NVIDIA nTeresting Newsletter – 30 September 2013

In this issue:

· Our friends at Valve rolled out their living room PC concept with SteamOS and Steam Machine. We’re in favor of any initiative that promotes open-platform gaming and takes advantage of our market-leading Linux support.
· Tony Tamasi says PC is the platform for real next generation gaming experiences.
· HP expands their line-up of Tegra 4 devices.
· The NVIDA-designed Tegra Note makes it easy for our partners get a tablet on the market.
· Not even a bullet can stop our SHIELD.

Valve Wants your Living Room

Valve is one of the most innovative forces in the gaming industry, and now they want your living room. The first hint came with the announcement of the SteamOS.

“Valve is done teasing. Today, Valve has revealed SteamOS, its own operating system based on Linux, designed for living room gaming PCs.

Then came the Steam Machine reference design and BETA news.

“On the heels of its SteamOS announcement, Valve has confirmed the existence of its living room PC hardware called Steam Machines. To test its early prototype, Valve is giving out 300 machines to eligible Steam users who apply for its beta test.”

We jumped in to help!

“Engineers from Valve and NVIDIA have spent a lot of time collaborating on a common goal for SteamOS,” writes NVIDIA’s Mark Smith. “To deliver an open-platform gaming experience with superior performance and uncompromising visuals directly on the big screen.”

The SteamOS and Steam Machine concepts are great for the industry and we’re very excited for Valve and for gamers. The SteamOS is an elegant way to get your PC games into your living room and on to your biggest screen. We love the concept of a living room PC and think that it is increasingly becoming a more and more viable option. We’re in favor of any initiative that promotes open-platform gaming and takes advantage of our market-leading Linux support.

Read more in our blog.

PCs Deliver the Next-Gen Gaming Experiences

The console cycle has cycled back around again after 8 or so years. And once again people are comparing consoles to PC. PCs always win.

“It’s no longer possible for a console to be a better or more capable graphics platform than the PC.”

In the past, the new consoles rivaled PCs in graphics horsepower, but this time it’s different. The next-gen consoles will have the graphics capabilities of a mid-range GeForce GPU. And consoles will remain stagnant for many years while PCs continue to advance.

“Tamasi’s point is well taken. For years, PC gamers have laughed off console graphics. PCs, with high-powered GPUs, are able to deliver outstanding graphical fidelity outstripping consoles.”

NVIDIA makes a significant investment every quarter in our pursuit of every pixel on the planet.

“NVIDIA spends 1.5 billion US dollars per year on research and development in graphics, every year, and in the course of a console’s lifecycle we’ll spend over 10 billion dollars into graphics research. Sony and Microsoft simply can’t afford to spend that kind of money. They just don’t have the investment capacity to match the PC guys; we can do it thanks to economy of scale, as we sell hundreds of millions of chips, year after year.”

NVIDIA and HP Expand Line of Tegra 4 Devices

HP’s commitment to delivering high performance Android computing devices was further illustrated with the new Tegra 4-powered Slate8 Pro and Slate7 Extreme. Both tablets deliver Tegra 4’s lightning-fast web browsing, awesome gaming and great battery life.

The Slate8 Pro is not only a beast in the performance department, but its brilliant 8-inch display also boasts the highest resolution available on a tablet of its size. As a device geared toward productivity, it also comes preloaded with Kingsoft Office, HP File Manager, HP ePrint and HP Connected Photo.

The Slate7 Extreme is a device truly in its own class. With Tegra 4 at its heart, it’s already a step ahead of the competition – but NVIDIA and HP decided to push the envelope even further. The Slate7 Extreme is jam packed with NVIDIA’s innovative features such as the DirectStylus technology, PureAudio, and NVIDIA’s groundbreaking Chimera always-on HDR camera technology.

The Slate8 Pro and Slate7 Extreme are the latest tablets in a powerhouse collaboration between HP and NVIDIA that includes the Tegra 4-powered Slatebook X2 hybrid device and Slate21 AIO (All-in-One).

Just look at what people have to say:

“The HP tablet one-ups its fellow 8-inchers, with its sharp 1,600×1,200-pixel resolution IPS display, NVIDIA’s speedy Tegra 4 CPU, and a healthy 2GB of RAM.”

“Unlike the two Slate HD tablets, the Slate8 Pro can boast a top of the line chip inside: NVIDIA’s Tegra 4.”

“While using the stylus, the (Slate7 Extreme) screen was quick to respond with no lag time. The stylus itself was traditionally thin, light, and comfortable to hold for the small period of time it was used.”

“HP calls it the Slate7 Extreme, and the Tegra 4 tablet offers a variety of features that instantly set it apart from the rest of the pack.”

Tegra Note Brings Performance, Amazing Features – for Only $199

NVIDIA recently revealed its complete tablet platform, Tegra Note, that bring unique features and innovations at an amazing price point, along with some of the worldwide partners that will be bringing Tegra Note-based tablets to market.

The Tegra Note platform delivers awesome features – such as Tegra 4, a superb stylus, exceptional audio, HDR camera, 100% Android, and great gaming – at a starting price of only $199 USD. These great features had one editor saying “Watch your back, Galaxy Note.”

Local brands will be delivering their Tegra Note-based tablets worldwide starting in October 2013. This is in addition to already-announced Tegra 4 devices from Microsoft, ASUS, HP, Toshiba, Kobo, and Xiaomi.

Tegra Note is a complete tablet platform designed for our partners to take to market. The platform consists of NVIDIA’s hardware and software (right down to OTA updates), to our industrial design, accessories and network of partners in game development.

Tegra Note is chock-full of the innovative technologies NVIDIA is renowned for delivering – features such as the DirectStylus technology; PureAudio, which boasts the widest frequency range in any tablet; and of course, NVIDIA’s Chimera computational photography architecture to deliver stunning photos.

Check out what people are saying:

“Last year, the Nexus 7 set a new bar for Android tablets… Now, NVIDIA’s ready to do it all over again.” – The Verge

“Want a killer Android tablet? How does $199 sound?” – PC Mag

“… this could be a very affordable way to get a very high performing 7-inch Android tablet.” – AnandTech

“Take note, Android fans – NVIDIA has a gaming tablet for your consideration, and it’s going to be impressively cheap.” – CNET UK

“NVIDIA has created this tablet to show manufacturers exactly what is possible for a retail price less than $200.” – GigaOM

“The Android tablet market is about to get a massive shake up from the folks at NVIDIA.” – Android Community

SHIELD: Stronger Than a Speeding Bullet

I have seen a lot of reviews over the past 12 years. Most involve bar charts and bullet points. But recently I saw a SHIELD review that took a different take.

NVIDIA’s Shield hasn’t been on the market for long, but you might be wondering just how durable this thing is before you run out and drop $300 on one. It may not be the most traditional test of durability, but the folks at RatedRR recently took aim NVIDIA’s portable gaming device with a Mossberg 464.

Turns out that SHIELD was the first and only product these guys ever shot that continued to work. That is nice build quality. Warning: Shooting your SHIELD with a rifle will void your warranty.

And more traditional SHIELD reviews have been pretty great, too.

“As of today we love the Shield. It blends seamlessly into the connected world. It definitely has a unique place in the home.”