Best products from r/theNvidiaShield

Worth the price? Absolutely. It's $200. I like this thing, but herein lies the caveat: Almost everything that is "favorable" about this tablet relies on it being a $200 tablet. That doesn't make it bad, but it has some things to consider.

Here are the things I've observed after having this for a week:

(1) Marshmallow CPU lock at 100% is real. In idle mode, the thing dozed normally. In actual light usage, battery drained very fast. Like...really fast, on the order of 10% in a 15-minute period of browsing reddit. Probably couldn't get more than 2 hours SOT at that rate. Reverting back to lollipop "fixes" this.

(2) In normal tablet tasks, the 2GB of RAM is a noticeable limitation, but only when comparing it to 3GB+ devices. Launching, multitasking, switching, etc., is faster on my nexus 6 than the K1. But the K1 is definitely adequately fast.

(3) I don't really game at all these days, but games perform pretty well. I bought Half-life 2 ep1/2 just to see how it goes. Pretty good, feels like I'm back playing it on my computer over a decade ago (that sounds funny now that I typed it out). Other games like need for speed and skyforce 2014 are very fluid.

(4) Overall battery life is ok. Very usable. Not great. But definitely good for a $200 tablet.

(5a) Whomever let the power and volume button design go through to production should be flogged in public.

(5b) Whomever designed the sd slot to be recessed so far should be flogged in public.

(6) On Lollipop, the CPU power settings (built in to the standard tablet settings) don't seem to change CPU behavior. CPU behavior in battery saver mode is the same as normal mode (where battery saver should significantly reduce cpu speed/shut down cores, every cpu monitoring app shows that all cores eventually clock up to 2.2ghz when there's a load)

(6) I can't speak for gamestream/local game streaming as I have never used it.

(7) There is a lot of heft to this tablet. But it also feels balanced. I would recommend the below case--it's sturdy, and the magnets in it are strong, and it's fairly affordable. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NHDFVEC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

The K1 is an excellent all-around tablet for $200, and a great gaming tablet for $200. It has flaws, but all of them can be overlooked when going back to the $200 pricepoint. Assuming the cpu issues get resolved in a further update (skeptical, see below), this would be the absolute best $200 tablet that just so happens to be good at gaming.

I would advise against upgrading to marshmallow if all the tablet will be used for is traditional tablet use. The usage time will be abysmal because of the cpu-pegging bug (and allegedly Nvidia has all but said they have no plans to "fix" anything regarding this).

I don't have a charging problem, but this could be due to the aforementioned marshmallow bug that pegs all of the CPU's at 100% all the time, and I went back to lollipop. The battery just drains faster than it can be charged during actual use.

I've found the BTC-938's dpad is really solid for fighting games, but it takes a bit to break in. That d-pad starts off really stiff and the gates feel really separated when you first use it.

I want to say it took about three weeks of using the controller at least 30 minutes a day before it finally loosened up and got good. I nearly trashed the thing early on, but I'm glad I gave it time; it got much better.

As a bonus, it can hold the controller on either side to make it like a giant PSP.

I have the Fintie SmartShell case, and I love it! It protects the whole of the tablet as opposed to just the screen from the Nvidia official case. It's a solid plasic build with a fold-around magnetic cover that functions as a stand and a sleep/wake mechanism. It is less than half the price of the Nvidia official one! xD

http://www.amazon.com/Fintie-NVIDIA-SHIELD-Tablet-SmartShell/dp/B00MN98ATE

I recommend this case :)

http://www.amazon.com/Fintie-NVIDIA-SHIELD-Tablet-SlimShell/dp/B00MN98ATE/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1449254889&sr=1-1&keywords=Nvidia+sheild+case

This has a hole for the stylus, but I have the K1 and it didn't bother me. I really like the case so far. Magnet screen lock works great, tablet snaps in securely, and it stands up nicely so far. Zero complaints from me.

Is there a Samsung or ASUS tablet that is comparable or better than the NVIDIA Shield for emulation? I'm specifically talking about N64, PS2, and PSP emulation as I'm pretty sure just about anything can handle NES, SNES, GameBoy, and Sega. But I'd also like to have a nice tablet that I can use as, you know, a tablet.

