Gametel iOS controller

The Gametel was originally designed for Android. The packaging doesn't mention iOS, and omits the micro-USB lead for charging because the assumption is that you already have one.

Fortunately, the controller is actually iCade-compatible and is easily paired with an iOS device over Bluetooth.

Uniquely for the devices on test, it can house a device in landscape in an extendable clip, although this also means it's uglier than the 8-Bitty and SteelSeries Free.

The Gametel D-pad had almost the opposite problem to the 8-Bitty: diagonals weren't hard to find, they were too easy to slip into. The D-pad felt good, but we found it too often lacked precision, causing errors in games that demand tight all-round controls.

For titles such as Gridrunner and Forget-Me-Not, we were often frustrated; with more forgiving games such as Ice Rage, the sloppiness was fine; and for platform games where you merely need left, right and action buttons, the Gametel is a potentially decent bet, with action buttons that are responsive enough.

Sadly, the Gametel falls down in terms of button mapping. Identical to the 8-Bitty, too many titles map important actions to the tiny centre start/select buttons or the shoulder buttons, which rest on the middle of your fingers.

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Nvidia Project Shield

The CES 2013 announcement of the Nvidia Project Shield means that PC games finally have a dedicated handheld system, and the idea isn't completely ridiculous.
Okay, the controller-based design is a little out there at first glance, and many might struggle to see how this could be comfortable. However, flipping open the screen's protective lid and picking up the gamepad feels as natural as can be.
But Nvidia isn't so much concerned about how the things looks as it is about what's going on inside - a Tegra 4 quad-core processor and 72-core GeForce GPU, as you're asking.

Forget the odd design - this feels great in the hands

At PAX East we plunked our con-weary body down in front of a Project Shield handheld synced with a Geforce-equipped PC. We were thankful not only to get some quality time with Nvidia's upcoming handheld, but also to just sit in a chair.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was the title being served, and we used the Shield's dual stick and triggers setup to harass some hapless (but not helpless) guards with a few fireballs.
Dual wielding is the standard approach in Oblivion. Players generally equip a weapon or spell in their right hand, with either a defensive item like a shield or a second form of retaliation (sword, mace, lightning bolt, healing spell) in the left.
This is why having two triggers and sticks is so essential to bringing a real gaming experience to handheld. The controls were tight, and when we looked at the computer monitor with its tricked-out Geforce-fueled graphics, it felt like we were getting the best of both worlds: simple console controls and high-end PC graphics.
Wirelessly streaming PC titles to your HDTV is one trick Nvidia plans to teach Shield down the road, but initially this will require a HDMI connection.

Less than keen on the screen

We're glad that Nvidia has thought of that, because no matter how hard you try, a dinky handheld display will never hold a candle to a 1080p screen. It didn't do the Shield any favors to be played right next to a monitor rendering the exact same image, but looking much better.
Sparks and flares coming off our fireball attacks looked dull and blocky. While we were impressed at the one-for-one, zero latency between Shield and the computer it was synced with, it made us wonder why you would use this handheld when you're in the same building as your computer. Being able to bridge your TV and your PC with the Shield is a good reason. It could be a killer feature, especially if you're someone who's bent over backwards to do it with HDMI, using a wireless mouse and keyboard on the couch.
Getting back to the 5-inch display strapped to Project Shield, it's 720p and just 294 ppi. That was nothing to sneeze at a few years ago, but now your average smart phone is rocking ppi in the mid-300's. The lovely new HTC One has 440 ppi. For phones, a ppi in the high 200's, low 300's is mid-range territory.
Android games seem like a better fit for this handheld, since they're played locally and don't require an expensive gaming PC and the will to not use it. Still, that makes us wonder what this handheld will cost, and if it will be worth the price.
Nvidia hasn't opened up about pricing, but The Verge seems to think it won't be cheap. If that's the case, we're not sure the Shield will be able to compete in the Android gaming market. We can't see why someone would choose it over something more affordable, albeit less feature-filled, such as the Moga Pro or a gaming laptop, if it's truly mobile PC gaming they crave.

The project shield buttons resemble an Xbox 360 controller

Not necessarily the final build

As we hacked and slashed our way through the demo, an Nvidia rep told us that the Shield would be fine-tuned a bit before its release. Specifically it's the D-pad and the triggers that might get some tweaking.
While we couldn't find anything amiss with the triggers, the D-pad did feel cheap and imprecise. There wasn't much differentiation between a diagonal and a lateral press. As with the Xbox 360 version, Elder Scrolls just uses the pad for scrolling up and down through weapons and spells, and it was good enough for that. We wouldn't want to use it for a fighting game or a platformer, though.
We were really relieved when the rep highlighted the D-pad as something that could be reworked. Controllers and peripherals aren't really Nvidia's bag, and the fact that it's aware of what's not up to snuff shows that it's doing its homework and easing into this new market smoothly.

