Nvidia's Project Shield - 'Android & Tegra 4 inside'


It has the android kernel source, fastboot, and some driver binaries from what I can see. Not "full source" but enough to build your own android 4.2.1 from source.


They also have some Tegra 4 code in mainline linux 3.9, not sure how much is in there or if it's enough to build a distro off it yet. I don't know enough about bootloaders to try to build uboot off the fastboot source but I heard it's possible.
 
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Oh my.... If there is a god watching over the Pandora project protecting it from being compared to other devices, he needs to be fired. This might turn out to be the nail in the coffin.

There is build instructions and source as well !? Oh my some more....

EDIT:

looks like the kernel builds fine, no rootfs yet... more to come

http://forum.openhandhelds.net/index.php/topic,448.0.html
 
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Oh my.... If there is a god watching over the Pandora project protecting it from being compared to other devices, he needs to be fired. This might turn out to be the nail in the coffin. There is build instructions and source as well !? Oh my some more....
Looks really neat on it, but looking at the video I have the same impression as Levi: this cryies out for a Keyboard.

Another factor (for me) would be pocketability. Do you have both, a Shield and a Pandora ? I would be interested in how they compare on that regard.
 
Oh my.... If there is a god watching over the Pandora project protecting it from being compared to other devices, he needs to be fired. This might turn out to be the nail in the coffin. There is build instructions and source as well !? Oh my some more....
Looks really neat on it, but looking at the video I have the same impression as Levi: this cryies out for a Keyboard.

Another factor (for me) would be pocketability. Do you have both, a Shield and a Pandora ? I would be interested in how they compare on that regard.
lengthy post, but I do have both a pandora and a shield. I did a comparison some pages back in this thread,but I'll summarize all the points I made from several posts.

It came down to on the hardware side the shield lacking a keyboard and max potential storage (shield 64GB ext + 16GB int = 80GB total vs pandora's 128GB ext + 128GB ext + 512MB int = 256.5GB total) and the pandora lacking in processing & GPU power, ram, real joysticks vs nubs, analog trigger buttons, HDMI vs composite video out, 720p display, GPS, and as powerful wifi.

So yea, I agree, the lack of a keyboard is the killer feature the pandora has still. However there's very useful things the pandora is lacking as well. If you're more of a gaming centric person the shield is maybe a better fit because of the better and more control inputs, if you're more computer based the pandora might be a better fit because of the keyboard. You can still do both with both usb or bluetooth joypad on the pandora or a usb or bluetooth mini keyboard on the shield. It really comes down to how much you use those inputs, and how much you want those other things as well. 

The size and weight of both put both devices into the same catagory of portability use cases for me personally. I don't find either to be pocketable and I carry both in a bag in a protective carrying case. The weight difference is there, but I find neither to be uncomfortable to hold for extended periods of time. The shield weighs as much as a 1st gen ipad.

But the main glaring difference that I found most people on here were focusing on (besides the keyboard) was they saw android as a "phone OS and not a big boy operating system" (paraphrased)... and that's cool... I understand, and agree to some extent... but I made a point that it's just software, and a situation like what is seen on the video was inevitable given enough time and someone skilled to work on it.

and there's still the very significant price differences and build quality differences in favor of the shield.

I'm not saying this is going to completely kill off the customer base of the pandora. What I am saying is in "round one" of gaming centric pandora owners (or potential owners) they would rightfully be more enticed by the shields much beefier specs and better gaming experience. And those kinda in the middle of gaming and PC might prefer the pandora's straight linux over android. But here in "round two" we see that line between the two sort of fading away completely. Except the pandora still chroots android instead of booting into it natively, unlike the shield that was able to chroot linux from day one, but it now able to boot it natively. While you may not think there's a big difference, the difference is there and the experience IMO is significant be it performance or stability or function.

and I also made the point that the segment the pandora will always have the upper hand over the shield because of it's keyboard is it's pc like experience. The shield doesn't lack in function (software) anymore, but the pandora's "smallest usable netbook" experience is still the key to it's success. The pandora needs to stop focusing as much on it's gaming experience because at this point that battle is fought and lost badly IMO, turn your sights completely on the PC aspect as it's whats going to give you the advantage. Keep in mind the only thing really differentiating it from anything else and thusly being obsolete and overpriced is a keyboard that some (like myself) don't use much anyway.
 
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@SNESFAN

Although I don't own a Shield yet, I have used one on several occasions now, and I agree on several of your points. I don't find either really portable, and that actually goes for my 3DS XL and Vita as well. They all travel in my backpack or my cars passenger seat when I plan to play in my car.

Having a physical keyboard on the Pandora is great, but I use it about 1% of the time. I never use any of the computer emulation and the only time I use it is for turning on my Wi-Fi. So for me personally, the KB issue is moot, as I never use it.

I like both devices, but for me gaming has always been my only care(console and arcade), and in that regard, the Shield appears to be the more robust device.

