Nvidia Shield Update Brings 1080p 60FPS Streaming
The December Software Update has arrived.
Nvidia updated the GeForce website with news that its Shield handheld Android console will receive the December Software Update starting today. The release follows a previous October Software Update launched months ago that introduced Shield owners to Console Mode, which brought native 1080p output of Android games, and 720p PC game streaming at 60fps. All Shield gamers needed was an HDMI cable, a Bluetooth controller and for PC streaming, a Kepler-based gaming rig.
According to the blog, the December Software Update provides a number of enhancements including improved PC game streaming at 720p/60fps, and the addition of 1080p PC game streaming at 60fps in Console Mode. Games that now support this feature include Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Batman: Arkham Origins, Battlefield 4, BioShock Infinite, Borderlands 2, Crysis 3, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Additional 1080p games will be enabled on a weekly basis.
"The December Shield Software Update also introduces new features and functionality for Gamepad Mapper, another one of October’s game-changing innovations. With Gamepad Mapper, Shield users can map any touchscreen game function to a physical button on the console-grade Shield controller. For example, if a platform game requires repeated upwards swiping to jump, jumping can instead be mapped to ‘A’. With the December update, that functionality is extended to mapping gyroscope, motion-based movements to physical controls," reads the update.
Nvidia provides two examples – Temple Run and Bike Race – that requires players to angle the device to the side to dodge enemies and obstacles, or to rotate the bike for the perfect landing. Now these movements can be mapped to analog thumbstick movements, allowing players to map a leftwards lean to a leftwards push of the analog stick.
"For first-person perspective games such as Mass Effect Infiltrator, we’ve enabled a new analog stick function, which allows the left thumbstick to be bound to movement, and the right thumbstick to look around, making such titles far more enjoyable to play. And in cursor-controlled games, like Angry Birds, we’ve introduced a new function called accelerated cursor that keeps the cursor at the point where it was left, rather than having it return to the center of the screen," Nvidia’s update reads.
Because all of this can be time consuming, Nvidia automatically downloads pre-created profiles for the most popular titles direct to the Shield device. To help facilitate the creation of these profiles, the company has introduced a new community profile beta feature that gives users the ability to share, browse, and rate gamepad mapping profiles provided by other Shield owners.
Nvidia’s update also talks about getting into the Nvidia GRID cloud gaming beta, which can be read here.
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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g-unit1111 OK my meter for wanting the Shield went from "meh" to "must have 10/10". Although I need to get an NVIDIA GPU first. :lol:Reply -
ohim I see a lot of people going crazy about this, but i don`t get a thing, you get a powerful PC at home with a huge LCD monitor and everybody is going crazy about streaming games to a little device with a small screen ??Reply -
mmohon Can they just make a cheaper solution that just streams games to my TV please? Let me bring my wireless keyboard and mouse into the living room. I'd buy a new video card and that box in a heart beat.Reply -
g-unit1111 Reply12091960 said:I see a lot of people going crazy about this, but i don`t get a thing, you get a powerful PC at home with a huge LCD monitor and everybody is going crazy about streaming games to a little device with a small screen ??
It's easy to take a Shield places. Can't say the same for a full or mid tower gaming rig. :lol: -
ohim Places where ? In your own home ? since you need a hell of a wireless transmitter for that thing. From my point of view this thing is absolutely useless... unless you`re one of those dudes that needs to game while pooping .Reply -
Durandul If you live by yourself, yeah this is almost pointless. If you have family however...Reply -
Christopher Shaffer I don't seem the usefulness of this outside of a physical controller for Android games, which mostly have on-screen controls that won't go away when you're playing, making the experience mediocre at best.Reply
I see no purpose in streaming your PC games unless you can do this outside your house, which I strongly doubt.
I also don't understand the idea of hooking up an HMDI cable to a hand-held controller so that you can play PC games on your TV. Sure, this is more convenient than moving your PC if needed, but it's hardly ideal. If I want to play at TV level response times streaming 1080p through a 360 controller I'll play 360, and it won't cost as much(don't worry I still love my PC).
I think this is a solution without a problem. The only possible real use I can see is playing Android games on my TV, which I can already do in 1080p from my phone using either an HDMI adapter (iOS) or MHL adapter (Android phones) and a Bluetooth controller... Without spending another $250.
Seriously, please tell me if I'm missing something? -
iceclock its a nich market, if the price was lower to 200$ might be interesting.Reply
its like a portable mini extension of ur pc, interesting yes, worth the price? not shur