I'm going to use this gamepad HERE

Guten tag!

I purchased this Fintie case in black for $12 from Amazon. It's a fantastic case. The fit is very precise, and the magnetic closure works well. I would absolutely purchase another of these cases in the future, and have recommended them and also been approved of by two of my coworkers.

Manufacturers headline:

Fintie NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet K1 SmartShell Case - Ultra Slim Lightweight Stand Cover

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MN98ATE

This is the micro USB adapter that I'm using and the tablet will still charge, but will charge slower. One thing I've noticed is that if I'm playing graphic intensive games such as Borderlands the Presequel or the Talos Principle, the battery will slowly drain even when it's plugged in, but won't die if it gets to 0%.

This is the ethernet adapter I'm using. As for connection speeds, I'm on 5ghz wifi when not connected to ethernet. I've ran speed tests and they're about the same, although I get much better latency when I'm connected via ethernet. In fact, the only reason I got the adapter was for a better GeForce Now experience.

USB to Ethernet works flawlessly for me. Definitely worth the money. I got this Y cable and this Ethernet adapter for under $18 altogether. That way I can charge my tablet while the adapter is plugged in for longer sessions. Great performance all around.

Charging is not possible with the Ethernet to micro USB adapters, so I highly recommend this setup if you go this route. Nvidia recommends using a Y cable on their website as well.

I got this case. It's great. Its magnetic and also has a hardshell case for the backside. I was skeptical of the price, but I'm very happy with it. I really recommend it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00MN98ATE

I use this one on mine, it is made of glass. The screen still looks beautiful and I feel as if it is protected. It might not be necessary but I use glass screen protectors on everything I own, especially if it's something I take out of the house or travel with just for my own security. My mom has cracked and majorly scratched up a glass screen protector on her iPhone 6 Plus but her phone was never harmed, so I feel they are worth the extra bit of money because I feel they do work.

You might not ever take your tablet out of the house so getting something cheaper/a plastic protector might be more economical, this is just my preference.

If you can't go through warranty, you can buy Analog Caps on Amazon for 5 dollars. This should fit on your shield since the size of the analog on the xbox 360 controller were basically the same. Just put it up on the analog and It's ready to go. But if you don't want this. You can try the harder way, buy parts on ebay and disassemble the shield and replace the analog. But analog caps are great and cheap option.

I just looked up the Beepole case and it looks very similar to Fintie NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet K1 SmartShell Case. I'm very pleasantly surprised how well this relatively inexpensive case functions. I would recommend it.

wii mote pairing was broken in android 4.2 because "security", apparently kitkat fixed some Bluetooth support, but I haven't tried anything first hand myself.

But there are workarounds, this guy gets a USB OTG adapter, and plugs in an external bluetooth dongle to get it to work.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2381953

It might be more hassle than it's worth, I'd suggest buying an OTG adapter and an a wired usb controller, I use a wired 360 controller just fine

EDIT: apparently the USB 360 wireless receiver also works through OTG, so you could use a wireless 360 controller.

That should be plenty of space and speed. However, I'd probably look at benchmarks and find the fastest card you can afford. Lexar and Samsung make some great cards as well.

I'd also maybe suggest taking a look at the Sandisk Ultra Fit flash drive. It sits kinda flush, so it might be a workable solution for much faster speeds.

> 03918

I have yet to use it much or program any extra buttons.
But from what i've gathered
there are no codes provided when you get the item

You have to find a "code database" online on their site and it has the basic sections and none for android tv, android, nvidia etc so i asked for the code here.

The contoller did come pre-configured for xbone and seems to work with all the buttons i've tried (again haven't used it much yet)
As far as NASTV it works the same. Its pretty smooth thus far. What little buttons i've tried have worked.
One little thing though the IR on Shield must not be that great as i cant point it outside like a 45 degree view of the box or it won't work.


