Nvidia K1 Shield Tablet

Did anyone buy this thinking the battery life was going to be amazing? I mean, come on.

If it needs to be plugged in then I'll plug it in. Most of the time its duty is going to be streaming PC games to my TV or sitting on its stand while I play a game using the controller. The only time I'll be using the battery will be when I'm surfing or watching Twitch/Netflix/Youtube. In those situations, the battery will be more than sufficient. I'm pretty sure I am the type of usage patterns they were targeting with the battery capabilities. Otherwise, I think the device would be too heavy.
 
Mine arrives tomorrow and I'm one of those people that always thought tablets were a waste of time/money with no real purpose, especially with smartphones (like my Nokia 1520) hitting the 6" barrier. However, the reason I bought this is because I need Android for work (Epocrates and other medical apps) and the fact the price point was really good for what it offers. The K1 + streaming abilities are a huge plus and the 8" form factor is perfect so I think NVIDIA has done a fantastic job. I'll be back in a few days after I've played with it to give my hands on impression of it.
 
Mine arrives today and looking forward to it I am also excited to use the streaming. Sucks the wireless controllers and case are not available until next week. For the price I have a feeling Nvidia nailed it.
 
I'm right on the edge of ordering one. I played around with a demo and was really impressed. I played Trine for a bit and it was really smooth with great graphics. Does anyone know if the PS3 or PS4 controller can be used instead of the nvidia controller?
 
I saw an advert for these while installing an update to my Nvidea GPU and thought "hey, that looks cool" but when I looked at it, I saw specs that almost matched my SGN 10.1... And reading what's been posted here, I dont think I'll be getting one. It looks like it's overhyped and mostly just a normal high-end tablet. If anyone can prove me wrong, please do so - I'd like to believe they hype about playing PORTAL or HL2 on a (non-x64) tablet
 
Did anyone buy this thinking the battery life was going to be amazing? I mean, come on.

If it needs to be plugged in then I'll plug it in. Most of the time its duty is going to be streaming PC games to my TV or sitting on its stand while I play a game using the controller. The only time I'll be using the battery will be when I'm surfing or watching Twitch/Netflix/Youtube. In those situations, the battery will be more than sufficient. I'm pretty sure I am the type of usage patterns they were targeting with the battery capabilities. Otherwise, I think the device would be too heavy.

If you're going to use this for streaming mostly it's not really a good idea. You can get a Windows tablet and use Steam's In Home Streaming for like half the price. You're also not limited to Nvidia GPUs if you do so.

I'm right on the edge of ordering one. I played around with a demo and was really impressed. I played Trine for a bit and it was really smooth with great graphics. Does anyone know if the PS3 or PS4 controller can be used instead of the nvidia controller?

The nvidia controller should act like a standard controller that android detects, otherwise it will further fragment the market. This isn't a confirmation though.

Even if it doesn't work as a standard gamepad, there's plenty of games that do and they will have controller support for the PS3 and PS4, hence why I think the shield controller will act the same way, otherwise a bunch of games will need to be updated for one controller.

I saw an advert for these while installing an update to my Nvidea GPU and thought "hey, that looks cool" but when I looked at it, I saw specs that almost matched my SGN 10.1... And reading what's been posted here, I dont think I'll be getting one. It looks like it's overhyped and mostly just a normal high-end tablet. If anyone can prove me wrong, please do so - I'd like to believe they hype about playing PORTAL or HL2 on a (non-x64) tablet

Specs matching the SGN 10.1? You can't just compare clock speeds and expect things to be the similar. The thing out performs ipads (which iirc have always swept the gpu benchmarks) by 2-3x
 
Specs matching the SGN 10.1? You can't just compare clock speeds and expect things to be the similar. The thing out performs ipads (which iirc have always swept the gpu benchmarks) by 2-3x

I miss the days when numbers really meant something...

Ok, but it still comes back to my original statement. Can this puppy really play PORTAL and HL2? and I mean the FULL versions at FULL FPS, not some watered-down ultra-simple version that can be beaten in 5 minutes while playing with your feet and getting 5fps... (sorry, but I'm jaded after so many of these systems didn't live up to the hype)
 
I miss the days when numbers really meant something...

Ok, but it still comes back to my original statement. Can this puppy really play PORTAL and HL2? and I mean the FULL versions at FULL FPS, not some watered-down ultra-simple version that can be beaten in 5 minutes while playing with your feet and getting 5fps... (sorry, but I'm jaded after so many of these systems didn't live up to the hype)

Yes, Valve ported HL2 and Portal to Android. They run fine on every other Tegra device, I'm sure they will run just as well on the tablet.
 
