When comparing NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet vs NVIDIA SHIELD Console, the Slant community recommends NVIDIA SHIELD Console for most people. In the question“What are the best Android gaming devices that have proprietary game controllers?” NVIDIA SHIELD Console is ranked 1st while NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet is ranked 2nd. The most important reason people chose NVIDIA SHIELD Console is:
Kodi media center is now available on the Play Store for Android TV devices which is very convenient since the old method of installing the app was to sideload, which can be difficult for new users.
Specs
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Pros
Pro High-spec hardware at a good price
The Shield has great hardware, including a Tegra K1 GPU, stereo speakers, and a resolution of 1920 x 1200, for $300, cheaper than the similarly spec'd Nexus 9. This makes for a great gaming experience, as well as a snappy interface in everyday use.
Pro Stream games from GTX powered PCs
Users of the SHIELD have the ability to stream games from high end GTX powered PCs, allowing high performance gaming anywhere in the house.
Pro Near stock Android
NVIDIA opted to not mess around too much with the OS and stuck with a mostly stock experience, keeping modifications to a minimum other than what was needed to provide its core gaming features.
Pro Immersive audio
The SHIELD Tablet features front-mounted stereo speakers, which make for an excellent experience while gaming or watching movies. This is in contrast to most other tablets, which generally have a single small speaker, often not pointed in the same direction as the screen, primarily meant only as a fallback for when headphones aren't used.
Pro Built in Twitch support
The device is able to instantly stream to Twitch by utilizing a option that is built into the notification pull down.
Pro Stylus support
There is a storage space for a stylus (that comes in the box) in the device.
Pro Kodi is installable from the Play Store
Kodi media center is now available on the Play Store for Android TV devices which is very convenient since the old method of installing the app was to sideload, which can be difficult for new users.
Pro 50 curated games at launch
There will be 50 curated games at launch of the device including the likes of Borderlands and Crysis.
Pro NVIDIA Tegra X1
The NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet has an NVIDIA Tegra X1 processor, which is reported as having twice the performance of an XBox 360.
Cons
Con Wireless controller does not come with device
The proprietary SHIELD controller does not come with the device, it is $60 extra to purchase one.
Con Drains battery in idle
The tablet is poorly optimized for idle standby mode, and drains the battery when you aren't using it, losing up to 25% when left alone for 4 hours.
Con Inconsistent quality control
Reviews seem split, and there are many complaints on the forums, indicating that the device has poor quality control, with many users getting duds.
Con Cannot be repaired
Con Construction quality is cheap
The chassis is made of plastic and both the case and the screen flex when pressed.
Con Can only have 2 USB hard drives
There are only two USB ports built into the device, which limits how many hard drives one can hook up, but the kicker is, even when using a USB hub the device will still only read two USB devices hard drives at a time, no matter how many are plugged into the USB hub.
Con Only capapable of low end gaming
Even the demos of the games shown at the unveiling shows that any type of console quality game is going to be too taxing for the system, all running at only 30fps. Adding to that, the majority of console ports for the system are years old which shows that it is pretty obvious how limiting the system will be.