PS4 MP3 Support Coming This Holiday; No Discounts for PS Now Games You Already Own -- Report

<h2 class="news-deck" itemprop="description" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: quatro-slab, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.60186rem; font-weight: 400; line-height: 2.14286rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.71429rem; padding: 0px;"> A verified Sony employee on Reddit details the additional features coming to the PlayStation 4 as well as new information about PlayStation Now.</h2> <div> <br /></div> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> Back in April, we reported on a rumor that the PlayStation 4 was getting MP3 support. Nothing official came from Sony, but many people thought it likely that the console would get some sort of external music compatibility at some point. Recently, we got more evidence that such an update is in the works.</div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> According to reddit user IWorkForSony, who has been verified by r/PS4 subreddit moderators as a Sony employee, Sony is currently developing an update for the PS4 that will bring MP3 and video player support by the holiday season. The user also said that DLNA media server support will come some time in 2015.</div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> The user went on to address the upcoming public beta test for PlayStation Now, Sony's game streaming service that's been in private beta for a few months. When someone asked about rumors circulating that owners of PlayStation 3 games may get free access to those same titles via PS Now, IWorkForSony negated the possibility. "Those rumors are wrong," he wrote. "Entitlements for PS3 games won't carry over to PS Now." As for the reason why Sony will not provide discounts, he explained, "Unfortunately, it just doesn't make business sense for Sony to transfer entitlements to PS Now. Streaming games costs them money."</div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> Finally, he revealed that a subscription model for PS Now is still in the works, and that the beta is to test different pricing models.</div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> This week, the user also revealed that the PlayStation Mobile app is getting a substantial overhaul. "There's a redesign in the works," he stated. "It should be more functional and modern (read: less cheesy blue boxes)."</div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> As for the legitimacy of IWorkForSony, I reached out to the moderators and they confirmed that he has provided evidence as to his employment at Sony. Mod IceBreak wrote, "We saw things that pretty much guarantee [he] works for Sony. Besides that there were debug unit OS pictures. I can't elaborate more than that or share the pictures due to the anonymity of the user but I also want to let you know what we used to verify [him]."</div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> We've asked Sony for comment and will update this story if we receive word. Will you take advantage of MP3 support on the PS4? Let us know in the comments.</div> </div> <div class="authorCard authorCard--base" style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; display: inline-block; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.999980926513672px; margin-bottom: 0.71429rem; position: relative; vertical-align: middle;"> <div class="align-vertical--contain" style="border-collapse: collapse; box-sizing: border-box; display: table !important; width: 289px;"> <div class="align-vertical--child authorCard-avatar hide-mobile" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: table-cell; vertical-align: middle;"> </div> </div> </div>

News PS4 MP3 Support Coming This Holiday; No Discounts for PS Now Games You Already Own -- Report

A verified Sony employee on Reddit details the additional features coming to the PlayStation 4 as well as new information about PlayStation...

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Get The Mass Effect Trilogy for $10 On PC at GameStop, And Other Console Bundle Deals

<br /> <div class="authorCard authorCard--base" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; display: inline-block; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19.999980926513672px; margin-bottom: 0.71429rem; orphans: auto; position: relative; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"> <div class="align-vertical--contain" style="border-collapse: collapse; box-sizing: border-box; display: table !important; width: 286px;"> <div class="align-vertical--child authorCard-avatar hide-mobile" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: table-cell; vertical-align: middle;"> </div> </div> </div> <br /> <h2 class="news-deck" itemprop="description" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: quatro-slab, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.60186rem; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 2.14286rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.71429rem; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"> Deal spot.</h2> <div> <br /></div> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> Video game retailer GameStop is currently is holding a summer sale with some decent discounts which looks set to end around 8/17.</div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> After digging around, the best deal on an individual game is the Mass Effect Trilogy as a PC download for $10. Note that this version of the game requires Origin to download and play.</div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> If you're looking to build a console bundle starting with a use system, you can get some pretty decent deals. The best bundles include:</div> <ul style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0px 0px 2.4rem 25px; padding: 0px;"> <li style="box-sizing: border-box;">$200 -- Xbox 360 S 250GB bundle with five free games: Borderlands 1, Halo: Reach, Batman: Arkham City, Fallout: New Vegas, and Assassin's Creed 2</li> <li style="box-sizing: border-box;">$210 -- PlayStation 3 160GB bundle with five free games: Call of Duty: Black Ops, Aliens: Colonial Marines (that's the Aliens that most people didn't like very much, not the upcoming one that has everyone excited), Grand Theft Auto IV, Medal of Honor: Warfighter, Uncharted 3</li> </ul> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> You can also put together your own used console bundle and choose your own games through the GameSpot deal site, but then you're limited to two free video game add-ons.</div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> Any great deals you've found in the sale? Let us know in the comments below!</div> </div>

