Geekisms!

Earlier this week, Nvidia announced the launch date and price for its latest foray into actual Gaming consoles, the Shield. Originally called Project Shield when it was revealed earlier this year at CES 2013, it consists of a 5-inch HD touchscreen and a controller that has a similar layout to the Xbox 360 controller. Internal specs include a Tegra 4 multi-core processor, 2 GB RAM, 16 GB Internal Memory, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0 and ports for Micro SD cards, Mini-HDMI, and 3.5 mm headphones.

In terms of what it can do, it runs Android Jellybean which gives it access to the entire catlog of games and apps available for the Android platform as well as games specifically designed for devices based on Nvidia's Tegra chipset. The presence of a physical controller means that you won't experience the limitations faced by most touchscreen android devices (but then, some games were made specifically for touchscreen devices  and playing therm here will be awkward with the attachment). Also, the mini-HDMI port means that you can super-size your gaming experience on a big screen tv. 

Geekgasm, right?

This beast of a device is available for preorders right now for $349 which is a bit pricey compared to other consoles (both portable and home consoles) but then, this is a devices which sorta takes on all of them in their respective domains and comes pretty close to equaling them, if not beating them all. The only downside I see is the lack of premium titles for it right now but that might change once it hits the market.

Source: Nvidia Blog