It’s got an 8-inch 1920×1200 display, quad-core Tegra K1 processor, 16GB of storage with a microSD slot for adding more storage, 2GB of RAM, front-facing speakers, and a pair of 5-megapixel cameras.
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The two tablets will be on slightly different paths though, it seems, as NVIDIA is saying the new Shield Tablet K1 will see Marshmallow “before the holidays” and the original Shield Tablet has no such time frame.
The NVIDIA SHIELD tablet K1 features a spec sheet similar to the original SHIELD tablet.
However, for that price you are getting a high-powered Android gaming tablet, packing with Tegra-optimised games, the new Nvidia GeForce Now game streaming service and all the Google apps you can shake a stick at. There are also Shield-exclusive Android ports of popular games like Half-Life 2 and Portal. Other options include such as Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, Octodad: Dadliest Catch and Vainglory. Three months of free access will be included with each purchase, after which it’ll be $7.99 per month.
Nvidia is promising to update the tablet to the Android 6.0 OS by the end of the year. Nope: It’s putting the same slate back on the market, albeit with a lower, $199 price tag and fewer bells and whistles.
Following on from the successful Nvidia Shield Tablet of 2014, there’s a new model available to buy right now. Benchmark numbers provided by Nvidia imply the upgraded Shield Tablet is now faster than the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 and the Apple iPad Mini 4, and our time with the original Shield Tablet has already shown us that real-world usage won’t be an issue.
The Shield Tablet K1 even retains the same dimensions and battery size as its predecessor, which means you shouldn’t expect the former to be the slimmest tablet around.
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NVIDIA also offers optional accessories including a $60 Shield controller wireless gamepad and a $40 cover that works as a kickstand to prop up the tablet while you’re playing games.
