CES 2013: Nvidia Project Shield Brings Full Controller To Mobile And PC Games, Set For Q2 Release

As the smartphone and tablet industries continue to boom, there's always a discussion about whether mobile gaming will begin to outpace traditional consoles. At CES 2013, Nvidia unveiled a device that blends handheld gaming, PC gaming and mobile gaming in an unprecedented way.

When it comes to mobile games, avid video gamers have argued for quite some time that even the best touchscreen controls can't compare to a good old fashioned controller. Nvidia seems to have addressed that concern at this year's CES.

Alongside its new Tegra 4 processor, Nvidia unveiled the Project Shield portable video game system. This device comes with a 5-inch touch display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 and runs on Android Jelly Bean. The screen is attached to a traditional video game controller similar in appearance to Sony's PlayStation 3 DualShock controller.

With the Tegra 4-powered Project Shield, gamers will have access to any title in the Google Play App Store. What's more is that the computer's graphics giant is also revolutionizing the PC gaming space with its new Project Shield.

PC gamers will be able to stream games from any PC with Nvidia's GeForce GTX 650 graphics processing unit. This means that as long as players are connected to Wi-Fi, they can play PC games from anywhere they are in the house. Gamers can also port the controls from these PC games to fit the controller-enabled Project Shield, a Nvidia representative said. In addition, it also supports Valve's Steam Big Picture Service.

Nvidia has not confirmed a precise release date, but the handheld gaming device will launch in the second quarter of 2013. This isn't the first time a mobile-related video game solution has been released. Take the MOGA by Power A, which is a full-feature controller created for Android mobile devices. It comes with a controller attached to a cradle that handles Android smartphones, bringing a full-fledged gaming experience to the Google-powered mobile landscape.

The announcement of Project Shield also marks an interesting move for the Nvidia: It will now compete with a new sector of the technology market as it targets a gap between the mobile landscape and the video game community.