News Get The Mass Effect Trilogy for $10 On PC at GameStop, And Other Console Bundle Deals

Deal spot. Video game retailer GameStop is currently is holding a summer sale with some decent discounts which looks set to en...

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"Major Advances" to Metal Gear Solid 5 to be Shown at Gamescom Next Month

<br /> <div class="authorCard authorCard--base" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; display: inline-block; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19.999980926513672px; margin-bottom: 0.71429rem; orphans: auto; position: relative; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"> <div class="align-vertical--contain" style="border-collapse: collapse; box-sizing: border-box; display: table !important; width: 279px;"> <div class="align-vertical--child authorCard-avatar hide-mobile" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: table-cell; vertical-align: middle;"> </div> </div> </div> <br /> <h2 class="news-deck" itemprop="description" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: quatro-slab, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.60186rem; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 2.14286rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.71429rem; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"> Konami to reveal "new details" about the anticipated open-world game during public expo next month.</h2> <div> <br /></div> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> Konami today announced its Gamescom 2014 lineup, saying it will showcase "major advances" to open-world action game Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and professional soccer title PES 2015 during the massive public show in August.</div> <div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> According to Konami, both games "perfectly demonstrate the versatility and power of Kojima Productions' FOX Engine, while delivering a new experience in visual quality and the power of the new wave of console systems."</div> <div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> For Metal Gear Solid V specifically, Konami says Gamescom attendees will have a chance to see the "sheer scale and ambition" of the game. The game's open world--powered by the FOX Engine--has allowed series creator Hideo Kojima to "realize the scale and story he has always envisaged," Konami says.</div> <div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> The publisher will reveal "new details" about Metal Gear Solid V during Gamescom, which Konami believes will convince you that the game is the "most extensive and ambitious Metal Gear Solid ever." The game is coming to Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4, though no release date whatsoever for the game has been announced.</div> <div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> As for PES 2015, Konami will bring a playable version of the game to show, marking the title's first appearance at a major public event.</div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> If you're attending Gamescom 2014, you can visit Konami's booth in hall 7.1 A030/A031. GameSpot will be on the ground at Gamescom this year, bringing you all the news as it happens.</div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> Gamescom 2014 takes place in Cologne, Germany August 14-17. You can buy tickets to the show at the event's website today.</div> </div>

News "Major Advances" to Metal Gear Solid 5 to be Shown at Gamescom Next Month

Konami to reveal "new details" about the anticipated open-world game during public expo next month. Konami today ann...

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Secret The Last of Us Ending Revealed During Last Night's Live Stage Show Performance

