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Using The Shield Gamepad Mapper

Nvidia's Shield Revisited: Console Mode, Streaming, And More
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I stumbled upon the Shield Game Mapper UI by accident, and found it so intuitive that I became productive with the software very quickly. To launch it, simply press and hold the console's Play button, located on the upper-right corner relative to Nvidia's logo button.

The interface centers on a bar of controls. From the left, the first three icons represent the left analog stick, right analog stick, and button gizmos. Simply drag them onto the interface as desired. Once placed, the button gizmo allows you to set the button you wish to activate. Analog stick gizmos can be sized as needed.

The next two items on the menu bar are the pointer and gesture gizmos. The pointer can be used to assign mouse cursor functionality to one of the analog sticks, while the gesture gizmo can be used to program simple or complex finger trace patterns to a single button.

The final two menu bar items are the eraser, which is used to delete gizmos, and the search mapper server button, used to check for existing game profiles that Nvidia (or other users) might have recently created and made available.

Finally, there's a page indicator and page/info menu on the top of the menu bar. From there you can create separate pages of alternate UI settings for the same game, which may come in useful for changing display orientations in different parts of a game (like navigating an inventory screen, for example). There's also a share button you can use to send your map elsewhere via email or upload to the cloud.


Button placements and gestures work like a charm, and we were able to get both Ravensword 2 and Galaxy On Fire 2 HD functioning with Nvidia's mapper. Unfortunately, there are still a few quirks that keep this new feature from delivering an ideal result.

The first problem is that the Shield Game Mapper desperately needs an alternate analog control stick option to emulate aiming in first-person shooters. Instead of emulating a finger's movement 1:1 on the screen, it would simulate a continuous, looping swipe at a speed that depends on how far the analog stick is pushed. If you find this suggestion difficult to understand, it might make more sense after a look at the animated GIF below:

As you can see, the right analog stick is constrained within a boundary, and the only way to fool it into doing what we need is slowly moving it away from the center and snapping it back into place before the game registers this. The solution isn't ideal, but it's playable (and worlds better than the state of affairs before the Game Mapper was available).

The second problem we encountered was specific to Galaxy On Fire 2, and had to do with the analog stick's precision, or perhaps the precision of the game's virtual analog stick detection.

For whatever reason, there's a noticeable disconnect between subtle movements on the analog stick versus what the game sees, and the result is often plain unresponsiveness. I tried changing the size of the analog stick gizmo to see if it would fix my issue, but it didn't. Unfortunately, in a game like this one, where precision aiming is key, this makes the analog stick unplayable. We can still map buttons to the controller and use the accelerometer input option to steer the ship, but that only sidesteps the issue.

Despite those couple of issues, our initial experience with Nvidia's Gamepad Mapper is quite positive, and after talking to Nvidia's team, we're hoping the company can tweak its software to deliver an ideal result. Of course, there will always be games that absolutely require touchscreen functionality (such as Fruit Ninja), but the Gamepad Mapper effectively services the Android gamers who want physical controls in titles that don't currently support them.

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  • -5 Hide
    Jordan Nwokolo , October 28, 2013 7:34 AM
    This is The Real Next Gen Gaming System..Stream,Cloud and A.R.S.E(Android Revolutionary System Entertaiment) Based Console,No Doubt about it !!
  • 0 Hide
    rwinches , October 28, 2013 8:07 AM
    Here is some competition just in case, you know, you happen to own a smartphone or Tab.
    http://www.phonearena.com/news/10-game-controllers-for-smartphones-and-tablets_id39901#10-iControlPad-2

    And, with Miracast you can send 1080 to your TV too.
  • -2 Hide
    Peacelol , October 28, 2013 8:27 AM
    Where exactly are these reduced prices linked from? As of 0800 Pacific I don't see any reduction in pricing from any of the major retailers. All I've seen are updates regarding the holiday game bundle deal.
  • -1 Hide
    damianrobertjones , October 28, 2013 8:35 AM
    Still won't buy it as I'd then have yet another device.

