NVIDIA Shield Console Discounted With Promo Code, $149.99

[BoFox]

http://wccftech.com/nvidia-shield-consol...ode-14999/


Tegra X1 (based on Maxwell) is pretty cool...   plus it's the only TV box/console that supports Netflix 4K.  It should be attractive for anybody who likes Android games and stuff...   


What do you guys think?  Is it really worth it?  Just for the Android side of things (while on the other hand Nvidia Shield streams Windows games over to the TV).  The downside to flawless 1080p/60 streaming or 4K content is that it'd require a direct ethernet connection.  My router is downstairs, and I'd have to route an ethernet cable through the AC vent duct up to the main living room.  Maybe I'd just wait until Nvidia releases a serious gaming console with a Pascal module in it that is at least 4.5x as powerful as Sony PS4's GPU... hopefully.

[RolloTheGreat]

http://wccftech.com/nvidia-shield-consol...ode-14999/


Tegra X1 (based on Maxwell) is pretty cool...   plus it's the only TV box/console that supports Netflix 4K.  It should be attractive for anybody who likes Android games and stuff...   


What do you guys think?  Is it really worth it?  Just for the Android side of things (while on the other hand Nvidia Shield streams Windows games over to the TV).  The downside to flawless 1080p/60 streaming or 4K content is that it'd require a direct ethernet connection.  My router is downstairs, and I'd have to route an ethernet cable through the AC vent duct up to the main living room.  Maybe I'd just wait until Nvidia releases a serious gaming console with a Pascal module in it that is at least 4.5x as powerful as Sony PS4's GPU... hopefully.

I think it's a GREAT deal.

Tried to convince my son he needs one as one of his Christmas gifts, but he shot it down.

[BenSkywalker]

I absolutely love mine, no joke.

First off, best streamer you can get cost no object(and it doesn't really cost all that much anyway). Second, you get your PC games all playable on your TV. For me, it wasn't my first Shield device so I actually have had this for a while, just easier with the console always hooked up. Third- it's a legit gaming console. No, it doesn't go toe to toe with the PS4 but it *handily* beats up on the 360 and PS3. General example, Doom 3 ran at 720p and had trouble holding 30FPS on the last gen, runs @1080p close to a locked 60FPS on Shield- that isn't streaming, that is native(that's about 400% increase in pixel pushing in that game). That is native on Shield(the Shield ecosystem offers a tier above the typical Android offerings- to be up front it is a rather small selection, but they aren't close to your run of the mill 'Angry Birds').

Tried to convince my son he needs one as one of his Christmas gifts, but he shot it down.

It's a buck fifty, fuck it Rollo, just grab one for yourself

You know, it doubles as a Chromecast, just slightly more beefy

[RolloTheGreat]

It's a buck fifty, fuck it Rollo, just grab one for yourself

You know, it doubles as a Chromecast, just slightly more beefy

How I the streaming on WiFi? I have no Ethernet to living room, and on has declared the rec room his by squatter's rights.

Also, you get a console and the controller for $149?

[BoFox]

I think the wifi streaming should do 1080p pretty good (at least 30fps flawlessly) over a good 802.11ac router - probably very close to 60fps - but not sustained, but I'm not sure. I'm waiting for Ben to answer that too.

The issue with streaming games would be some noticeable lag. Some people claim to not notice any lag at all, while others swear by it. I guess it depends on what kind of games - if such games are very dependent on ping times (like competitive online fps shooters, etc..), then it would be an issue.

[RolloTheGreat]

I think the wifi streaming should do 1080p pretty good (at least 30fps flawlessly) over a good 802.11ac router - probably very close to 60fps - but not sustained, but I'm not sure.  I'm waiting for Ben to answer that too.  

The issue with streaming games would be some noticeable lag.  Some people claim to not notice any lag at all, while others swear by it.  I guess it depends on what kind of games - if such games are very dependent on ping times (like competitive online fps shooters, etc..), then it would be an issue.