I miss the days when numbers really meant something...

Ok, but it still comes back to my original statement. Can this puppy really play PORTAL and HL2? and I mean the FULL versions at FULL FPS, not some watered-down ultra-simple version that can be beaten in 5 minutes while playing with your feet and getting 5fps... (sorry, but I'm jaded after so many of these systems didn't live up to the hype)

Since when have numbers ever meant anything? You couldn''t compare a 2.0 ghz processor from 2001 to a CPU of the same frequency in 2006 and in 2014.

The last generation of mobile could play those games (Tegra 4) on android, so of course these K1 devices can. Hell, even I can play those games (and countless others) on my atom baytrail tablets that are like a year old now I believe, really it's not all that special.
 
Since when have numbers ever meant anything? You couldn''t compare a 2.0 ghz processor from 2001 to a CPU of the same frequency in 2006 and in 2014.

The last generation of mobile could play those games (Tegra 4) on android, so of course these K1 devices can. Hell, even I can play those games (and countless others) on my atom baytrail tablets that are like a year old now I believe, really it's not all that special.

Actually the K1 versions of HL2 and portal are different from the tegra4 version. They use the latest full OpenGL (4.4 IIRC) instead of OpenGL ES.
 
I received mine yesterday.

First impressions:
the hand weight is a bit "heavy", but it feels very solidly build.
it's fast - like holy sh*t spooky fast. I have used a lot android phones, G1, G2, S3, Note, HTC One, my current phone is a MotoX. I also have the shield handheld, kindle fire & fire HD and have but no longer use an Asus Transformer (tf101) and this thing is light years faster than any of them. Scrolling between home screens is so incredibly smooth and quick, most apps open "instantly", everything runs noticeably smoother than anything else I have used. apps opening and closing animations are quick. Screen rotation is fast.

it's fast. I have played a few games without the controller (I have it just haven't had time yet) - GTA:VC, Metal Slug 3 and Trine. All played very well. I haven't tried streaming games from my PC yet though. I tried nVidia grid and it worked pretty well...no issues and I am not running the fastest wifi. I have streamed a few games on my shield portable and it worked well, I would imagine this works better.

I have a few (minor) gripes. there is a lot of bezel showing...visually it's a bit clunky, however it's nice when playing games because you have a little extra to grab onto without having your hands covering the screen (for non-controller games).
The biggest issue is the power button...finding it is not at all easy, it's flush to the sides of the casing and very close to the volume controls. It's annoying to have to fumble around trying to get the shield to turn on, there may be more, just haven't used it that much.

Stock. Android.

If you are in the market for a tablet this size - $300 is a no brainer, just get it. Want it to game? You will spend $400 and get the controller and cover too. Want a lot of games? Get a 128gb sd card for $100. For $500 - you have what is - imo - the fastest tablet made, a nice game controller with 144gb of storage and the ability to stream games from your library on your PC as well as games from nVidia Grid.

After years of disappointment in android devices (google Tv anyone?) I feel like android is FINALLY coming into it's own.
 
I received mine yesterday as well, this tablet is fast, very fast and it has a nice build quality.It feels very solid also the sound is great. I did not get a chance to try any games yet.
 
I received mine yesterday as well, this tablet is fast, very fast and it has a nice build quality.It feels very solid also the sound is great. I did not get a chance to try any games yet.

did we mention it's fast?

:) :D:p
 
I got 63.4 fps at 1920x1104 performance level ultra high quality on first try...

ran it again, got 59.7 on second, and 57.8 on third.
 
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Looks like performance is throttling as it warms up with repeated runs. Curious where it bottoms out if looped for 30 minutes.
 
Looks like performance is throttling as it warms up with repeated runs. Curious where it bottoms out if looped for 30 minutes.

run consecutively after powering down and leaving off for 30 minutes.
57.1
56.7
57.6
57.5
57.4
57.3
59.2

nothing over 60fps - the first one was a fluke
 
A buddy bought this and tells me 40% of his Google Play games will not install. If that's true its a major disadvantage to those who invested in the Play store games. The Bards Tale, CSR Racing, GT Racing2, Leo's Fortune, Monument Valley, Ravensword 2, Riptide GP2, Shadowgun will not install or sideload. Can anyone confirm?
 
