Why I returned my nvidia sheild

[sperkowsky]

Ok so this is just going to be a little talking about why i think the nvidia Sheild is a good concept but not well executed.

So I'm going to start off with the pros

1. It streams games with not so great cheap 2.4 5ghz router

2.the controller feels very comport able to hold even with very small hands.

3. The front sheild actually protected the thing which impressed me

4. It felt robust i would not feel that scared to give this to a kid it feels like it can take a hit

Now to the cons

First of all my first issue is the price 250 dollars is not a bad price for what it is however it doesn't function as a tablet(due to the ergonomics of it) so in my mind it doesn't really qualify for that price range unless they figure out a way to turn the screen around making it essentially an insanely heavy tablet.

Second issue is battery life. While playing games (not streaming) I went through my battery in 4 hours IMO an unacceptable amount of times for a device of its size.

Third issue is streaming isn't there yet software wise. I found game streaming to be glitchy and steam favoring(not saying I love orgin so much but many of my favorite games are on it) it claimed battlefield 3 and 4 worked on the sheild but it doesn't with battle log and such so I was a little disappointed in nvidia with essentially tricking me.

Fourth issue is weight. This thing is heavier then my monitor. If that says anything it is uncomphortable to hold after about 30 minutes and really is a major issue for what it is

Ok so I'm done with complaining about the thing now I'm going to say why I got rid of it.

I got it for Christmas because I noticed it was 50 dollars off and have a promo shirt(xlarge) and a mini hdmi cable. It seemed like something cool that I could play around with outside of my house(I thought you could stream games from different houses)

I got it and loved it played games like FIFA(games normally reserved for a controller) that felt nice with how the shield was layed out (controller was very solid)

But as soon as I repurchased an xbox for 100 dollars it quickly became obsolete. Due to the fact you could only use it at home if I wanted to use a controller in my bed I just used my xbox because of its cleaner experience and overall faster setup time. This made me not want to use my nvidia sheild unless I was playing the android games that supported controller(2 or 3 okay ones) it was not use for me. After I beat sonic it ultimately sat on a shelf until I was ready to go on a vacation. I decided to charge it the night before so I put it on the charger went to bed woke up and it didn't turn on tried the 30 second press nothing it then started smelling like it was burning. So I put it in its original box and off to newegg it went.

Side note not impressed with the newegg rma process took me 13 days to hear a response after it arrived at there facility.

Conclusion

I was thinking about returning it anyway and I hope this little review helps someone

[Paralectic]

It didn't appeal to me anyway but thanks for letting me know.

[dragosudeki]

Nice review or look at the Nvidia Shield. The shield always seemed odd to me. If your able to play PC games on a handheld within your home, I would think that you should play on the PC. I would prefer the 3DS/2DS over this in my honest opinion because of the exclusives on that D:. And with Steam In Home Gaming soon coming in, I feel like this device is no longer needed.

[Dmon]

I don't think the shield was ever really intended to be a massive success, more of a test for things to come.

[sperkowsky]

I don't think the shield was ever really intended to be a massive success, more of a test for things to come.

I do with all the promos and deals they set with it

[Musikman]

I find it interesting how you thought it felt to hold in terms of shape/form factor. I haven't hand a chance to get hands on with it yet but it doesn't look like it would be something that I would be comfortable with holding for several hours. Then again, that didn't stop me from playing hundreds of hours on my Gameboy..... 

[sperkowsky]

I find it interesting how you thought it felt to hold in terms of shape/form factor. I haven't hand a chance to get hands on with it yet but it doesn't look like it would be something that I would be comfortable with holding for several hours. Then again, that didn't stop me from playing hundreds of hours on my Gameboy.....

good point especially the game boy sp that was horrible. But yeah it's comphy for me but most people are probally different I have really small hands

[Scionyde]

Interesting to hear your thoughts. Yeah, it's definitely not a device for everybody. Still, like somebody else was saying, it was probably more of a proof of concept device they were trying to push, as well as bring some attention to the Tegra 4(which probably didn't pan out like they wanted). I think they know it's a niche device, so the deals/coupons might be a way of burning up stock before they try another iteration with the K1 to be released soon.

 

I like being able to sit in bed and game, but I already have an 'okay' gaming laptop, and a Nexus 7 if I want to do some light gaming away from home, so the Shield doesn't make much sense for me either. Still, if I was in a position where I couldn't really justify/afford the purchase of a gaming laptop, I think the Shield might be a decent purchase for me.