The Nvidia Shield gaming device has been offering console-quality support for games since its launch. Now the company has announced that it will be opening its handheld device to the universe of Android games, adding console support to thousands of games that were originally only designed for touch screens.
The way it is able to accomplish this is with its new Gamepad Mapper technology. This allows users to create their own custom controls for thousands of games in the Google Play Store. If this doesn't sound appealing to some, they can opt to use Nvidia's default profiles, which are automatically downloaded from the cloud and are available for hundreds of the top touch-based Android games, according to CNET.
Nvidia first unveiled Shield at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. Since that time it has experienced sales slumps as a result of the limited games that were compatible with the technology at launch. However, the company recently announced that, thanks to similar expansion efforts like this one, Shiled is now selling out in stores.
Along with the Gamepad Mapper, the update allows for more support for PC game streaming through the Nvidia GameStream mode. The PC streaming reportedly supports more than 50 games like "batman; Arkham Origins" and "Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag."
The update is also responsible for brining Android 4.3 Jelly Bean to Shield. This gives users features such as restricted profiles, expandable notifications and other improvements that make the system feel a bit faster and smoother. According to CNET, it also expands the Sheild's support for SD cards, allowing gamers to move .OBB and .APK files to external flash cards to free up space on the Sheild's internal storage.
Nvidia will offer up to $100 off Shield with the purchase of certain Nvidia GeForce GTX graphics cards for a limited time. The deal also includes free copies of "Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag," "Splinter Cell: Blacklist" and "Batman: Arkham Origins."