Chris
 
lengthy post, but I do have both a pandora and a shield. I did a comparison some pages back in this thread,but I'll summarize all the points I made from several posts.
...
Thanks for the (unexpected elaborate) comparison. As I always planned to use the Pandora for more than just gaming, my usecase obviously differs. Mentioning the keyboard was just what came to my mind while watching the video as it looked quite cumbersome to do "desktop stuff"
 
Oh my.... If there is a god watching over the Pandora project protecting it from being compared to other devices, he needs to be fired. This might turn out to be the nail in the coffin. There is build instructions and source as well !? Oh my some more....
Looks really neat on it, but looking at the video I have the same impression as Levi: this cryies out for a Keyboard.

Another factor (for me) would be pocketability. Do you have both, a Shield and a Pandora ? I would be interested in how they compare on that regard.
lengthy post, but I do have both a pandora and a shield. I did a comparison some pages back in this thread,but I'll summarize all the points I made from several posts.

It came down to on the hardware side the shield lacking a keyboard and max potential storage (shield 64GB ext + 16GB int = 80GB total vs pandora's 128GB ext + 128GB ext + 512MB int = 256.5GB total) and the pandora lacking in processing & GPU power, ram, real joysticks vs nubs, analog trigger buttons, HDMI vs composite video out, 720p display, GPS, and as powerful wifi.

So yea, I agree, the lack of a keyboard is the killer feature the pandora has still. However there's very useful things the pandora is lacking as well. If you're more of a gaming centric person the shield is maybe a better fit because of the better and more control inputs, if you're more computer based the pandora might be a better fit because of the keyboard. You can still do both with both usb or bluetooth joypad on the pandora or a usb or bluetooth mini keyboard on the shield. It really comes down to how much you use those inputs, and how much you want those other things as well. 

The size and weight of both put both devices into the same catagory of portability use cases for me personally. I don't find either to be pocketable and I carry both in a bag in a protective carrying case. The weight difference is there, but I find neither to be uncomfortable to hold for extended periods of time. The shield weighs as much as a 1st gen ipad.

But the main glaring difference that I found most people on here were focusing on (besides the keyboard) was they saw android as a "phone OS and not a big boy operating system" (paraphrased)... and that's cool... I understand, and agree to some extent... but I made a point that it's just software, and a situation like what is seen on the video was inevitable given enough time and someone skilled to work on it.

and there's still the very significant price differences and build quality differences in favor of the shield.

I'm not saying this is going to completely kill off the customer base of the pandora. What I am saying is in "round one" of gaming centric pandora owners (or potential owners) they would rightfully be more enticed by the shields much beefier specs and better gaming experience. And those kinda in the middle of gaming and PC might prefer the pandora's straight linux over android. But here in "round two" we see that line between the two sort of fading away completely. Except the pandora still chroots android instead of booting into it natively, unlike the shield that was able to chroot linux from day one, but it now able to boot it natively. While you may not think there's a big difference, the difference is there and the experience IMO is significant be it performance or stability or function.

and I also made the point that the segment the pandora will always have the upper hand over the shield because of it's keyboard is it's pc like experience. The shield doesn't lack in function (software) anymore, but the pandora's "smallest usable netbook" experience is still the key to it's success. The pandora needs to stop focusing as much on it's gaming experience because at this point that battle is fought and lost badly IMO, turn your sights completely on the PC aspect as it's whats going to give you the advantage. Keep in mind the only thing really differentiating it from anything else and thusly being obsolete and overpriced is a keyboard that some (like myself) don't use much anyway.
Wow great post.  I agree 100% and I came from owning the Pandora to selling so I could get the Shield....never regret it as I never used it for the computer stuff anyways and technically most of that is better on the Shield except stuff that needs a keyboard.  Compare watching youtube on the Shield to a Pandora.....Shield wins easily.
 
^ Done!  I asked for a full-size, snap-on keyboard that can be fit perfectly over the existing gaming controls/buttons/speakers area.  This would be a cool thing to have for Arch Linux on the Shield until P2 :)
 
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^ Done!  I asked for a full-size, snap-on keyboard that can be fit perfectly over the existing gaming controls/buttons/speakers area.  This would be a cool thing to have for Arch Linux on the Shield until P2 :)
That's a coincidence , I asked for a keyboard to be added to it - so it can be used as a Linux UMPC
 
If they release a Shield with proper Linux and Keyboard the next year,

the Pandora line and alternative openhandhelds will be dead. The may do that on purpose.

GCW0 will have big problems because of the Shield already.
 
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Honestly, I don't believe this device will ever see a physical keyboard, as that defeats the whole purpose of the unit. I know many don't find this device truly portable, but it is, and it's designed to allow for PC streaming and Android gaming. A physical keyboard will fit "NOWHERE" on this device well, and if you have that, why not just use the PC in the first place? At this point, the Shield will be getting bigger and heavier and way less portable. 

If anything, they should be working on reducing weight, size and portability. I honestly love this device for it's bare-bones approach. Almost every review I watched or read makes it a point to talk about the lack of a camera, and I'm like WTF? I know reviewers need to point out all pluses and minuses, but to comment on how you can't Skype here, is to miss the whole point of the device.

