Nvidia updated its blog on Monday with a demonstration of Borderlands 2 streaming from a GeForce-powered PC to the Tegra 4-powered Project SHIELD handheld console.
The system was first introduced last month at CES 2013 in Las Vegas, appearing as an Xbox 360-like controller with a built-in 5-inch touchscreen (1280 x 720 resolution). Unlike OnLive and other streaming services, these PC games are streamed from the user's own compatible desktop or laptop, thus allowing local gameplay to be expanded to the bedroom or living room without having to move the base machine. Sony offers something similar with Remote Play.
"Project SHIELD will soon redefine what it means to be AFK with its ability to stream your high-end PC games straight to our Android-powered mobile gaming device," said Nvidia's Will Park. "Now you can continue playing your game from the comfort of your couch or, well, anywhere else you might find yourself sitting in your house."
For the demo, Park used a Falcon Tiki PC running a GeForce GTX 680 graphics card, allowing him to run the game with the graphics settings cranked all the way up. The level demoed on Project SHIELD was "Badass Crater of Badassitude" from the PC version of Borderlands 2. Based on the video demo, the game streamed without any lag or framerate drops on the 5-inch screen.
"Booting up your Tegra 4-powered Project SHIELD is as simple as turning on a smartphone or tablet," Park said. "Streaming a PC game is just as easy: fire up the SHIELD Android app and tap a few buttons. Within a matter of seconds you’ll be back in the action with all the graphical bells and whistles you’re used to on your PC."
This video is the first of many in Nvidia's new "PC Mondays" weekly series. In this episode, the camera is placed behind his shoulder so that you can see both the handheld's screen and the PC's monitor simultaneously. He shows how easy it is to load up Borderlands 2: simply connect to the PC, log onto Steam (Big Picture mode at that), then go into the library and load up the shooter. Obviously the best PC games to play on Project SHIELD are the ones that come with gamepad support.
Once Park loaded up the game, you can clearly see Borderlands 2 running simultaneously on both Project SHIELD and the PC's screen. He said the game was running 60fps even on the handheld thanks to the Tegra 4 SoC. Note the game is streaming at a high framerate using only a single GeForce GTX 680 card – a Kepler-based GeForce GTX 650 or higher GPU is required.
To see the demo, check out the video below. Project SHIELD, which will be powered by Google's Android 4.2.1 "Jelly Bean" OS (meaning Tegra-enhanced games galore), is slated to launch in Q2 2013. PC gamers packing an AMD Radeon GPU need to look elsewhere – unless you want it just as a portable Android gaming console, that is.
For the uninitiated, here are the system requirements, followed by the video:
* GPU: Nvidia Kepler-based GeForce GTX 650 (Desktop) or GTX 660M (Notebook) or higher
* CPU: Intel Core i5 or equivalent or higher
* System Memory: 4 GB or higher
* Software: GeForce Experience application and latest GeForce drivers
* OS: Windows 7 or higher
* Router: 802.11a/g/n (Recommended: 802.11n Dual Band / MIMO Router)