<br /> <div class="authorCard authorCard--base" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; display: inline-block; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19.999980926513672px; margin-bottom: 0.71429rem; orphans: auto; position: relative; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"> <div class="align-vertical--contain" style="border-collapse: collapse; box-sizing: border-box; display: table !important; width: 279px;"> <div class="align-vertical--child authorCard-avatar hide-mobile" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: table-cell; vertical-align: middle;"> </div> </div> </div> <br /> <h2 class="news-deck" itemprop="description" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: quatro-slab, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.60186rem; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 2.14286rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.71429rem; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"> Beware, spoilers.</h2> <div> <br /></div> <div> <div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> During a special live stage performance of The Last of Us last night, developer Naughty Dog revealed a secret epilogue scene from the acclaimed action game. The scene, which takes place sometime after the events of the main game, was performed live by main actors Troy Baker (Joel) and Ashley Johnson (Ellie).</div> <div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> Attendees of the event documented the scene in a thread on NeoGAF. According to those in attendance, The Last of Us creative director Neil Druckmann requested that no one film the scene, adding that Naughty Dog has no plans to release the scene at any point in the future.</div> <div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> <ins style="box-sizing: border-box;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SPOILERS AHEAD</strong></ins></div> <div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> According to those in attendance, the Last of Us epilogue scene was written as a "goodbye" to Joel and Ellie, and takes place at the Tommy dam after the events of the main game (maybe four years). Joel meets Ellie there and she acts somewhat "distant" and unattached until Joel pulls out a guitar and sings a song for her (Baker reportedly performed this live in Joel's voice). Joel then shares a joke with Ellie and the two enjoy a laugh together, alleviating the tension.</div> <div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> Interestingly, this scene reminds us of the "fan art" that The Last of Us artist Mark Okon released in May that showed Ellie playing a guitar by herself. Is it a tease for The Last of Us 2? There is no way to know for sure, but it's an interesting development all the same.</div> <div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> Naughty Dog said earlier this year that there is a 50/50 shot that the studio will make a sequel to the game. A movie based on The Last of Us is also in the works. Druckmann is writing the script, and it's possible that<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Game of Thrones</em> actress Maisie Williams (Arya Stark on the show) could play Ellie.</div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> The Last of Us Remastered, the PlayStation 4 version of the 2013 PS3 game, is available today. For more, check out GameSpot's review and what other critics are saying.</div> </div>

News Secret The Last of Us Ending Revealed During Last Night's Live Stage Show Performance

Beware, spoilers. During a special live stage performance of The Last of Us last night, developer Naughty Dog revealed a secre...

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Nvidia Shield Tablet and Controller Review

