Is Nvidia Building a Shield Tablet?

By Kevin Parrish
published

This may be the previous "Mocha" tablet.

Last week we reported that an unannounced Nvidia tablet tagged as "Mocha" was spotted on the GFXBench website. The device had a 7.9-inch screen with a 2048 x 1536 resolution and a 5-point touch input at the very least. The device was also powered by Nvidia's new quad-core Tegra K1 chip, which is an ARM Cortex-15 based SoC with 192 CUDA cores.

The tablet's specs also revealed 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal storage (13 GB free), support for OpenGL ES 3.1, and Android 4.4.2 "KitKat," the same OS that's used on Nvidia's Shield console. A 7MP camera on the back, a 4.8MP camera on the front, and Wireless and Bluetooth connectivity filled the specs list… for now, unofficially.

Now there's speculation that the Mocha device will feature Nvidia's GameStream technology, which means not only will owners play Android games, but stream a growing number of PC games to the device as well if customers have a Kepler-based desktop. The tablet will also supposedly have the Shield branding as well as dual-band wireless connectivity so that gamers can stream those PC titles on the 5 GHz band.

So again, we're left with rumors and speculation. We pegged the "Mocha" tablet as the next installment to Nvidia's Tegra Note series, but this new information has us scratching our heads. A Nvidia Shield tablet? Nvidia has a 5-inch model already with the Shield console. Perhaps the company plans to release a separate controller, or will partner with Power A (Moga controller)?

For right now, we really don't know if Mocha will be a gaming-focused tablet. The device could possibly serve as a second screen to the Shield 2, the latter of which was spotted in April with the Tegra K1 chip powering a 1440 x 810 screen. Shield 2 also included 4 GB of RAM, 16 GB of storage, and a 0.3MP camera. Hopefully, Nvidia will unravel the mystery surrounding the two devices soon so we can quit speculating.

MORE: Xiaomi Mi Pad is First Nvidia Tegra K1 Tablet, Costs $240

Kevin Parrish
Topics
Nvidia
Tablets
10 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Nathan Willis
    I would not be shocked if they did. Most people use tablets.
    Lenovo is coming out with new i7 tablets. In time gaming tablets will be everywhere.
    Reply
  • vmem
    those 16GB of internal memory won't hold many games without allowing for microSD expansion :P

    but it would be nice if they did this... a gaming tablet would be much more useful than the shield...
    Reply
  • neon neophyte
    i have yet to see an nvidia shield in the wild. it's like the fabled 3 legged unicorn.
    Reply
  • dstarr3
    There isn't a lot of reason to buy a Shield for $250 instead of a Gameklip for $20.
    Reply
  • DrBackwater
    I like what asus is doing with the Asus Padfone 2. (phone pocketed into the tablet like a picture frame.) It's just a shame both devices cannot work in harmony where one will charge while one is docked, and the other will increase power or ram.

    And when you wish to watch a tv show on train or where ever, dock your 5 inch phone into he tablet and presto, and when you need to run undock it and presto.

    Technology needs to improve towards this way (yeah im looking at you sony, just build a ps hand held phone already with full integration and stop separating your experia branded phones. or better be left in past.)
    Reply
  • tomfreak
    Seriously Nvidia, stop please. Should put more focus on making ur Geforce more competitive.
    Reply
  • knowom
    Shield 2 sounds better than the Mocha tablet to me I'd rather have 4GB ram vs 2GB ram than the extra resolution on a device with a tiny screen that really doesn't need the additional resolution in the first place very badly.

    It's pretty crazy the amount of ram on it if that's true 4GB is as much ram as my desktop has atm android defiantly needs some better apps to make use of all the ram on these smartphone and tablets being released now.
    Reply
  • ubercake
    those 16GB of internal memory won't hold many games without allowing for microSD expansion :P

    but it would be nice if they did this... a gaming tablet would be much more useful than the shield...

    The Shield that is available has a microSD slot. I imagine the new version would also include it.
    Reply
  • Christopher Shaffer
    i have yet to see an nvidia shield in the wild. it's like the fabled 3 legged unicorn.
    It's the device made for nobody that nobody wants, so nobody buys. Why would I want to stream my games to a handheld device with a tiny screen that I can only use while I'm at home requiring the use of the PC that has the game on it in the first place?

    If I'm going to focus on gaming and I'm at home, why not use my PC? Sure, I could TRY to stream games over the internet at what - the coffee shop? Yeah, because they always have ultrafast 40Mb/s connections that allow for streaming 1080p games, right?

    Or maybe I could use it to play Android games - you know the ones made for TOUCH screens? Which I would only own if I ALREADY have an Android phone which also has a bigger screen (Galaxy phones have a larger, better AMOLED display than the Shield).

    This is a product with absolutely no target consumer base because the consumer who needs this doesn't exist.

    A tablet that does the same thing would be nearly as pointless.
    Reply
  • WyomingKnott
    It's ironic that this is on the front page of new along with an ad for the Nvidia Shield.
    Reply