thaddius' Console Roast 2014 Edition - Round 12

[Psionic Roshambo]

The Shield costs $199 as of today and it would seem that this price point isn't going to change because NVidia noticed a spike of interest in the device after the price was lowered, I don't think that budget devices will be able to match that hardware with a superior price point anytime soon and even if they will, they'll still require an additional input method (with a few exceptions like the Chinese gaming tablets, but those are usually poor quality gadgets), making the Shield the superior choice either way. I hated on the Shield big time when it came out, but that's because they charged an arm and a leg for it and getting a phone and an external controller was just more cost-effective. Now that it's affordable it's a perfectly viable Android solution, definitely superior to something you'd immediately cover with fingerprints or something underpowered. Hell, I see it as better than the OUYA which is admittedly far cheaper but it's a "home micro console" and that disqualifies it in terms of portability which is what you want from mobile-grade games (then again, it's not a huge achievement to be better than the OUYA... ;O; ).

The biggest problem I can honestly see with the Shield, games that require you to use the system in portrait mode. Not many games force you to use your system like that but if you like puzzle games and some of the cool tower defense ones. You run into them from time to time.

I imagine that the games run fine like that and can even be played, I just can't imagine it being a fun experience? (If a Shield owner has tried them and it's only my imagination that this would be a pain in the ass, please please correct me!)

Edit: Sort of on that subject let me throw in my recommendation for an awesome Tower Defense game with Zombies!!! (Warning will force you to use your system in portrait mode.) I have completed the whole game and it is great, considering starting it over again just because it's that fun, and it's free!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.artofbytes.gravedefence.hd.free&hl=en

 

[thaddius]

The biggest problem I can honestly see with the Shield, games that require you to use the system in portrait mode. Not many games force you to use your system like that but if you like puzzle games and some of the cool tower defense ones. You run into them from time to time.

That's been a bummer for me as a developer. I'm currently working on a puzzler kind of game that uses a portrait orientation. While I would love to launch it on the Shield (one of my teachers keeps bugging me about it too) doing so would make the game either annoying to play, or if I just scrunched the screen down to a small portrait in landscape mode it'd be super tiny.

At least I'll be able to launch it on the Vita...

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

The biggest problem I can honestly see with the Shield, games that require you to use the system in portrait mode. Not many games force you to use your system like that but if you like puzzle games and some of the cool tower defense ones. You run into them from time to time.

I imagine that the games run fine like that and can even be played, I just can't imagine it being a fun experience? (If a Shield owner has tried them and it's only my imagination that this would be a pain in the ass, please please correct me!)

As a Shield owner, I don't play many portrait games on my Shield. Not because I can't, you can actually quite comfortably grip the controller part sideways with one of your hands and then use the other to touch the screen, but because I've got other devices I can play puzzle games or whatever other portrait mode games if I ever feel like it. An example of a game I have played in portrait mode on the Shield, Don't Tape the White Tile. I was able to comfortably play the game for the 5 minutes it was enjoyable and still get a fairly nice score (for one hand, at least). I think my best in Classic on the Shield is something like 9.3 seconds, whereas on my phone it's something around 6.8 or 6.9 seconds.

 

[KingBlank]

I'm upset by the amount of votes for Nvidia Shield, I guess its just because people click the one they know nothing about.
after all, I have been enjoying playing Dark Souls 2 Darksiders 2(which I don't own), In bed, streaming from Nvidia's free grid servers, with a tiny 50ms lag.
Seems like once this technology is fully realized we will have no need for gaming PC's XD

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

I'm upset by the amount of votes for Nvidia Shield, I guess its just because people click the one they know nothing about.
after all, I have been enjoying playing Dark Souls 2 (which I don't own), In bed, streaming from Nvidia's free grid servers, with a tiny 50ms lag.
Seems like once this technology is fully realized we will have no need for gaming PC's XD

wut

Dark Souls 2 isn't on GRID. Maybe you're thinking of Darksiders 2?

 

[KingBlank]

wut

Dark Souls 2 isn't on GRID. Maybe you're thinking of Darksiders 2?

Yeaaah, But of a typo there, I won't edit it out now that you have pointed that out. :o

 

[Hyperstar96]

I think everyone's too harsh on the Neo Geo X. It has an "X" in its name. That's pretty cool.

The Nvidia Shield, though? Not actually a shield. It's a total ripoff, through and through.

Come on, guys, this isn't tough.

Then Vita would be the worst. "Vita" translates to "life". That thing can't bring me back to life. It's a scam.

 

[TheCasketMan]

The Shield is getting decent PC games/ports such as Half Life 2, Portal, and Mount & Blade plus cloud gaming with GRID. It is also an excellent emulation machine and Android gaming platform, with an excellent console quality controller. I know you can buy a MOGA, but there is so much more you can do on the Shield, so I don't know why it is so underrated.