<span style="background-color: #f4f5f5; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">Despite </span>some advances to the contrary<span style="background-color: #f4f5f5; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">, </span>PC<span style="background-color: #f4f5f5; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"> gaming is still the domain of the big boxy tower. But while there's no doubt that having a wall socket nearby has made for some impressively powerful graphics cards, Nvidia's having a bash at bringing over some of that PC power to the tablet domain with the Shield Tablet and the Shield Controller, the sequel to the quirky mash-up of gaming controller and LCD screen that was the Shield Portable (which remains on sale in the US). Powered by Nvidia's Tegra K1 chip--which features desktop-class graphics in the form of a Kepler-based GPU--the Shield Tablet may well be an early glimpse at the future of gaming; the idea of having just one device to idea surf, and email, and work, and game whether at home or on the go is certainly an enticing one. But, as neat as that concept is, and despite some successes, the tech isn't quite there to pull it off just yet</span><br /> <span style="background-color: #f4f5f5; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"><br /></span> <h2 style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: quatro-slab, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 2.02736rem; font-weight: 500; line-height: 2.14286rem; margin: 0px 0px 1.42857rem; padding: 0px;"> Specs</h2> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> On paper at least, the tech is impressive. Shield Tablet is based on Nvidia's 32-bit Tegra K1 chip, which features a Kepler-based GPU with 192 CUDA cores that supports OpenGL 4.4 and the DX12 API. In theory, this means PC developers should find it easier to port their games over to Android, with Epic having already unveiled a version of Unreal Engine 4 running on the chip. On the CPU side, a quad core Arm Cortex A15 processor clocked at 2.2GHz powers the Shield Tablet. That's actually the same quad core processor as used in the original Shield Portable, albeit at a higher clock speed. While the A15 is a powerful chip, it's slightly disappointing not to see something more modern here. Nvidia has already talked about the flagship 64-bit version of Tegra K1, which features the company's Project Denver CPU, a powerful chip first based on 64-bit ARMv8-A architecture.</div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> The K1 is backed up by 2GB of RAM, which makes for zippy performance across the board; the Shield Tablet churns through pretty much any task you throw at it, which makes navigating through the largely stock version of Android 4.4.3 it ships with a pleasure. There's 16GB of internal storage, the much-appreciated inclusion of a Micro SD slot for up to 128GB of storage expansion, a 5MP front-facing camera as well as a 5MP autofocus rear camera, a non-active stylus based on Nvidia's DirectStylus 2technology, front-facing stereo speakers, a 19.75 Watt hour battery, mini HDMI out, and an 8-inch, 1920x1200 pixel display.</div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> Some might be disappointed not to see a higher DPI display here--such as the one featured on the iPad Mini--but the Shield Tablet's IPS display is lovely and clear, and has great viewing angles. You might run into some visibility issues if you're using the tablet outdoors in blazing sunlight, but otherwise the display is plenty bright. The lower DPI count is also better for running games, the more taxing of which stress the GPU at 1920x1200, never mind anything higher.</div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> The display also makes a lot more sense when you see the price: at just $299/£229 for a 16GB Wifi version, or $399/£299 for a 32GB version with 4G, the Shield Tablet is definitely at the cheaper end of performance tablets, and it compares favourably with the likes of the Nexus 7, particularly because it's running a mostly stock version of Android. I'd happily pay the extra few bucks for the Shield Tablet; it's simply a better, more well-specced device.</div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> I wouldn't say the same about the Shield Controller, though. While you can use any Bluetooth controller you like with the Shield Tablet, a lot of its features are built with the Shield Controller in mind. Unfortunately, it's an $59/£49 on top of the tablet asking price, and when you add in the cost of the kickstand case at $39--which is basically a necessity if you plan on gaming with the controller on the go--you're looking at almost an extra $100 on top of the tablet price to get the full Shield Tablet experience. Sadly, Nvidia isn't offering any bundles, which is a missed opportunity to get people into the tablet-gaming fold.</div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> The Shield Controller features the usual array of analogue sticks and buttons that you'd find on an Xbox or PlayStation controller, as well as some Android-specific buttons, including home, back, and volume, as well as a small touch pad at the bottom of the pad for controlling a mouse cursor. There's a headphone jack up top for streaming game audio, or adding a headset for voice chat, and up to four controllers can be paired with the Shield Tablet. On the whole, the controller works well, with its proprietary WiFi connection remaining stable throughout. Nvidia claims the WiFi connection results in 2X less latency than Bluetooth, and while I can't definitively say that's the case, I certainly didn't notice any lag while playing games.</div> <h2 style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: quatro-slab, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 2.02736rem; font-weight: 500; line-height: 2.14286rem; margin: 0px 0px 1.42857rem; padding: 0px;"> Design</h2> </div> <div> <a href="http://static4.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/917/9176928/2611793-img_0337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://static4.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/917/9176928/2611793-img_0337.jpg" style="background-color: transparent;" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: #f4f5f5; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">The problem with the Shield Controller is that it looks cheap, like one of those flimsy third-party Datel controllers you used to get laden with at birthdays from a well-meaning Aunt. There's nothing about it that screams premium gaming controller in the same way that a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One controller does, and considering it's the same price as those controllers, that's disappointing. The plastic feels cheap, the D pad and shoulder buttons are mushy under the fingers and thumbs, and the controller is on the large side, so those with smaller hands might find it a little uncomfortable to hold. I also found the touch-sensitive Android buttons to be a bit too sensitive, and I often found myself accidentally activating the back button while playing a game. As you can image, that got irritating rather quickly.