Early Verdict

Nvidia Project Shield is supposed to launch in Q2 2013, and it'll be able to play PC, Steam, Android and TegraZone games out of the box.
That's quite a launch lineup. Unfortunately, PC and Steam games can only be streamed via local WiFi, as there needs to be a PC running the games; this controller-based handheld is just a receiver for these more powerful titles.
The technology is interesting and the idea is out of left field, but the price and the inability to stream all games may limit the appeal of Nvidia's PC portable.

More to come

June 2013 is currently Nvidia's target for the Project Shield's release date. As that date fast approaches, we're hoping that the graphics card giant has some more tricks up its sleeve for this handheld - or at the very least a competitive price. Hopefully it can launch with the PC-to-TV streaming, or ensure that if follows shortly after. Otherwise, it may have a tough time finding an audience and end up inviting some unfavorable OnLive comparisons. That, or become a handheld that few put their hands on, like the PS Vita.

PC on the go? Almost

Project Shield: What you need to know

Read our report on next generation gaming in tech. magazine, including the latest on the Xbox 720, Project Shield and the PS4.
The first thing to say about Project Shield is that picking it up is akin to holding an Xbox 360 controller.
There are four individually colored face buttons in the same upper-right quadrant, and four shoulder buttons on top.
In fact, the only difference between the Project Shield controller layout and the Xbox 360 controller is the placement of the analog stick and D-Pad. Nvidia reversed the two.
In the end, PS3 gamers will feel right at home with this side-by-side dual analog orientation, while Xbox players will be accustomed to the overall body of Project Shield.

Nvidia tech specs

Under Project Shield's gamepad exterior lies an Nvidia Tegra 4 processor, which has a 72-core GeForce GPU. This is also the first quad-core application of ARM's most advanced CPU core, the Cortex A-15.
All of this translated beautiful graphics that maintained snappy movements and lag-free gameplay during tests.
Beyond the Tegra 4 processor, Nvidia wasn't ready to talk about the disk capacity that the device will have in the future. In fact, the company wasn't even willing to divulge the storage being employed by the current prototype.
On disk capacity, all that Nvidia has confirmed is that there will be a MicroSD card slot for expandable storage.
Other ports include a micro USB port, a headphone jack and an HDMI port for easy video output to a big screen. Nvidia, working closely with Valve, ensured that Project Shield would take advantage of Steam's Big Picture Mode.
Shield also has 802.11n 2x2 MIMO Wi-Fi, making it nice and speedy.

Nvidia controller interface

Besides the short-lived Hip Interactive Screen Pad Controller from a decade ago, this is the first screen-mounted controller that is getting a big push from a third-party company.
Its 5-inch touchscreen is 720p, and even though everyone's focus is on the gamepad, there is multitouch in the 294 dpi retinal screen too.
Having the option to utilize the touchscreen for menus while always being able to take advantage of the controller's buttons for just about everything else is extremely convenient.
The Nvidia also packed a powerful set of speakers into the top of the controller portion of Project Shield. It's twice the low-frequency output of high-end laptops.

Project Shield streaming Need for Speed: Most Wanted

Nvidia launch games and apps

One of the best parts of the Nvidia Project Shield is the fact that its launch games are familiar - it's everything you can already own on the PC, Steam, Google Play, and Nvidia's own TegraZone store.
PC and Steam games can be streamed to the device through WiFi so long as the PC running the games is packing an Nvidia GeForce GTX GPU - a GTX 650 (desktop) or GTX 660M (notebook) or better.
As a result, all of the usual suspects were on hand to play, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and Need for Speed: Most Wanted, and they streamed to the device flawlessly without lag.
TegraZone games and Google Play apps, meanwhile, can be downloaded directly to Project Shield device. Nvidia, being as open as possible, isn't gimping this version of the Android OS - it's running a pure Jelly Bean 4.2.
All of this means that Project Shield will have the biggest launch lineup for any handheld gaming system ever built. You can't beat the countless PC games, more than 18,000 Steam games, and 675,000-plus Google Play games and apps.

Project Shield battery life

Battery life is always a bone of contention when it comes to handhelds, but Nvidia thinks that it can pull off an impressive 20-plus hours from the Project Shield when streaming.
That's because all of the processing power is being handled by the GeForce GTX GPU-equipped PC. Project Shield's hardware, meanwhile, uses energy-saving PRISM 2 technology and a battery-saver core to lengthen that charge time.
Essentially, Nvidia is doing what Netflix and OnLive have done for users - having all of the major resources handled in another location and using WiFi bandwidth to offload the heavy-duty processing.