Looked into it more last night, and found an alternative:

http://www.amazon.com/Steam-Link-Pc/dp/B...steam+link

Might do this with either my line adapter, or buy an AC router. (I currently have dual band N)

I don't really care about Shield's Android TV stuff, I pay over $100/month for Silver tier cable with 2 DVRs and 2 other boxes. I'm already paying for my content and don't see a reason to stream anything beyond On Demand. (not to mention my TVs are smart tvs anyway and I've never used that)

I don't game much anymore, but it looks like the Steam Link does that in pretty easy fashion and I have 3-4 Xbox 360 wireless controllers gathering dust.

[RolloTheGreat]

Steam Link ordered, will let the board know what I think of it.

[SteelCrysis]

Don't expect the Steam Link to do well with wireless: http://www.maximumpc.com/steam-link-review/

[RolloTheGreat]

Don't expect the Steam Link to do well with wireless: http://www.maximumpc.com/steam-link-review/

I do not.

Tested my trusty TP-Link Powerline adapter on the outlet by the living room tv this morning, got 28ms latency, over 50 Mbps down, over 4 Mbps up both times I ran it.

[BenSkywalker]

How I the streaming on WiFi?

I'm going to respond to this to you guys differently than I would a typical person for a few reasons. Is it better than the PS4? Yes. Is it a flawless 1080p PC grade experience on your TV? Absolutely not. First off the frame rate works well for me, I have a Nighthawk AC 2x2 router, but there are compression artifacts that pop up from time to time and it seems that it will auto scale some factors to keep the FPS at a happy setting. Now if you all were life long console gamers, I'd just tell you smooth as hell and you'd be none the wiser, but master racers are going to notice.

Now for latency, this one has a truckload of caveats. First off- is your TV set to game mode when hooked up to shield and even then, does your TVs game mode actually work as it should(disabling all processing)- that may not sound like much- but if you come from a high speed PC monitor and go straight to Shield remote serving your games over a TV that adds *another* 80-100ms of latency it is going to feel like latency hell. First off, you have the wireless controller latency, it's a thing console gamers are all quite adjusted to, PC gamers not so much, then you have the latency your TV adds over your monitor- even a really good TV with a solid game mode still isn't going to touch a 144Hz PC monitor, so there is additional latency there. After those factors you have the additional latency of streaming it to your TV.

I was interested in this enough I did a little test. I have a 46" TV in my bedroom, my office is open to my bedroom so you can see my PC monitor and the TV at the same time. I brought my two boys who are huge gamers down and we fired up some Super Meat Boy- for those of you who don't know that game is fucking brutal and latency is a *very* big deal. Now my boys didn't notice any difference playing MeatBoy on Shield then they did the PS4 in terms of responsiveness of framerate. With that said, they both noticed fairly quickly the difference when they sat down and played on my PC @144HZ with a wired controller.

So when you talk about latency, what are you comparing it to? With all of that said, I have a FP2141SBBK CRT monitor here that can push 240Hz taking a nap at lower resolutions(an old high end CRT) and the test I used to use was Geometry Wars. If you aren't familiar with the game, it is as twitchy as is possible, the only way to describe it. I used to keep tabs on high scores across different setups- and that *still* kicks the hell out of my 144Hz LCD both with wired controllers.

How sensitive you are to latency has more to do with how far outside of your comfort zone is it combined with how sensitive is the game you are playing to it.

[ocre]

Very good post!!!!

[RolloTheGreat]

Very good post!!!!

Agreed.

A lot of good info there Ben. I would have taken your advice on the Shield, but in reading a review of it I saw something about "if you just want the game streaming, the Steam Link does it for $50.".

As noted I don't game much anymore, but I'll give the TV a try. Some ABT expatriates used to tell me "OMFG! Gaming on teh big screenz is l33t!!!" when I tried to say I like gaming on my 30" 1600p or 28" 4K with GSync.