Also be carefull too beacause i read on their forum that they recently put out a 2nd revision controller that is indentical to the prebious one but has Shield TV support is supposed to be pre-configured. In my process i have ordered both. The one without Shield in the title and one with.
Neither are pre-configured. So i am just keeping the 1st one already with the code and working.
*Also note from my exp and from what i've read its the same thing. Good product but Horrible support. So not expect much from them


1st one i bought

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M4I1BAY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


2nd one that has Shield on its Banner headline.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M4JYTWA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

On The Go USB Cable

because there is shared access to the charger and no native female-full-size-usb port one of these are required to plug a fullsize usb device or usb hub into the shield.

i use this specific one with a guitar hero usb and plug mouse and keyboard, wired ethernet, and razer sabertooth up to this with this cable.

it would have been nice for them to have included both the micro usb charger and a separate full size usb port or even a proprietary connector running to a usb hub, fullsize hdmi, and ethernet

I use a tablet + Moonlight and a wireless Bluetooth android controller.

This one is for hand held, great for action games, shit for shooters
https://www.amazon.com/BEBONCOOL-Bluetooth-Controller-Android-Emulator/dp/B01CSEB1HQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503508232&sr=8-1&keywords=beboncool+tablet

This one I use with a Lapboard in bed, and is as good as my Xbox One controller
https://www.amazon.com/GameSir-G4s-Bluetooth-Wireless-Controller/dp/B01HNXGKT6/ref=sr_1_2?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1503508252&sr=8-2&keywords=gamesir+G4

I went with a really fast USB3 thumb drive--kinda the best of both worlds.

Your R/W speeds are going to be significantly slower with a microSD card compared to a USB3 thumbdrive or SSD. I chose this thumbdrive over the SSD because it's physically smaller than an SSD+powered adapter.

It's worked fabulously for me so far. It's plugged directly into the back of the Shield where it's 100% unnoticeable, and if I need to use more than 1 USB port for anything else I can always plug a hub into the remaining USB port.

But I would definitely go with either a USB thumbdrive or SSD over a microSD.

BEBONCOOL Tablet Bluetooth Game Controller for Android Tablets/Phone/TV Box/Samsung Gear VR/Emulator (Red) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CSEB1HQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_NrMDyb751P7XJ

This product states it can hold a device 10.6" wide, with at least one customer reporting that's accurate in the question and answer section.

The shield tablet is physically 8.8" wide.

I'm actually interested enough at 40 dollars to take the plunge.

Here's a video review I found.

https://youtu.be/JVgUzEvM6Ls


I'm torn between this less portable option but being able to fit my shield tablet, or getting something like the phonejoy for being portable and working with my 6p.

I can't speak to the SD card but I have that case and love it! When it comes to the charger, based on recommendations I found on here and the nVidia forums, I picked up one of these and I couldn't be happier with it. The charging is incredibly fast with it!

I don't think screen protectors are necessary if you get a case that covers the screen when you are not using it, other wise I would get a screen protector just in case. I got this case and it's really good for the price
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00MJXK8VM/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1419770484&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40#

It can really vary not only on the charger but the quality of the USB cable.

I got a Shield K1 a few weeks ago. I ordered the following charger and USB cables:

• http://www.amazon.com/Qualcomm-Anker-PowerPort-Wireless-Charging/dp/B016LO4UTA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450372077&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=anker+quick+charge+3.0&psc=1
  
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Anker-Premium-Android-Samsung-Motorola/dp/B00N8W00DY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1450372162&sr=8-2&keywords=anker+USB+cable+3+pack
  
  I'm charging at around 2.4ish Amps when the tablet has the cover closed (i.e. screen off). Your charge rate will obviously be less if you're trying to charge while using the screen, wifi, under heavy load, etc... Don't have it with me to tell you exactly the charge time but I believe I go from almost dead to full charge in maybe 3 hours. EDIT - Not sure about that 3 hours. Actually might be faster. Haven't been paying too close attention to total time. In the GeForce thread below people seem to be saying just over an hour for full charge.
  