Project Shield with a closed lid

PC handheld in the home

Of course, the PC and Steam games need to be running on the computer to stream to a Project Shield. This means that the device's handheld capabilities are pretty much limited to the home.
With the exception of taking a gaming laptop with you to a location that has WiFi, this kind of negates most of the handheld gaming aspects outside of Google Play and TegraZone titles.
Nvidia did make it possible to boot up a game via the handheld thankfully. You won't have to run to the computer each time you want to load a new game.

Project Shield release date and price

Nvidia is currently aiming at June 2013 to get the Shield on the market, and it confirmed that a Q2 release was still on track at its recent investors' conference.
This rapidness is possible as the powerful but efficient Tegra 4 processor is ready to go and all of the launch games are spoken for through services like Steam, Google Play, and TegraZone.
One thing that Nvidia still needs to decide on, and quickly, is the Project Shield price. So far, the company has remained tight-lipped on how much it will cost when it arrives.
It did, however, reveal that the company had invested $10 million (around £6.5m/AUS$9.5) in the handheld, which gives it a much cheaper production cost than other big console launches.
Even without a set price, Nvidia is already setting its sights high for Project Shield. In addition to trying to sway gamers who have become bored with the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita, it's going after the broader smartphone and tablet gaming market, too.
Nvidia said that it created Project Shield to do for games what the iPod and Kindle have done for music and books. As long as it's priced right, Project Shield might just have the hardware to back up that statement.

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Razer Edge review

When you hear the phrase "tablet gaming," what comes to mind? Angry Birds, Infinity Blade and The Walking Dead games? Well what if we told you that Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Batman: Arkham City and Far Cry 3 were now tablet territory?

That's the dream being dreamt by the gaming aficionados at Razer. The makers of high-end gaming laptops like the Razer Blade and slick peripherals like the Razer Sabertooth controller now present the Razer Edge.

This Windows 8 tablet for the hardcore set comes in two flavors: Razer Edge and Razer Edge Pro. We reviewed the Pro, which has an i7 Intel processor, 8GB of RAM, a 2GB NVIDIA GT 640M LE and the option of a 128GB or 256GB solid state drive. The lower-end version has an i5, 4GB of RAM, a 1GB version of the same Geforce card and a 64GB SSD.

Essentially, it's a W8 slate with the guts to game, but it's made player-friendly through excessive accessorization. Sold separately there's a Docking Station for easy charging and port access, and the Gamepad controller, a one-of-a-kind rig that gives you console style control sticks, bumpers and triggers.

There's also a keyboard dock coming soon that makes the Edge into a sorta-kinda laptop. It's not available yet, so we haven't tried it.

The accessories we tried were awesome, but it's unfortunate how essential they are, because the real kicker for the Razer Edge is price. Our Pro review unit with the 256GB SSD retails for $1,450, while the lower-end version is $1,000. Tacking on a Gamepad is an additional $249, and the dock is $99, so you could be spending $1,700 or $1,800.

For that kind of money, you could buy a laptop with far more power and functionality than this accessorized tablet. A laptop would be more portable too, since it has no extra gear to haul. These are the exact same reasons that we couldn't love the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 and the Acer Iconia W510 as much as we wanted to.

Still, while it lacks portability and affordability, the Razer Edge does have two big things going for it: power and novelty. As far as playing the latest AAA titles goes, the Edge delivers, to a surprising degree. It didn't blow away our benchmarks, but we spent hours gaming on this puppy, and it did not disappoint.

And it's just freaking cool. When docked in the Gamepad controller, the Edge is fun to hold, and everyone who saw us playing gawked and wanted a turn.

Make no mistake, you can get a gaming laptop with more power and portability than the Razer Edge. But while the Edge is too pricey to wholeheartedly recommend, and the battery life won't have you playing far from a charger, there's little else wrong with the Razer Edge Pro, and it's just plain fun.

Design

Let's ignore that awesome Gamepad rig for a moment and just think about the Razer Edge Pro as a tablet because, hey, that's what it is. 11-inches wide and and 7-inches tall, it's like a Surface Pro, except beefy.

At a little over 2 pounds and 0.8-inches thick, you can tell that it's packing a little more heat than your average W8 slate. It has some Razer branding on the back, a three-headed green snake that lights up when the Edge is on, like the white Apple logo on a MacBook Pro.