    Hey Tom's hardware... Microsoft, one of the biggest companies in the world, recently released a Surface 2 and Surface 2 Pro... No article?
  • 1 Hide
    cangelini , October 28, 2013 8:37 AM
    @ Peacelol: The prices will be in effect starting tomorrow morning
    @ damian: We have one and are in the process of reviewing it!
  • 0 Hide
    Peacelol , October 28, 2013 8:50 AM
    Thank you Cangelini
  • 0 Hide
    Zachasaurs , October 28, 2013 10:01 AM
    i love these bundles im getting a 760 withing the week
  • 0 Hide
    rwinches , October 28, 2013 11:01 AM
    Price Drop For Nvidia!!!!
    http://www.tomshardware.com/news/nvidia-gtx-780-price-drop,24886.html
  • 0 Hide
    funtasticguy , October 28, 2013 11:02 AM
    I have a question. Does the mapping software work when you're in "console" mode and using a Bluetooth controller?
  • 0 Hide
    BranFlake5 , October 28, 2013 4:28 PM
    Good to see Nvidia really working on the Shield. It has potential.
  • 0 Hide
    SWEETMUSK , October 28, 2013 4:37 PM
    OMG the new shoadowplay is so awesome!use more less energy then fraps!!!
  • 0 Hide
    bigcyco1 , October 28, 2013 5:17 PM
    Thanks for the review.
  • 0 Hide
    whyso , October 28, 2013 9:49 PM
    Are you using a 4170 on the titan system? How about testing on a less CPU bound platform.
  • 0 Hide
    gopher1369 , October 29, 2013 6:09 AM
    "Personally, I have very little interest in GameStream, if only because I'd never pick a gamepad and 5" screen over a mouse, keyboard, and full-sized monitor if I was in Wi-Fi range of my PC."

    Try using a mouse, keyboard and full sized monitor whilst on the loo, in the bath or in bed, for example.

    Try gaming when your wife is using your HTPC to watch Eastenders on iPlayer and your daughter is using your desktop to stream Dora the Explorer on Netflix.

    In short: I love my 3DS and would also absolutely love Shield, if it was about £100 cheaper.
  • 0 Hide
    awesomedude911 , October 29, 2013 8:42 PM
    Sony and Nintendo make bad portables with small amount of good games. Glad Nvidia has come to the rescue!
  • 1 Hide
    xbins00 , October 29, 2013 10:40 PM
    Thats depressing...I paid 400 for a 770 in the middle of august and only got splinter cell. If i waited I could have had three games and 100 off a shield while saving 70 bucks on my card.
  • 1 Hide
    cleeve , October 30, 2013 6:26 AM
    Quote:
    "Try using a mouse, keyboard and full sized monitor whilst on the loo, in the bath or in bed, for example.

    Try gaming when your wife is using your HTPC to watch Eastenders on iPlayer and your daughter is using your desktop to stream Dora the Explorer on Netflix.

    In short: I love my 3DS and would also absolutely love Shield, if it was about £100 cheaper.


    Try playing Android games on Shield if you need portability instead of a half-assed and frustrating PC-ish experience without a mouse and keyboard.

    You miss my point. I'm not saying there's no place for a portable console. I'm saying I'd rather play Android, or 3DS instead of futzing around with the limitations of gamestreaming from a PC.

    Speaking of which: streaming Dora from Netflix... GameStream doesn't work with that. The PC has to be dedicated to the task of gaming.

  • 0 Hide
    gopher1369 , October 30, 2013 7:28 AM
    Hello Cleeve, thanks for replying.


    Quote:

    You miss my point. I'm not saying there's no place for a portable console. I'm saying I'd rather play Android, or 3DS instead of futzing around with the limitations of gamestreaming from a PC.


    You're right, I misunderstood you. I thought you were talking about handheld gaming in general. Apologies.


    Quote:
    Try playing Android games on Shield if you need portability instead of a half-assed and frustrating PC-ish experience without a mouse and keyboard.


    I play most of my games with a 360 controller! Currently playing Darksiders (thanks Humble Bundle). Deadly Premonition and Enslaved have just been released on Steam so they will be my next 2 games. I can't imagine using a KB and mouse for any of them. Does Shield work well for these kinds of games?
  • 1 Hide
    cleeve , October 30, 2013 8:05 AM
    Quote:

    I play most of my games with a 360 controller! Currently playing Darksiders (thanks Humble Bundle). Deadly Premonition and Enslaved have just been released on Steam so they will be my next 2 games. I can't imagine using a KB and mouse for any of them. Does Shield work well for these kinds of games?


    Yes, absolutely. If it's a game that uses a 360 controller, it's an ideal Shield candidate. In some cases there are still limitations, you may have to launch with your PC, but if you control it with a game controller exclusively, it's ideal.

    Different strokes for different folks. Granted, my opinion is subjective, hence the word "personally" in my quote. Others may feel differently. But As a PC gamer who prefers a mouse/keyboard combo even for console ports, and only uses a gamepad for racing titles, I will always choose the PC for PC games, and mobile games for a mobile platform *when I'm at home*.

    Should the day come when Nvidia has a cloud-streaming service that works over, say, an LTE connection from my smartphone... well, that'd be a different story altogether. If I'm out of the house, and I don't have direct access to my PC, I may appreciate the Shield's gamestream capabilities more.
  • 0 Hide
    navas22 , November 21, 2013 3:47 AM
    Since it takes at least a GTX650 to enjoy the stream function, I understand better why they come to renew their offer by including a discount for buying a Shield.

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