NVIDIA Enters Handheld Console Market with Android-Based Project SHIELD

Yesterday at CES, NVIDIA made the surprise announcement that it is entering the handheld market with a portable console “designed for modern gamers who yearn to play when, where and how they want.” They're calling it Project SHIELD, which sounds a little Marvel to me, and they're also boasting about its “retinal” display, so keep an eye out for legal action. But if we assume that NVIDIA won't be sued, Project SHIELD will be the first of its kind: an all-in-one mash of console and controller, with other entertainment capabilities thrown in for good measure.

You can see what NVIDIA is trying to do. “Inspired by a vision that the rise of mobile and cloud technologies will free us from our boxes, letting us game anywhere, on any screen,” the creators are trying to appease the “hardcore” gamer without the need for an expensive (though absolutely no mention of price is given, so this could be far from cheap) powerhouse console and television screen. The console runs Android games when on the go, but can also be used as a controller for PC games. The latter is nothing new, however, so it'll have to be the former that sells the thing, but will it? Will the serious gamers NVIDIA wants to appeal to with the rugged black-and-green, overpriced-PC-accessory look be willing to whip one of these out on a long train journey?

With a multitouch display and the capacity to run Android apps like Hulu and Netflix, this looks like another case of throwing a load of features together and hoping they'll form a cohesive whole. NVIDIA obviously hopes this will be the next big thing, on every gamer's Christmas list. Do you think it'll make it?