Above the logo you'll find twin vents. These guys put out enough hot air to blow dry your cat, but do an admirable job of keeping the Edge cool. Don't expect it to heat up too much in your hands or lap.

It's got an all plastic body that looks sleek and feels smooth to the touch. The display glass runs all the way to edge of the device, wrapped in a thin bezel. The actual display size is 8 3/4-inches wide, with a native resolution of 1366 x 768, so we're not in full HD territory.

That display supports 10-point multitouch, as any respectable W8 device should. It's a sharp, durable screen that didn't take on any scratches or scuffs after riding to and from work in our backpack.

Bright outdoor lighting gives the display some trouble, especially when viewing dark images, but no more so than your average cell phone or tablet screen. Besides, we're pretty sure the Razer Edge wasn't designed to appeal to the outdoorsy type.

On the underside of the tablet you'll find the Edge's charging port. It uses a proprietary charger provided by Razer.

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At the top of the machine are a few basic ports and switches. There's a USB 3.0 port, a headphone jack, volume rocker, a button for toggling autorotate, a switch to summon the W8 on-screen keyboard and a power button.

Since this is a well-equipped Windows 8 machine, you can do any and all basic computing tasks. Photoshop, Microsoft Office programs, all those "legacy" Windows applications will run here. You will want a keyboard and mouse though, which bumps up against Razer's claims of portability.

You can also just use it like the tablet it is and browse the web or read on Kindle, but the Edge's weight makes less than ideal as an e-reader. You'll get tired of holding it upright.

It's good for watching Netflix though. The speakers are very loud and quite clear, and being able to rest it in your lap or on its dock negates the weight issue.

Overall, the Edge tablet exudes quality design. It feels good to hold, and thanks to beefy internals and a full version of Windows 8, it's every bit the real deal computer it's being sold as. However, to do anything outside of the tiled Start Screen, it needs a mouse at the very least. As far as gaming goes, there just aren't many AAA titles optimized for touch.

And while the tiled Windows 8 interface works perfectly with a finger, the minute you get into the desktop, you're going to want a mouse, and something to keep the Edge at a proper viewing angle. That's where the Docking Station comes in.

Docking Station

For an additional $99, Razer will sell you a Docking Station for your Razer Edge. Like the Edge itself, it's not cheap, but very well built. It connects to the Edge tablet with a power plug and two plastic pegs.

Since the Edge only has one USB port, the dock is the only way you can connect both a keyboard and a mouse, short of going bluetooth. The back of the dock has three USB 2.0 ports, a headphone and mic jack, an HDMI port and power jack for Razer's charger.

The underside of the dock is covered in an insanely grippy rubber material. It feels like an amped up version of the Gecko material found on the side of Razer mice. It actually takes a bit of effort to pull the dock off a desk. This puppy is not going to slip with your expensive tablet resting on it.

Being able to drop your Razer Edge into the dock for a mouse and keyboard experience makes it feel like something of a compact all in one. Note that we said "compact," not portable. If we need to haul a keyboard with us, that term ceases to apply.

Gamepad controller

In our opinion, there's not much point in owning the Razer Edge unless you spring for the gamepad controller. It's an extra $249, so coupled with a Razer Edge Pro at $1,450, you're looking at a $1,700 investment.

That stings, but with the gamepad controller you get a very unique gaming experience, and everything you need to actually boot up and play a game that's not optimized for touch.

Just like the Razer Edge tablet, the gamepad controller exudes quality construction and feels very nice to hold. It also has its own battery, which gives a much needed boost to the Edge's overall battery life.

When the Edge sits in this rig, it feels like you've crossbreed an Xbox 360controller with a Wii U GamePad. It has all the buttons and sticks console gamers are used to. Dual analog sticks trimmed with grippy rubber, pressure sensitive triggers, and two sets of shoulder buttons. There's also a four button layout, quality D-pad and the equivalent of start and select buttons.

All the buttons give a satisfying press and feel like the result of excellent craftsmanship. We don't envision them wearing out fast like some cheap, third-party controller. It also has a built in rumble feature, like many console controllers.

The downsides of this rig are related to bulk. When the tablet meets gamepad the two weigh in at a little over 4 pounds. Holding it upright in front of you is tiring after just a few minutes. The most comfortable way to play is with it resting in your lap, or with your elbows on a desk or table.

It also puts the kibosh on the Edge's portability. The Gamepad is big, and takes up a lot of room in a bag. You'll also look pretty unusual if you pull this thing out to play in public, so get ready for a few looks.

Overall though, it's a fine piece of hardware, and the crown jewel of the Razer Edge experience.

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