My son had complained about download speeds over WiFi with his PS4 so I tried the powerline adapter there and got the same 28ms ping, 50+Mbps down, and 4Mbps up and hooked the PS4 to it. (and ordered another adapter for my living room)

[BenSkywalker]

I would have taken your advice on the Shield, but in reading a review of it I saw something about "if you just want the game streaming, the Steam Link does it for $50.".

Really if you aren't interested in the overall package, it probably isn't for you. I use Android more then I use Windows at this point, honestly it isn't really close, so there are probably a hundred things I do on a regular basis on it that you *never* would. Nothing wrong with that, just different usage patterns. It really is a beast of a streamer, I get a few hundred channels on satellite(internet through cable company) but honestly I only ever seriously watch basketball- I buy lots of movies and TV shows off of Google Play(You Tube), Netflix, Hulu, Vudu etc so *for me* Shield is a raging bargain at $200(forget $150 and my apologies, yes, it comes with a controller at that price, forgot to mention that in my last post).

Some ABT expatriates used to tell me "OMFG! Gaming on teh big screenz is l33t!!!"

I can see your perspective and their's, although to be honest with me it depends on what I'm playing. Even if I narrow it down to a particular genre- RPGs- give me Morrowind on a PC monitor all day- Final Fantasy I want the big screen. Shooters- Far Cry on my PC, Saints Row on the big screen. I don't know if it makes sense to you guys, but I do enjoy spectacle games, or just over the top fun type games, on the big screen, surrounded by people enjoying it along with me. More serious fare, I want my PC.

You'll have to let us know how the Steam Link works for you. $50 aint shit, if you say it's OK or better I'll probably pick one up just so I can compare(having an extra 'Shield' device around wouldn't hurt my feeling either).

[BoFox]

Cool, Ben, all of this is very interesting, thanks. Do you think a powerline adapter would help over wifi, so you get less compression artifacts and auto scaling?

I'm really thinking about the Shield TV, despite the compression artifacts, to hook up to my 65" DLP TV in the upstairs living room. Since it's DLP technology, I wouldn't have to worry about additional latency from response times. I have a 100" 3D DLP projector setup downstairs, hooked up with a HTPC with a direct ethernet connection but I wouldn't see any point in using Shield TV for this screen unless it was 4K, for Netflix 4K streaming (which still has an extremely limited library anyway). By the time the library is big enough, I'll have a serious 4K TV (rather than just my 4K Gsync monitor on a desktop) for all 4K movies and stuff.

I'm just wondering how many more years it would take for the majority of the new movies to be available in 4K format? 3 years? More???

One of my older sons is really wanting the next gen Shield Tablet that was rumored to be released any time now (or as late as January 2016, missing the Xmas season). They're not really that much into the consoles - they all prefer the PC stuff and the touchscreen stuff (tablets, that is). I'm still curious as to how they would like Shield TV - if the popular touchscreen games can all be enjoyed with eh, a controller??

[RolloTheGreat]

Hear ye! Hear ye!

Henceforth, Sir Rollo Pendragon shall be known as "Rollo the Chump" throughout the realm. Adjust thine Christmas cards accordingly.

:icon_redface:

So I went with the early review and bought the Steam Link for $49.99, thinking "Yippie skips! I've got craploads of compatible XBone and 360 controllers around here, I'll save $100 and get that "Steam Link does game streaming easier!" kung fu I read about in the shill piece.

Uh huh.

I don't own a PC adapter or a wired controller for Xbox, so I'm faced with buying that or a Steam Controller. (which I order)

So now I'm into the Steam Link + Controller for $107, and I guess everyone not named "Rollo the Chump" knows which is a better deal between Steam Link + Controller and Shield for about the same price.

Why did I not listen to you Ben? Why? Why?

[RolloTheGreat]

Don't worry Trollo, most of the online world has known you as a chump for ages now..........

You got me GStan, this is an argument with me you can actually win.