  The tablet does appear to support the Qualcomm Quick Charge standard so it benefits from this charger. Both the charger and the device have to support QuickCharge to reap the benefits.
  
  https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/815031/the-shield-does-somehow-support-quickcharge-2-0/
  
  It sucks that USB is supposed to be a standard and yet results vary so much. In theory you should be able to grab any cable and any charger of appropriate output and get standard results...but it's just not the case. With my N7 2012, using stock charger, I would get anywhere from 400mA up to 1.2ish A just depending on the USB cable I was using (wire gauge plays a big part apparently). And with add-on technologies / protocols like Qualcomm Quick Charge it just fragments the standardization of USB charging even more.

before I say anything I should note mines rooted and I freeze anything that I don't need at the time including nvidia apps that don't need to be constantly running when I'm not using them which gives me a boost in battery...battery depends on what you do really I can get between 5 (high end games and demanding emulators) to 10 (low end games and nvidia grid) hours


as for how it feels I use this case for the best feel http://www.amazon.com/Fintie-NVIDIA-SHIELD-Tablet-SmartShell/dp/B00MN98ATE

Good point, thanks for pointing that out. I'm currently between:
procase:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MJXK8VM?ref_=sr_1_2&qid=1409892343&sr=8-2&keywords=shield%20tablet%20cover&pldnSite=1
and
finite:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MN98ATE?ref_=sr_1_3&qid=1409892343&sr=8-3&keywords=shield%20tablet%20cover&pldnSite=1

I recommend any of these.
I have one, and it's fantastic. I've heard bad things about the official cases. I don't worry about mine at all. I also don't drop it from standing heights on the regular. If you are going to use it to play hockey, I'd get something thicker.

I'm enjoying the Microsoft Universal Keyboard, which isn't a case but is very portable and much more responsive than the keyboard case I used with my older iPad.

https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Universal-Keyboard-Android-devices/dp/B00GWGLUZ0/

I realize it's not what you're asking for but it's something to consider.

I use my tablet often as a media device on my TV and it works well. I bought one of [these] (https://www.amazon.com/Micro-Cable-Samsung-Player-OTHERS/dp/B00CXAC1ZW/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1483206964&sr=8-6&keywords=otg+charger+cable) otg cables so I can use an Xbox 360 adapter and charge at the same time. Console mode is really useful because it turns off the tablet screen and just displays on the TV. I use Netflix, Youtube, Google Music and they all work well, along with games.

Unfortunately, Amazon Prime video is not directly supported on Android devices and will only display in SD, not HD :/

I got this one for streaming games from my pc to my tv before I got the android tv http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00484IEJS?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00 . Worked good for me. I'm not sure you would see much of a benefit of gigabit adapters.

I use this one found on Amazon - Seems to work pretty well.

I use these. They do slightly touch the screen when closed. However, other than leaving 2 feint circle smudges on your screen, they work great.

I had the same issue with my card.

This one one.

I did a factory reset, and I also reset the card to use as internal storage and that resolved my issue.
Hope this helps you!

I just ordered this remote off amazon - works better on shield than the actual shield remote, and it controls 3 other devices.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M4JYTWA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

> https://www.amazon.com/Micro-Cable-Samsung-Phones-Tablets/dp/B00JCZ2FQQ/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1483768860&sr=8-7&keywords=usb+otg+with+power

So in regards to this cable, i just tried it out and it wont charge while something is plugged in...Im out a dollar:( haha still works for usb though!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00LMRKZP0/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498343269&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=nvidia+stylus&dpPl=1&dpID=21p%2BZ9Cb25L&ref=plSrch

Looks like it's only available on the US Amazon, not for the UK. That's weird...

Nothing shield official... But, there are ones like this, this, and this.
You'll find the same 3-4 designs sold by like 5 different companies. All of them claim to do up to about 10 inch tablets... So the Shield should work in them. I do not know their quality, but they're bluetooth so they should work as a regular x-input style controller.

Came one day early. Popped in the card after the update. And it works. 118gb after format. :)

PNY 128

I have the Fintie SmartShell case, and I don't really like it. Perhaps it's the tablet, but it doesn't seem to reliably wake or sleep the device, and on occasion when I close the flap, I can hear my finger presses being registered by the screen; and when it does that, the screen does not shut off. I would like to buy the official case, but I just don't have the money right now.

Edit: This case, for anyone wondering

I use this:
http://www.thesource.ca/estore/product.aspx?language=en-CA&catalog=Online&category=WiredNewtwork&product=2513258

and this:

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00B4GGW5Q/ref=oh_details_o03_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I know it's not a single-cable solution, but I already had the USB ethernet Adapter before I bought the shield.

