Second-gen Nvidia Shield TV hands-on: All the new killer features Nvidia didn’t talk about - hooksstlece

For cord cutters who want nothing but the best, Nvidia's $200 Shield Television set console has always been the box of choice for streaming videos and even games. At CES 2017, the company announced a current-and-built version that adds in HDR hold up, refines gambling and entertainment options, and even transforms the Android TV device into a vocalization-controlled rival of the Amazon Echo.

We've already covered all the inside information discovered during Nvidia's CES 2017 press group discussion, merely I just spent over an hour at Nvidia's suite to learn Thomas More near the new Shield TV's every nooks and crannies. Here are some initial impressions, and a look at some of the more nitty-gritty improvements that weren't mentioned during the keynote.

Smaller and better

Before we even get into flashy features like saucy-national controls and Google Assistant, the second-gen Carapace TV packs worthy quality-of-life improvements over its predecessor. Let's start with the hardware!

The original Shield Idiot box still packs the same Tegra X1 chip and basic internal hardware every bit in front, but Nvidia managed to shrivel up the secondly-gen box down aside a whopping 40 pct. Information technology's imposingly petite in person, especially if you've ever laid eyes connected the master model.

Nvidia also reduced the Shield controller's footprint and weight: This revised version ditches the touchpad of the first-gen mold, and besides sports a more angular pleasing that matches the design cues of Nvidia's GeForce GTX 10-series graphics card game. But perhaps even better is that the remote now comes stock in the box with the Shield Idiot box, instead of being a $50 add-on.

The next-gen Shell Tv set as wel includes a sheer of software improvements: the new HDR capabilities, an upgrade to Android N, a somewhat redone interface, and the inclusion body of new Amazon River Instant Video (complete with HDR support!) and YouTube 360 apps. The Shield TV's GameStream support now also lets you stream PC games in bright HDR from a GeForce nontextual matter card-equipped computer to your TV, too.

Speaking of gaming, Nvidia's overhauled the Games section on the home screen, and it's added an all-revolutionary Nvidia Games app, likewise. Previously, the Games section only showed local Android games that had been played, but now the unexampled section shows any game recently fired up. The interface even lets you know whether you played via the Mechanical man app, Nvidia's Microcomputer-to-Shield local GameStream servicing, or GeForce Now (Nvidia's Netflix-esque, subscription-based game-streaming service).

The new Nvidia Games app reinforces that sense of unity. It brings the GeForce Now, GameStream, and Mechanical man apps together into a single user interface—games and recommendations from every the various sources are sorted into categories like "Most popular" and "For Kids" for browse. (If you try to play a game that requires GeForce Now, you'll be prompted to subscribe.) You can get more granular suggestions, likewise, as the app's user interface lets you limit the results to a particular source at any time.

GeForce Straight off

Nvidia has been updating to a higher degree retributive the Shield TV—it's been tweaking its GeForce Now service, too. However, Wednesday's news of GeForce Now for PCs and Macs won't touch what you'll receive on the Shield Idiot box. In fact, it'll stay the same in a very important agency: Each month subscription plans leave remain $8 per month.

Why the disparity? Nvidia says the Harbor version's depository library is built around sofa gaming, while the more complex Personal computer and Macintosh version uses a virtual PC and was built for keyboards and mice.

The Buckler Telecasting's GeForce Now service testament receive two major upgrades, though. The first involves an expansion of its catalog: All of Ubisoft's existing games will be playable through GeForce Now, and early releases will be available every bit standalone purchases the identical same day they release for PCs. Nvidia is also adding War Thunder, Paragon, and Marvel Heroes to its offerings in order to meet user demands for more multiplayer games.

nvidia shield 6 — The overhauled Nvidia Harbor controller.

The second gear is an upgrade of the inherent base. "Next-gen GeForce Now" will shift to the use of Pascal GPU architecture—up to GTX 1080 levels of firepower will be available for your streamed games, though you won't get at select your mathematical GPU loadout. Instead, GeForce Now will automatically attribute you a essential graphics wag based on what leave keep your game playing at optimum nontextual matter settings (as decided by GeForce Experience's optimization creature) at 60 frames per second.

Control your home

Finally, the new Nvidia Cuticle TV also doubles as an Virago Echo rival—it can function every bit a smart-home hub. You may accept the itch to birdcall information technology more of a Google Home competitor, since it's also powered by the new Google Supporter, but the comparison to Amazon's vox-controlled assistant is really stronger. Wherefore? Well, Nvidia's besides launching the eq of the Amazon Echo Dot.

The $50 "Nvidia Spotlight" is essentially a mic and Speaker that you plug into a bulwark socket to spread the Shield Telly's smart-home capabilities throughout your dwelling. In time, Nvidia plans to integrate a SmartThings app that'll get the Shield TV process as a SmartThings hub—you'll get replete control over stylish devices that use the Zigbee and Z-Wave protocols.

The system's secret sauce is in reality the revamped Shield controller mentioned sooner. A high-fidelity mike buried inside information technology will allow you to communicate with Google Assistant, as the idea is that the restrainer wish constitute well-nig you and by from noisy Idiot box speakers. No microphone exists inside the Shield TV console itself.

That design decision really benefits current Shield Goggle bo owners. A software update wish contribute every last of the second-gen Nvidia Cuticle TV's updates and features to first-gen models—an easy project since the fundamental computer hardware remains unchanged. If you want to capture in on the hands-free home assistant action, all you'll get to do is drop $50 on i of the overhauled, microphone-toting controllers.

The peerless thing Nvidia didn't talk about? Exact release date stamp info. If you dig into the preorder info on its retail partners' sites, though, IT appears that the $200 16GB model will ship on January 16, with the $300 500GB Pro model following happening January 30. Withal, IT's possible not altogether features leave personify ready straightaway, though—when we spoke with Nvidia, the company mentioned any bequeath go far "in the forthcoming months."

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/411581/second-gen-nvidia-shield-tv-hands-on-all-the-new-killer-features-nvidia-didnt-talk-about.html

Posted by: hooksstlece.blogspot.com