The NVIDIA Shield is a much deal than Steam Link + Steam Controller. In my defense, here's the review I read:

http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/audi...642/review

Whether you have Valve's official Steam Controller, a trusty wired or wireless Xbox 360 controller, or just a standard keyboard and mouse combo, setup is simple and intuitive for beginners and experts alike.

You see where it says you need a PC adapter for the 360 controllers? Gee, me either. I don't use console crap, but you're probably right. I should have realized the STEAM thing wouldn't have built in 360 compatibility.

[ocre]

Versatility

It's for gamers who don't want to bring their desktop in the living room every time they want to kick back on the couch. PC gaming is now a mixture of keyboard and mouse to controller inputs, PC gamers use both. Some games just don't work or feel right on keyboard while others suck with a controller. There are people who use their PC for other things, they need a desk and monitor setup, but then at the end of the day they want to kick back on the couch and play some games.

I can think of many reasons a person would want to stream to a TV in other rooms of the house. They all surround versatility.
But streaming PC games is just one function of the shield console.

Gstanford, you may not have a lot of reasons to get a shield, neither do I for all that matter, but there are some people that could find it useful.

[BoFox]

lol!  You're dumber than dumb!

this is what you need
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-PC-Wireles...xyyjpRrF3Z

Why would anyone in their right mind use shield (or anything else) between a PC and TV?  Just plug the PC into the TV and be done with it!

See ya!

I wouldn't get an off-brand receiver.  There would be lots of connectivity issues.  Only the Microsoft brand is the reliable one, and costs a bit more.

Edit - only $3 more: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-OFFICIAL-MIC...1102976603

[BoFox]

Interesting:
http://venturebeat.com/2015/10/23/no-the...team-link/

Valve retracting their claim, for anti-Microsoft reasons, lol.

[RolloTheGreat]

lol!  You're dumber than dumb!

this is what you need
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-PC-Wireles...xyyjpRrF3Z

Why would anyone in their right mind use shield (or anything else) between a PC and TV?  Just plug the PC into the TV and be done with it!

See ya!

Well, you're still a ray of sunshine.

GStan, I looked at those cheapie knockoff adapters you're pimping, and I looked at the MS version, and I read up on the Steam Controller. I even looked a wired Xbox controllers thinking I might learn to use one and game with my son.

I reached these conclusions:

1. My son would dust me at gaming. He wins rounds a lot in online play on PC and consoles, I'm not sport for him. (and he probably wants to play against other teenagers, not dad)

2. I figured Steam's controller would likely be best mated to Steam's device.

3. Cheap shit is cheap. I'm not a hobo that needs to buy "Shingatsu Xbox Adapter". If I was going to buy an adapter for MS controllers, it would be MS's.

4. Reviews of the Steam Controller said it had some capabilities Xbox controllers didn't with the Steam Link, and that if you could get used to it, it's a pretty good controller for this sort of thing. (and highly programmable)

As for "plugging in a computer" my gaming PCs are full tower cases. Don't want that in my living room. Also don't want to build a HTPC.

I wanted to try this tech out because guys like Ben Skywalker are saying it works great and is a lot of fun with some games.

[RolloTheGreat]

Interesting:  
http://venturebeat.com/2015/10/23/no-the...team-link/

Valve retracting their claim, for anti-Microsoft reasons, lol.

I wonder if Gstan's Dollar General adapter would even work?

Gstan would probably spend 15 hours dicking around with it, then triumphantly proclaim "I saved $40! I am the king!"

[RolloTheGreat]

The generic wireless receiver works just as well as the official m$ one does, just need to follow the driver install process outlined in the listing.

I have both a generic which I got first and still use on the spare machine (since I already had a 360 controller for my 360) and a proper m$ receiver which came with a m$ 360 controller for PC & 360.

You can't purchase the genuine receiver separately, any you find on ebay are 2nd hand despite any claim otherwise the seller may make.  You only get the receiver when you purchase a controller/receiver bundle.