The microUSB to USB adapter is nice because it doesn't have the right-angle connector most do (to block the audio, or hdmi port), and you can also use it for...I don't know...other USB stuff that Android supports.

Anyway, I know it's not exactly what you were looking for, but it works, and you can get it in Canada.

Actually I am back to that I am going to try Lollipop with foldermount to compare results.. just realized the performance hit from using adoptable storage is huge! The 64 GB card I am using when set to adoptable storage increases the boot time of the K1, by at least 30 seconds (did not time it) I bench marked the 64 GB card when adoptable 3 times, and it averaged 40 MB/s read 15 MB/s write, and then formatted back to portable and rebooted. Quick boot time again and benchmarks at (3 times again I ran it) at 80 MB/s read and 65 MB/s

I was using this micro sd card: http://amzn.com/B00W77C1QU

This card is amazingly fast on both read + write on anything else I try it on also..

That sounds like a lot of money. I'm using this on a few Android devices (including the Nvidia Shield TV).

Yeah, I decided to switch to this https://www.amazon.com/ProCase-Ultra-NVIDIA-Shield-Tablet/dp/B00MJXK8VM/ref=pd_lpo_147_tr_t_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=0VGA6HEM9JN5JDEW3A72

I got this one 6 months ago and it hasn't had any issues yet. Fits the tablet well too.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00B4GGW5Q?cache=cd1f5a2985b1a1d8741a558ee0dfcb75&pi=SY200_QL40&qid=1408036308&sr=8-1#ref=mp_s_a_1_1

LINK to Tested talking about it on their video podcast.

HERE it is on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Qualcomm-Anker-PowerPort-Wireless-Charging/dp/B016LO4UTA/ref=sr_1_1?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1452321050&sr=1-1&keywords=qualcom+3.0

is the shield compatible with this 3.0 fast charging technology? i don't want to mess up my tablet.

This and this is what I use for console mode. This setup will let you charge and use Ethernet at the same time.

This is what I have used now for the past two weeks, plugging in this and my keyboard/mouse unifying receiver.

Here is the mobile version of your link

So far I've liked these the best, but these have an angle that might come in handy in some uses. Oh, and this one lets you charge while running devices off the OTG. Very handy for using an ethernet cable on the Shield to get 1080p/60fps in console mode.

https://www.amazon.com/Micro-Cable-Samsung-Phones-Tablets/dp/B00JCZ2FQQ/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1483768860&sr=8-7&keywords=usb+otg+with+power

I ordered this iPega controller.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MUG3JPU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Shipping says I should get it sometime in October so I'll update you all on how it works.

Both less than $20

http://smile.amazon.com/ProCase-SlimSnug-NVIDIA-Shield-Exclusive/dp/B00MJXK8VM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1409892343&sr=8-2&keywords=shield+tablet+cover

http://smile.amazon.com/Fintie-NVIDIA-SHIELD-Tablet-SmartShell/dp/B00MN98ATE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1409892343&sr=8-3&keywords=shield+tablet+cover

Non mobile link.

It's not worth that price. I swear I found it cheaper than this even but don't remember where. I got mine for $20. https://www.amazon.com/NVIDIA-930-81761-0100-000-SHIELD-DirectStylus-2/dp/B00LMRKZP0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501736300&sr=8-1&keywords=direct+stylus+2

I'm doing some research before purchasing it and i saw this green PNY memory but be aware, that only the 32gb and 62gb are UHS-3, it wont hurt your SD card Performance in the Shield just a comment about a misleading product. Here is the amazon link to the model im talking about


http://www.amazon.com/PNY-Performance-MicroSDXC-Memory-P-SDUX128U160G-GE/dp/B00W77C1W4/ref=pd_sim_147_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=41Ox8lMxOkL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1T51QB1D0WZ7VMTGHFVW

No, but it's kind of already there.

I've been using this one (8.99) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MN98ATE?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage since my $50 broke. It's been sturdy the last few months.

It looks exactly the same as the others posted, just a different seller.