We all want a new Nvidia Shield tablet and now is the perfect time

nvidia TV shield Devices have been suspended for a long time in the name of Best Android TV Streaming Tools around, and it’s not hard to see why. It packs a good level of power and plenty of useful software features, while Nvidia has made a years-long update commitment that easily outperforms any Android phone on the market.

This wasn’t Nvidia’s first Shield product, though. Longtime Android fans will remember that the Nvidia Shield Tablet was the company’s first Shield device. With a Tegra K1 processor, a 1920×1200 display, a stylus, and a quad-speaker setup, Nvidia’s first and only tablet was as good as it was in 2014.

It’s been eight long years since that first attempt back then, but the time might be for the Shield Tablet in 2022.

Most play pieces are here

Today’s tablet landscape differs from 2014 in two main ways when it comes to gaming. For example, game streaming has seen a huge rise as an alternative to local gaming. Back in 2014, Sony’s remote and PC apps were among the only ways to stream games to your phone over a wireless connection.

Nvidia also has its own long-running cloud gaming service called Geforce Now. The platform allows you to remotely stream your gaming library via Nvidia’s own powerful servers. Best of all, Geforce Now supports several game storefronts such as Steam, Epic Game Store, and Ubisoft Connect. No matter which service you choose, tablets today make great mobile gaming.

Console support is another area that has seen great strides since the early days of Android. Google’s platform has supported consoles since Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich, but support in games has been another story.

Fortunately, there’s no shortage of console-compatible games on the Play Store today, with big hitters like Alien: Isolation, Apex Legends Mobile, Call of Duty: Mobile, Dead Cells, GRID Autosport, and Stardew Valley leading the way. It doesn’t hurt that newer consoles like the Nintendo Switch and PS5 DualSense remotes are also compatible with the platform.

today gaming phones They also offer very powerful reset software, allowing you to use the device’s shoulder buttons in games that don’t support a gamepad in the first place. So we definitely have a friendlier environment for consoles.

The world (and Google) cares about tablets again

Another reason Nvidia has jumped on the list bandwagon is that Android tablets have seen a revival in the past couple of years, thanks in large part to the pandemic. The hardware category faded in late 2010, with the global market Projection 1.5% YoY in 2019 to 144 million units, the year before the pandemic. This backtrack doesn’t sound too bad, but IDC mentioned Tablet shipments of 229.6 million units in 2014.

In comparison, global tablet shipments It reached 163.5 million units in 2020 and 168.5 million units in 2021. That momentum may slow after the fourth quarter of 2021 saw an annual decline, but the iron is still hot enough to hit Nvidia with its Shield tablet. After all, media consumption, one of the strengths of the Nvidia Shield line, was one of the many key factors that led to this resurgence in the first place.

The renewed interest in tablets also coincides with Google’s renewed effort to focus on the form factor. platform holder detection Android 12 for In October 2021, it is targeting tablets, foldable devices, and other large-screen Android devices, all of which are being brought to Android 13. It also confirmed at I/O 2022 Developer Conference that it will update 20 first-party apps with tablet focused interfaces. I think super-delay is better than never, but we hope Google maintains that momentum.

Read more: Google is on the right track for watches and tablets, but there’s more to do

So with the tablet scene booming and Google put in the program, there’s a strong foundation here for future tablet releases in general.

Nvidia’s Secret Sauce for Tablets

Nvidia also has several internal strengths that would pair well with a future tablet. For example, Shield TV devices also support AI upscaling for videos, which boosts video resolutions up to 4K so you can get a more detailed picture. Similar Ultra HD video technology is also available on smartphones like oneplus And the xiaomi (Although it generally targets lower output resolutions), so expect to see this technology on a new Nvidia tablet.

Another Nvidia technology that makes sense to implement on a future slate is DLSS (Deep learning for super sampling). Available on computers with Nvidia RTX graphics cards, this technology uses dedicated machine learning silicon to boost video game fidelity.

DLSS has the advantage of providing a clearer image without requiring a large amount of power compared to the original run at the target resolution. Technology was introduced For a futuristic Nintendo Switch, it certainly seems like a good way to deliver improved visuals on a tablet without massive performance and a battery life penalty.

Nvidia also has another feather in its cap if it chooses to bring a new tablet to market. Shield Tablets and Shield TVs have access to a small library of exclusive Shield games transferred from console and PC. These games include Borderlands 2, Half-Life 2, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Resident Evil 5, and Tomb Raider.