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msau...vAodsuIEsg

from bofox's listing:

This receiver ships without retail packaging,  it was from the  brand new Xbox 360 controller for Windows bundle, and it has never been used.

Thanks, this is good info. I don't know how much I'm going to use this as I don't game much anymore, but it's not a lot of money to give it a try. (even at $107)

Definitely cheaper than a Steam box, and I don't know that I want to take my gaming PCs off of my 1600P or 4K Gsync monitors. (don't have a choice on the 4K - Rollo Jr really likes the Gsync and 4K for online)

[BoFox]

The generic wireless receiver works just as well as the official m$ one does, just need to follow the driver install process outlined in the listing.

I have both a generic which I got first and still use on the spare machine (since I already had a 360 controller for my 360) and a proper m$ receiver which came with a m$ 360 controller for PC & 360.

You can't purchase the genuine receiver separately, any you find on ebay are 2nd hand despite any claim otherwise the seller may make.  You only get the receiver when you purchase a controller/receiver bundle.

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msau...vAodsuIEsg

from bofox's listing:

This receiver ships without retail packaging,  it was from the  brand new Xbox 360 controller for Windows bundle, and it has never been used.

Geez, first look at the pictures close-up (place your mouse cursor over the pictures to zoom in):  http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-OFFICIAL-MIC...1102976603

See the Microsoft logo indentation on the USB plug.  See the Microsoft sticker on the USB cable.  Both are nearly impossible to duplicate. 

And then look at the feedback.  The seller sold 7,717 of these, and did not ever receive a single negative feedback for this being "counterfeit" or not having the genuine stuff shown in the pictures.   I have one myself and it's exactly the same as in the pictures (except it appears to be a Japanese version with the part # being like 2 numbers/letters different, which probably sold so poorly over there that the company decided to just salvage all the controllers for Xbox360 bundles).

Whatever conspiracy theory you have, it's not working for me.  There are plenty of sellers on Ebay fortunate enough for all of us to provide whatever bulk they buy or receive, salvaged or not.

As to the off-brand copy-cat products, some of them might work fine, but some might not.  Your risk.

[RolloTheGreat]

Steam controller works....sort of. Going to have to spend some time learning how to program it, reduce sensitivity, and use it. Felt like gaming on LSD with my hands inside bowling balls.

My son (who has spent the last ten years console gaming) said, "As soon as I picked up that controller I knew it would not work". He did it much better than I though.

I put the streaming on "fast" and it seems very responsive. Son noticed you hear sound after gun shoots, think I read something about audio lag in one of the reviews.

This is not what I'd call "Fire it up and start gaming" .

So far not thrilled.

[RolloTheGreat]

Looks like I'm not alone in my dislike of the Steam Controller:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?p=37827786

My tentative conclusion is that the steam controller might have potential, but the learning curve is pretty steep.

My brother tried it for a couple of hours and wrote it off as crap, which would have been my own conclusion if I only had two hours to use it as well. On my second day I can safely say that it does get much better. This is something you aren't going to just pick up and rock at everything with right away though. The fact that it simply does not come naturally doesn't bode well for its future in my opinion. A very large number of people are going to pick it up briefly, spend a few frustrating minutes trying to use it effectively, and then leave it behind forever certain that there's nothing in it for them. The ones who soldier on long enough to learn to use it will probably be fine, but only time will tell on that point.

I can honestly say I'm with that guy's brother, skeptical of how much effort I want to put into this.

I've been trolled by Gabe. :(

[BoFox]

Hmm, interesting. Valve is headed right into a disaster! Some sincere effort, but it's not really going to see the light of the day..

[RolloTheGreat]

Hmm, interesting.  Valve is headed right into a disaster!  Some sincere effort, but it's not really going to see the light of the day..

I think if you "want" to spend a bunch of time learning to control games in new ways, and "want" a controller that is totally customizable and may even need different configurations by game, it's probably great.

I just don't know that it's worth learning something totally new to me.

