Tablet - gamestream - stylus + 1GB more RAM 

[Aniallation]

 

So I made this list on Nvidia's forum last night before I went to bed and it appears Nvidia took it down. Here's my second attempt at notifying the public what the most common issues are with this Tablet.

 

1. Wifi Connectivity - Poor Range, 20ft or less, Also dependent on Tablet Orientation, Can block signal easily if hand is positioned over the Wifi card.  

2. Remote Streaming - Doesn't work unless using an Ethernet Adapter. Wifi signal too week to stream

3. Cracks Edges on Case - Hairline cracks in all 4 corners of device. Case creaking and splitting. 

4. Poor Battery Life - 2 to 3 hours max when gaming. 

5. Bluetooth Controller Connectivity - Interference with 2.4GHz signal and inability to connect to certain devices. 

6. 1080 Streaming - Only works when Streaming at home using a dual band router, or remotely using an Ethernet adapter.  

7. OTG USB Charging and Ethernet Adapter - Not able to use a USB splitter for both the Ethernet Adapter and Charging at the same time. 

8. No Virtual Controls - No Onscreen control option to play games using touch, requires you to purchase controller to play any games. 

9. Mushy Power Button and Volume Rocker - Self Explanatory, less than ideal buttons on side of device. 

 

1. Get a better router

2. Get a better router

3. Same thing on my HP Touchpad, who cares

4. What do you expect? You're gaming

5. Welcome to 2.4GHz

6. Get a better router

7. This happens with pretty much every single Android device (aside from generic chinese android tables with full size USB host ports)

8. They're not gonna spend the time to implement this when it sucks to play PC games with touchscreen controls -.-

9. This is not an iPad

[LinusTech]

 

So I made this list on Nvidia's forum last night before I went to bed and it appears Nvidia took it down. Here's my second attempt at notifying the public what the most common issues are with this Tablet.

 

1. Wifi Connectivity - Poor Range, 20ft or less, Also dependent on Tablet Orientation, Can block signal easily if hand is positioned over the Wifi card.  

2. Remote Streaming - Doesn't work unless using an Ethernet Adapter. Wifi signal too week to stream

3. Cracks Edges on Case - Hairline cracks in all 4 corners of device. Case creaking and splitting. 

4. Poor Battery Life - 2 to 3 hours max when gaming. 

5. Bluetooth Controller Connectivity - Interference with 2.4GHz signal and inability to connect to certain devices. 

6. 1080 Streaming - Only works when Streaming at home using a dual band router, or remotely using an Ethernet adapter.  

7. OTG USB Charging and Ethernet Adapter - Not able to use a USB splitter for both the Ethernet Adapter and Charging at the same time. 

8. No Virtual Controls - No Onscreen control option to play games using touch, requires you to purchase controller to play any games. 

9. Mushy Power Button and Volume Rocker - Self Explanatory, less than ideal buttons on side of device. 

 

 

 

1. Not my experience

2. Not my experience

3. I've heard of this. My understanding is they are RMAing affected units

4. I can't remember how long it ran, but it was longer than 3 hours in Trine 2 for me, and honestly I don't know why you'd want to game directly on the device anyway. It's all about gamestream imo.

5. The wifi direct controller works on 5GHz if 2.4GHz is congested. I validated this with my spectrum analyzer

6. 1080 streaming only works with a wired connection at all. Was never advertised to work wirelessly

7. I've done this with the SHIELD portable, but admittedly I haven't tried it on the tablet. I did see NVIDIA doing it at the press event though....

8. Yeah... Were you expecting a fully dual analog stick controller on screen? Why would you want to game like that anyway?

9. My power button isn't great either, but my volume rocker is good. It seemed like a minor thing and I didn't mention it during my review.

[SuperfastJellyfish]

3. Same thing on my HP Touchpad, who cares

Seriously? I am not ok with things I buy falling apart withing days/weeks of having them. This is a real issue.

[Aniallation]

Seriously? I am not ok with things I buy falling apart withing days/weeks of having them. This is a real issue.

The only device that this isn't going to happen with is a device without plastic, and HTC are the only guys that do that

[solarflare]

TBH i never really understood or liked the current gaming tablets even this shield tablet because of 1 reason. 

 

just like gaming on a phone the battery life is quite honestly terrible 4hrs at best and more like 1-2 hrs likely after using it for other things in the day. 

 

To me i feel it just doesnt make a lot of sense as a portable gaming unit nothing on the market really does right now though. 

 

until they come out with batteries that either Get massively more run time on them or more likely batteries that charge super fast and possibly wirelessly charge then it will continue to not be sensible imho. 

 

I'm hoping for a combination of the two really. Batteries that hold more charge and also charge really super fast and perhaps  wirelessly kind of like how they have the wireless bowl charger right now but something perhaps more convenient like the range of inside your car or at your office desk or anywhere you plug in the charger. 

 

that would make these little portable gaming devices much more useful. 

 

because for me I really hate doing 30min of gaming on say my phone or tablet and its dead or near dead in that time and i have to stop or miss calls for the rest of the day lol. 

 

I kind of liked the idea of the shield screen/controller in 1 because it housed a larger battery. but it wasn't nearly as use full as a full tablet was.

[Sadistic_Potato]

Well there's another person that has failed to properly criticize a product by falling into the trap of writing biased opinions. 

[Gumba]

So I actually returned the Shield Tablet and will make a post about it here shortly. And FYI those of you saying I needed a better router to get this to work, I have the Asus RT-N66U Dual Band router which should have been more than sufficient to get a reasonable signal with this device at more than 20 ft. 

 

 

[atle]

I bought the 32gb version one week ago now.

And I loved it until now, I only had one big issue with it battery life and charging.

 

This is what happened:

The battery was full when i went to bed the tablet being in sleep mode all the time.

The first thing I did when I woke up was looking at the tablet to watch some news post on myn clan site.

The battery only had 3% charge left when i turned it on.

 

So i plugged it in assuming I did something wrong.

But once plugged in I started some web browsing (not gaming) the battery kept on draining until he turned off.

So I give him a full charge that was taking way to long can't really put a time on it but it did not felt right.

But once fully charged again I was able to play on it for a few hours and also to do some web browsing.

The recharging is still very slow and still drains to much battery in sleep mode.

 

Now I did a factory reset on the device I hope that will help but I doubt it.

I didn't installed many apps on it but I must admit this is myn first android device ever and i also don't own a nice phone.

So it can be completely my own fault.

 

But next to the battery charging I don't really have any complain about it.

I did not tryed streaming from it or did not use gamestream because I don't own a nvidea gpu... for now

Running amd 7970 on a triple monitor setup. (waiting on 4k can convince me)