Challenges to restarting the Shield Tablet

Perhaps the biggest hurdle to overcome for the Shield Tablet in 2022 is the chipset. Nvidia has used the Tegra X1 as its Android TV processor of choice since 2015, while Nintendo uses the chipset for its line of consoles as well.

Needless to say, the Tegra X1 is outdated now and has been outdone by competing chips of the likes Qualcomm For a few years already. Unfortunately, the company hasn’t released any real follow-up chips since the Tegra X1, with the Tegra X2 and later chipsets focusing on the automotive space.

However, it does seem possible that Nvidia will be working on the right mobile-focused Tegra chipset, as Nintendo will likely want a new Tegra processor for whatever comes after the switch (while maintaining backwards compatibility). So we can definitely see the company sourcing this processor for its own products, especially if it wants to implement DLSS, which requires specific Nvidia hardware.

Another hitch in the way of a premium experience is the game library. Sure, Nvidia has its own Geforce Now experience, but that’s also available for other Android devices. The company previously offered ports for PC and console games via its development house Lightspeed Studios, so these existing games would be a wise addition. But what about future address ports?

Unfortunately, the company Tell Android salad Last year, it prioritized “live streaming where we can provide full-featured, high-resolution PC games to Shield users rather than porting, for now.” So, it looks like we can’t count on more ports if the company launches a new Shield tablet. This wouldn’t be a necessity for the device, but it would definitely be another selling point.

What will the future Shield Tablet need?

Nvidia will need to properly restart the Shield Tablet if it is to hope for critical and/or commercial success. The original Shield certainly gives us some pointers in this regard. Perhaps the most notable feature of the Shield Tablet that we hope to see on a new device is the speaker setup, which houses quad speakers. The push for thinner bezels means we probably won’t see a pair of dual front-facing speakers like we see on the original device above, but a pair of tweeters on top and bottom would still be very welcome and drive content consumption credentials in a big way.

The original pad shipped with a stylus pen and a dedicated stylus slot, but I’m not sure if we need to see both options on a new device. However, we’ve seen the launch of a variety of tablets with support from an official first-party stylus and stylus (either bundled or as a separate purchase), so it only makes sense that Nvidia would offer this support in order to meet the needs of a creative and production audience.

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We’re also wondering about the screen size of the futuristic Shield tablet, with its original 7-inch screen. The current era of thinner bezels means that Nvidia can pack a larger screen for the same size. The company will absolutely need to offer high refresh rate support though, whether for gaming or for a more fluid experience overall. This support will also appear in Geforce Now, which tops out at 120 FPS.

Speaking of Geforce Now, we think it might be wise for Nvidia to offer owners of the rebooted Shield Tablet a more premium experience in this regard. For example, the company could offer one-year access to the RTX 3080, which offers premium ray tracing, 4K HDR, and 120fps gaming options.

Another imperative for the Shield Tablet in the future is proper cooling to ensure sustainable performance levels. After all, we’ve seen chips like Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and Exynos 2200 fall apart a lot When looking at performance over time. Tablet shape alone can help, but Nvidia should ideally follow in the footsteps of gaming phones like Red Magic Series 7 It provides a cooling fan for optimum performance during long gaming sessions.

Finally, Nvidia will need to address whether it offers a separate console, a Switch-style form factor with detachable controls, or a Steam Deck form factor with integrated controls. We think the company will offer a separate console to keep costs low for those who want the tablet alone. So including a folio case capable of supporting a tablet – as we saw with the original – seems like a logical idea. Then again, we’d like to see a file razer kishiAlso telescopic style controller for the device, or switch style style for the controls.

Good time as any to restart

The pieces mostly came together for the new Nvidia Shield Tablet, with the market once again embracing slates, and Google focused on making better Android software for bigger screens, and more big-name games on the Play Store (plus more console-supported titles).

Nvidia’s strengths bolster the case for the new tablet as well, with the company’s Shield TV hardware enjoying significant long-term support, first-class multimedia capabilities, access to game streaming, and a select library of exclusive titles. Take a look at the company’s DLSS graphics technology and we can consider a unique offering for tablets.

There are still two hurdles the graphics company has to overcome, such as the choice of processor. But the arguments in favor of the new Nvidia Shield Tablet certainly outweigh the arguments against it.