 

[Sakitoshi]

I came here to ruin the Shield party, the device is nice, powerful and all but I'm from the ones that think that a portable needs to fit on your pockets(even when most of the time I use a bag when going out) and the Shield fails there, is much more comfortable being able to just take out something from your pocket than open the bag, get the thing out and then close the bag.
I also think that use Android is a bad decision to use as a gaming OS, the use of thousand of wrappers instead of run directly lowers the performance unnecessarily and the handling of multitasking is terrible(sometimes on my phone background apps have interrupted the app I was using and apps that(supposedly) runs as services stop working because other background apps force close them. all of this is only when you run out of ram of course) and you can't tell easily what apps are running on background(you can go to settings -> applications but that isn't very user friendly and also list the services, unlike my old phone with Symbian where you need to long press the menu button to get the list of apps running), and I dislike that if you open a new app said new app force his way and close some background apps to free ram instead of asking "you have too many apps open, please close some to free ram"(another thing that Symbian does).
so imagine you are playing a demanding game and just because a little background app like to do something and need more ram closes your game, will you be happy??
the 3DS and Vita handle multitasking well and the NeoGeo X don't have problems there with no multitasking at all.

 

[Veho]

I'm from the ones that think that a portable needs to fit on your pockets(even when most of the time I use a bag when going out) and the Shield fails there, is much more comfortable being able to just take out something from your pocket than open the bag, get the thing out and then close the bag.

In that case the Vita or the 3DS aren't "portables" either. Neither can comfortably fit into a pocket (not counting jacket pockets here).

 

[Foxi4]

In that case the Vita or the 3DS aren't "portables" either. Neither can comfortably fit into a pocket (not counting jacket pockets here).

To be fair, there haven't been a lot of "pocket portables" in general. I guess the Game Boy Pocket, Color and Micro all fit pockets nicely, but anything beyond that was either far too big for putting in a small pocket or a clamshell which shouldn't be put in a pocket at all as it could damage the hinge. Seeing that I'm not wearing skintight pants, this was never a problem to me. Then again, I prefer not to put my portables in my pockets simply because they could get damaged or scratched in the process - cases are the way to go for me.

 

[Sakitoshi]

In that case the Vita or the 3DS aren't "portables" either. Neither can comfortably fit into a pocket (not counting jacket pockets here).

I have fairly big pockets and the 3DS XL and Vita fit well, but I can't comfortably fit a Dualshock 3. for a device to be portable is also important to have a flat form, in the case of the 3DS/XL you fold it and is totally flat, the Vita has the sticks but still is flat enough, the Shield has the triggers and the grips that get in the way when if you put it on your pockets. even larger devices like laptops are flat to be able to carry them without problems inside a bag. also the weight doesn't help, is almost twice the weight of the 3DS XL and Vita

 

[JulietStMoon]

In that case the Vita or the 3DS aren't "portables" either. Neither can comfortably fit into a pocket (not counting jacket pockets here).

I can definitely fit my 3DS XL in my front pocket just fine, even more so the original 3DS I used to have. That said, my pants are pretty big (44 inch waist). I don't keep any handhelds in my pocket anymore anyways, though because of issues I've had. 3DS screens get scratched (even the XL, and replacing screen protectors every couple of months is annoying), and DS and GBA hinges crack. The only handheld I feel safe keeping in my pocket anymore is the Game Boy Micro, and maybe the PSP.

 

[hankchill]

150 votes for Nvidia Shield.

That's 150 people who have either never touched the thing or don't even know what it is.

The Shield is a spectacular piece of hardware.

Oh well, haters gonna hate.

 

[KingBlank]

150 votes for Nvidia Shield.

That's 150 people who have either never touched the thing or don't even know what it is.

The Shield is a spectacular piece of hardware.

Oh well, haters gonna hate.

IKR, And I've never had games quit because of demanding background processes. I guess it helps that I rooted my shield and removed any unnecessary apps.
I do understand why people dislike the form factor though, its huge and I carry it around in a camera bag whenever I go somewhere.
But its not really a problem for me, because you are always going to look silly playing games on something that looks like a PSP or NDS, But maybe you look slightly less stupid using a shield because its not a familiar "Kids toy".
Speaking of PSP and NDS... you can play PSP with beautiful upscaling and great controls on the shield.

I use most my gaming handhelds round the house anyway

 

[coolmario]

As much as I love SNK handhelds, I'll have to vote Neo Geo X. I tried the shield at my friends house, pretty cool actually.

 

[Veho]

To be fair, there haven't been a lot of "pocket portables" in general.

It needs a new category, "pocketable console" Includes Dingoo A330 and Gameboy micro.

I have fairly big pockets and the 3DS XL and Vita fit well, but I can't comfortably fit a Dualshock 3.

I can definitely fit my 3DS XL in my front pocket just fine, even more so the original 3DS I used to have.

I'm 6'5'' and my pockets aren't exactly small, but I find anything bigger than the GBA SP too large, bulky and cumbersome to carry around in them, and when i transport a larger handheld around I do it in a bag or at least a jacket. And since I'm carrying a dedicated piece of luggage around just for the sake of the console, it doesn't matter by how much it overshoots the limit, so any size and weight short of something I have to put down and rest every once in a while is just as portable as a 3DS or Vita.