Conclusion
Overall, I think the battle for the living room is just starting. Other devices may have already gotten a head-start, but Nvidia’s big leap puts the Shield into the fight in a strong way. Short of being a computer or HTPC, the Nvidia Shield covers several basic, but important, entertainment needs — it’s a gaming system, streams video, plays music, uses apps and may provide a way to finally cut the cable company chord that’s been taking all your money.
Realistically, it’s still a new product, but the options aren’t that few and there’s definitely more room for Shield and similar products to grow. It will be interesting to see what Nvidia and its competitors will come up with next.
Julio Urquidi is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware, covering Networking, Notebooks and Systems. Follow him on Twitter and Google+.
Rexly Peñaflorida II is an Associate Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware, covering News. Follow him on Twitter.
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Corrections: Added fan as a moving part; clarified max capacity on SDXC memory slot; 500 GB drive typo fixed; added details to "Gaming with Shield" section.