Learning an XBone's controllers would be new as well, but at least all the console controllers are pretty similar and if you learn one you can probably do OK on all. (and I used to play Sega Genesis all the time)

[RolloTheGreat]

Steam crap going back tomorrow.

I'll stick to my keyboard and mouse, computer monitors.

[BoFox]

NV Shield Tablet K1 (a slightly stripped version of the original Shield Tablet), now on sale for $199... if you need a stylus, it's $20 extra.

Not sure if I'll buy that one for my son for Xmas...

[RolloTheGreat]

NV Shield Tablet K1 (a slightly stripped version of the original Shield Tablet), now on sale for $199...   if you need a stylus, it's $20 extra.  

Not sure if I'll buy that one for my son for Xmas...

That is a good gift, I've thought about buying myself one more than once. (I ended up with a cheapo LG with a data plan, only use tablet for surfing net)

The tablet thing never took off with my son. He still uses the ipad 2 we gave him at Christmas 2011 for some band stuff, but he's always liked his phone or consoles more for gaming. I think at the time I was somewhat saddened as the ipad2 cost me $600+ tax and he preferred the 4.8" screen of his Galaxy S3.

[BoFox]

Hmm, yeah, I guess I'll buy that Shield Tablet K1 for him. All of my sons (except for the oldest one) love the tablet stuff - especially for gaming.

My oldest son has a Galaxy S3 as well. We had an Ipad 2 before but now our house is free of all things Apple. Any visitors bringing Apple devices into my house are banned as quickly as Poppin bans anybody who dare offend him. (kidding like a crazy kid)

We have a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1" (with 4G LTE) that is the same generation as Ipad 2 (but oh-so slightly better specs, like 1280x800 vs 1024x768, etc..). Although it's still playable with most Android games, I'd say that it becomes real difficult with certain games like Terraria dipping into 10-15 fps range.

We had an EVGA Tegra Note 7 (with Tegra 4), but the USB charging port broke after 1 year. No good!!!! This is what the Shield Tablet is gonna replace, mainly.

Other tablets and phones as well, but they're all getting long in the tooth. I'm really looking forward to Android 6 - where the SD card is integrated with the main storage. This is like "next gen" to me all over.

[BoFox]

Also gonna get "New" 3DS XL with Zelda Majora's Mask - claimed by many to be the best Zelda game of all time. Kids still play the old 3DS XL from time to time... if they stop, I might just sell it on the flea bay.

[RolloTheGreat]

Hmm, yeah, I guess I'll buy that Shield Tablet K1 for him.  All of my sons (except for the oldest one) love the tablet stuff - especially for gaming.  

My oldest son has a Galaxy S3 as well.  We had an Ipad 2 before but now our house is free of all things Apple.  Any visitors bringing Apple devices into my house are banned as quickly as Poppin bans anybody who dare offend him.      (kidding like a crazy kid)

We have a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1"  (with 4G LTE) that is the same generation as Ipad 2 (but oh-so slightly better specs, like 1280x800 vs 1024x768, etc..).  Although it's still playable with most Android games, I'd say that it becomes real difficult with certain games like Terraria dipping into 10-15 fps range.  

We had an EVGA Tegra Note 7 (with Tegra 4), but the USB charging port broke after 1 year.  No good!!!!  This is what the Shield Tablet is gonna replace, mainly.  

Other tablets and phones as well, but they're all getting long in the tooth.  I'm really looking forward to Android 6 - where the SD card is integrated with the main storage.  This is like "next gen" to me all over.

We all use G3s for phones these days, they're up for trade in early December. It's actually the first time Rollo Jr hasn't been excited about a move up in the phones, the G3s are still pretty good phones. We seem to have reached a point of most phones being "good enough" as the Advocates would say. (and it gets to be a pain updating phones year after year)

We still have the ipad2 2 and a couple ipod touches, but they're really only used by my wife to watch tv and play music in her car. Rollo Jr and I detest all things iTunes, for my part due to the restrictions.