When comparing Nexus Player vs NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet, the Slant community recommends NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet for most people. In the question“What are the best Android gaming devices that have proprietary game controllers?” NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet is ranked 2nd while Nexus Player is ranked 6th. The most important reason people chose NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet is:
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.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Straightforward UI
The UI is similar to the of XBox and Fire TV. The homescreen consists of four rows - things you've watched, apps you've installed, games you've installed and settings.
Pro Built-in voice search
You can use the remote to search for movies based on a range of criteria such as release date, actors, genre, etc.
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.
Cons
Con No ethernet port
The Nexus player is WiFi only, making for an odd choice for a streaming box as much content could use the extra bandwidth an Ethernet port would offer in order to buffer faster when playing videos..
Con Voice search looks only through google's services
Voice search won't look through, for example, Hulu or Netflix.
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.