Why do I need a camera on a dedicated gaming device? Unless a game requires a camera to work. I have a camera on my 3DS and Vita, and I used them both once to see how well AR games worked and then I was done. Now that's not to say a camera doesn't have it's place in gaming, but just not here.

To add a keyboard, or camera to this device makes it something it's not(or that it needs to be). The only real addition I would like to see(besides lowering the weight and overall size), would be a way to swivel the screen around, flip it over on it's self, and allow it to turn sideways for portrait games. It works as it is, but it's not ideal for touch or portrait games. 

Once the keyboard and camera comes, then it's a laptop, tablet or a smart phone/device and I'm not really interested in any of those things. Love the Shield for what it is, and let's not change it into something it's not.

Chris
 
...

The only real addition I would like to see(besides lowering the weight and overall size), would be a way to swivel the screen around, flip it over on it's self, and allow it to turn sideways for portrait games. It works as it is, but it's not ideal for touch or portrait games. 

...
I like this idea of yours too, but a paper thin, bluetooth keyboard that would also be nice.  If you want the keyboard for using with Linux OS, just slap it on top  over the controls/gaming button area.

http://on.aol.com/video/unrolling-a-new-paper-thin-keyboard-517922684
 
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IMG_20131001_211148_zpsda66076d.jpg
 
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I see always some kind of "sect attitude" among some Pandora owners. Come on: i own , not 1.. but 3 Pandoras. The first one, the rebirth and the 1ghz. And i will not sell any of them. I love my Pandoras.

Now... is the NVIDIA SHIELD a better console? it dependes what "better" means to you. Nvidia Shield can  emulate more and better than Pandora. Also Nvidia Shield can run console quality games (i don´t get the point about "some games has glitches... excuse me??? Pandora games has NO GLITCHES? PS VITA games has no glitches? ) , some games can display graphic quality at same level or even better level than Vita (except perhaps for the last VITA GAME , KiLLZONE MERCENARY) and NVIDIA SHIELD share some titles with PS3 (Burn Zombi Burn, Zombi Driver, etc), and the controls can not be compared with ANY portable console before. It can only be compared (better or worst) with desktop consoles. The screen is RETINA DISPLAY , and GORILLA GLASS, so you can rush the screen with a coin (i tried it) without notice.

And current games are just "adaptations" from games developed for TEGRA 3.. so the best is yet to come. These are facts. SHIELD emulates DS on a better display than the DS itself with 95% of games running fullspeed without frameskip. Shield emulate fullspeed games like BLOODSTORM or some SEGA NAOMI titles that you can not emulate at any other portable console. These are facts. Shield is about to emulate WII and GAMECUBE at a playable level. So , we can not ignore these facts.

What this means? "Trash your Pandora and buy a Shield"? No, NO and NO. Pandora has its own style, spirit, scene, titles, and mystic and all this goes beyond a keyboard. Remember the times of GP32?  Every PSP owner told us the PSP emulated better than the GP32... and probably was  true (except in MAME) but, a gP32 was a GP32. We choose consoles not only for the power, or titles.. we choose by hardware, specs, mystic, style, magic, nostalgia and a lot of factors that can not be explained in BITES or BYTES.

I own an Atari Lynx 1 and 2, of course i play my Atari Lynx every week and there is no emulator in the world capable to make me forget to play RYGAR on my Lynx. So , consoles has SOMETHING beyond the numbers.

I recently bought a WIKIPAD , a device more near the SHIELD in terms of OS, and specs.. and i am happy with the WIKIPAD too: it has SONY MOBILE STORE , a big 7" screen, and controls are very ergonomic.. also i can remove controls any time i want to just read a book on it or play a RTS game. And i can attach a keyboard on the WIKIPAD. But i will not sell my SHIELD, my PANDORA or any console each time a new console arrive.

Consoles for us are like women for some guys... you just can´t decide which one is more beautiful. Each one has it´s own touch. Playing ESCAPE FROM THE CASTLE OF WOLFENSTEIN, and the recently NOTAZ´s PICODRIVE on my Pandora, i think "yes, this one is cool enough for me". I will not sell it. A lot of consoles will come and will be more powerfull than Pandora , just let them come. Focus on YOUR Pandora. Some people will love it anyway because always will be able to do things any other can not do.

GP32 still today has some of the best emus with the best battery life and one of the best analog joysticks in terms of retro gaming. The legendary ZODIAC has some of the best emus as well and incredible ports with touchscreen support. The Gizmondo has the best portable port of CARMAGEDDON, if you play it on GIZMONDO you will think current ANDROID and IPAD versions are shit.

So enjoy each console by its own flavor, and don´t piss the rest. It is my humble opinion-

Scaramouche
http://consolasportatiles.info
 
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I'm building a new PC soon, but I'm using AMD graphics since they're better value... So pretty much I like the Shield, but I ain't buying. I will definitely buy the Switchblade when/if they offer it, regardless of stats. it's like the OP, but for Windows fans.
 
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