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A buddy bought this and tells me 40% of his Google Play games will not install. If that's true its a major disadvantage to those who invested in the Play store games. The Bards Tale, CSR Racing, GT Racing2, Leo's Fortune, Monument Valley, Ravensword 2, Riptide GP2, Shadowgun will not install or sideload. Can anyone confirm?

Looks like Shadowgun is free. I'll give that a shot.

EDIT: It download/installed/launched just fine.
 
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My initial impressions are pretty good too. I'm going to echo that damn problem with the power button placement. My Note 8.0 with a real button on the front is way more convenient and I never accidentally hit it when gaming. I don't know if the tablet cover turns the unit on when opening (like my note) but that'd be reason enough for me to get one. Unfortunately, most places are out of stock on controllers and cases.

The speakers are probably no better than other quality tablets (IMO) except that they are properly placed in the front for proper landscape style gaming.

No controller so I can't comment but the display is excellent and responsive enough to play without it for now. The stylus is nice to have too.
 
Maybe it was the original paid Shadowgun they're referring to that doesn't work.
 
My initial impressions are pretty good too. I'm going to echo that damn problem with the power button placement. My Note 8.0 with a real button on the front is way more convenient and I never accidentally hit it when gaming. I don't know if the tablet cover turns the unit on when opening (like my note) but that'd be reason enough for me to get one. Unfortunately, most places are out of stock on controllers and cases..

Cover does put it in standby and opening it wakes it up. Reiterating how much I hate the power button.
 
good. I'm with you on the power button.

Bad button, bad! :D

edit: I ended up putting a piece of tape on the button to guide me quicker. I know it's kinda ghetto but it works for now.
 
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Well I'm glad I asked you guys about game compatibility as my buddy sometimes screws shit up. I'm seriously thinking of picking up one of these to replace my G Pad. Kind of sick of dealing with LG's clueless support and their general don't give a shit attitude :(
 
It's the same MSRP price as set on Steam.

portal is also 9.99, and I already own it several times over (summer deals and packages) and I am not going to buy it again. Steam MUST have an android market coming out - it seems incredibly short sighted of them to not have one by now. Especially now that they are porting games to android. It's only a matter of time before they can port over their entire library.

Only thing I can figure is that if they make an android game market place - they will have to continue to honor their "play it anywhere" policy and they want to get as much money out of their old titles as they can by selling them on Goolge play.
 
I did a quick video of Double Dash running on it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k45afh80uYo

Wind Waker running not very well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V08Lv--I-CU

EDIT: Changed them to HD videos.

Thanks, I'm not sure if it's throttling, if android is holding it back, or something is wrong with the build of dolphin currently out.

On a Tegra K1 board running linux he's getting almost 60 fps. You seem to be getting half that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-68fDxQAFfk

If the description is true

This board is running Linux, but will run just as quickly once a Android tablet is released with the hardware

then it looks like the shield is throttling.


Here's a video from last year of a chromebook running linux (same specs at the Nexus 10 tablet) getting a little less fps than what you seem to be getting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqrroQ77Ihc

If I had to guess it looks like android is holding it back, but I'm no developer.
 
I got curious and tried Mario Kart Double Dash my Dell Venue 8 Pro (baytrail). It appears to run a lot better, especially since there's no crackling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wyVh-3jGhI

edit: On my Z3770D (Dell Venue 11 Pro) it runs a lot better, getting much closer to 60fps (like 52-57) and dropping to 45 sometimes. Not as good as the K1 video shown above framerate wise but much better audio.
 
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16GB seems like not a lot of storage considering a lot of Android games are 1GB or more. If I add a 64GB micro SD card will I be able to install games to it or will the Shield only install to the internal memory?

EDIT: Goolged and found this info, is it correct?

However, the tablet's Micro SD slot accepts memory cards up to 128GB. This secondary storage option is ripe for not only miscellaneous files, but also applications. The catch is that apps must be installed to the internal flash first. After that, moving them to the SD card takes only a few clicks in the settings menu.
 
16GB seems like not a lot of storage considering a lot of Android games are 1GB or more. If I add a 64GB micro SD card will I be able to install games to it or will the Shield only install to the internal memory?

EDIT: Goolged and found this info, is it correct?

A lot of software doesn't support being moved to sd. I use Foldermount which works perfect. The only problem is you must be rooted. I have 3 64 GB cards that have music, videos and games that I change out as needed. If you get foldermount make sure to get the Pro version as the free one limits you to moving 3 apps.
 
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