Nvidia Shield pre-orders start May 17, ships in June 2013 [updated]

By Adam Rosenberg May 17, 2013

Nvidia Project Shield (front) — Image used with permission by copyright holder

UPDATE: Pre-orders are now open as of today, May 17, for Nvidia’s Shield handheld gaming device, the company confirmed this morning. This is a change from the previously May 20 pre-order date, with the date shift chalked up to “excitement generated by the Nvidia Shield news this week,” according to the press release. You can put your money down now on one of these puppies either on Nvidia’s website, or at one of several retailers: Newegg, GameStop, and Canada Computer.

ORIGINAL POST: Nvidia’s Tegra 4-powered Project Shield handheld gaming device is set to start shipping in June 2013, with pre-orders going live through the official website starting on May 20. If you’re really committed to throwing money at one of these puppies immediately, you can also sign up for Nvidia’s official newsletter and get your pre-order set right now.

Dropping “Project” from the name before its release, Nvidia’s Shield is an open platform that runs on the Android Jelly Bean operating system. In addition to the beefy Tegra 4 multi-core processor, the device sports a 5-inch, 720p multi-touch display, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of integrated flash storage, a microSD slot, Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth. Those with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX-equipped gaming PC enjoy the added benefit of being able to stream PC games directly to the Shield.

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The price is set at $349. Those who pass on pre-ordering will be able to pick up the device next month from a number of retailers, including Newegg, GameStop, and Micro Center. Accompanying the pre-order announcement, Nvidia also confirmed five more Tegra 4-supported games that are due for release on TegraZone later this year: Broken Age and Costume Quest, both from Double Fine Productions; Flyhunter: Origins from Steel Wool Games, Skiing Fred from Dedalord Games; and Chuck’s Challenge 3D from Niffler.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

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