</span></div> <div> <span style="background-color: #f4f5f5; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"><br /></span></div> <div> <span style="background-color: #f4f5f5; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">I'm a much bigger fan of the design of the Shield Tablet itself. It might be a little bit thicker than some tablets at 9.2mm, but it feels solidly built, with a reassuring plastic construction and 390g weight that's not too heavy for one-handed use. It's an understated design, with a plain, matte black finish and a sole bit of branding coming from the embossed Shield logo on the back. The only bit of bling comes from the plastic chamfered edges around the display, which look great alongside the otherwise less ostentatious touches. The headphone jack, micro USB, and mini HDMI ports are neatly positioned at the top of the device, while the power, volume, micro SD slot, and stylus slot are easily accessible along the left side. My only real gripe with the design of the Shield Tablet is the thickness of the bezels around the screen, which are a tad wide by today's standards.</span></div> <div> <span style="background-color: #f4f5f5; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">That's a small trade-off for what is a great tablet for the price. Indeed, even if you ignore any of the Shield Tablet's gaming-specific features like Twitch.tv streaming, or Gamestream for streaming PC games to your tablet, I'd throughly recommend the Shield Tablet as a great, everyday device. The gaming features are simply a nice bonus, which is good, because they don't always work exactly as advertised.</span></div> <div> <span style="background-color: #f4f5f5; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"><br /></span></div> <div> <h2 style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: quatro-slab, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 2.02736rem; font-weight: 500; line-height: 2.14286rem; margin: 0px 0px 1.42857rem; padding: 0px;"> Performance</h2> </div> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; clear: right; color: #141415; float: right; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 0px;"> There aren't a whole lot of K1-optimised games available for the Shield Tablet at launch. So far, there are just 11, including The Talos Principle, Half Life 2, and free-to-play shooter War Thunder, which comes complete with cross-platform online play. To get you started, the tablet comes with a free copy of Trine 2, which is a nice touch. I tried both Half Life 2 and Trine 2, and found both games looked great, but didn't run without problems. Half Life 2 in particular had lots of noticeable frame rate issues during busier scenes, and while it didn't ever get to the point where the game was unplayable, it was slightly disheartening to see a Tegra K1 device struggle with a 10-year-old game.</div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> But let's start with the good stuff. With the Tegra K1 chip on board, the Shield Tablet flies through Android. Apps load quickly, scrolling is buttery smooth, and video streaming with the likes of Netflix is stutter-free. 3D games like Modern Combat 5 and Real Racing 3 run smoothly too, whether plugged in to a TV or displayed on the tablet's screen. Plugging in via HDMI gives you the option of launching console mode, which shuts off the tablet screen, closes all running apps, and brings up a simple, to-the-point interface that lets you load up apps and games or purchase them. Nvidia's storefront sorts out apps via controller compatibility, which is extremely handy, but you can purchase stuff straight through the Google Play store if you prefer.</div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> That said, I happily sat on my couch and wiled away the hours playing through Valve's masterpiece, quickly forgetting that I was doing it from a tablet. Despite the issues, the fact that a game of Half Life 2's scope plays natively on a device that you can carry around with you is impressive; it's just not quite at the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 levels of performance that Nvidia boasted earlier this year</div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> Like the Shield Portable, the Shield Tablet supports Nvidia Gamestream, which lets you stream a selection of PC games from your PC straight to your tablet via WiFi, or even LTE. The only proviso is that your PC needs to be running an Nvidia GPU, and it has to be at least a GTX 650 in order for it to work. Laptops require something from the GTX 800M, 700M, or Kepler-based GTX 600M-series of GPUs. Nvidia says it hasn't made any large improvements to the existing Gamestream tech, so if you've tried Gamestream before with a Shield Portable, the experience is largely the same with the Shield Tablet: that's to say, if you've got a good wireless connection, it works well.</div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> Over WiFi you get 720p streaming, and with a good, clear wireless signal, games look great. Obviously, the more powerful your PC, the better your games will look, but with the resolution capped at 720p over WiFi, you can afford to crank a few more settings than you would at 1080p. While there's no mistaking streamed games for native games thanks to a few light video compression artefacts, I happily played through the likes of Bioshock Infinite without issue. However, if you've got poor WiFi reception, or you're playing over the internet, then the quality and responsiveness of streamed games takes a hit. It's particularly noticeable in driving games, where the lag can make games like Grid 2 almost unplayable. Shooters like Bioshock Infinite fare much better, though. Basically, if you've got a poor connection, stay away from any twitch-based games.</div> <div style="background-color: #f4f5f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141415; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 2.4rem; padding: 0px;"> Over ethernet, the Shield Tablet supports 1080p streaming, although, good luck trying to find a compatible ethernet adaptor. Nvidia doesn't sell one itself, and its knowledgebase for the original Shield simply states that "it may be possible to use a third party micro-USB to Ethernet adaptor," rather than actually suggesting which one to buy. So, you're left hunting through forums, and while some users have reported good compatibility with certain adaptors, it doesn't seem like there's a definitive choice. Clearly, if a feature is going to be advertised, it should be easy for customers to use it, and not have to go through a process of trial and error and Google searches to get there..</div> </div>

News Nvidia Shield Tablet and Controller Review

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