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Marvel’s ‘What If…?’ turns grim in its third episode with mixed results
This week's episode of 'What If...?' went a little dark.
Apple TV comes to NVIDIA Shield devices
The Apple TV app is now available on NVIDIA Shield players, filling one of the few gaps left in Apple's streaming coverage.
NVIDIA Shield TV now supports PS5 and Xbox Series X/S controllers
Connecting the controllers works as you’d expect: Turn on the Shield’s Bluetooth discovery mode, and then either press the pairing button on your Xbox controller, or the PlayStation and Share/Clip buttons on the DualSense. It’s surprising it took so long for NVIDIA to add support for these new gamepads, considering that they already support PC pairing. In addition to the usual bug fixes, NVIDIA says that the Shield update also adds the December 2020 Android security patch, as well as better IR volume support for the Shield remote with Denon receivers.
Chernobyl mold could shield astronauts from deep-space radiation
One of the biggest dangers of interplanetary travel is radiation exposure. In a single round trip to Mars, for instance, you may absorb 60 percent of the maximum recommend lifetime dosage. One surprising solution may be mold, according to researchers from Stanford and North Carolina universities. They discovered that fungus thriving in the nuclear fallout of Chernobyl blocked radiation on the international space station (ISS), and could be adapted for trips to the Moon and Mars.
US Air Force successfully shoots down multiple missiles with a laser
The US Air Force just edged closer to its goal of outfitting aircraft with laser weapons. Testers at the White Sands Missile Range have successfully shot down multiple air-launched missiles using the Self-Protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator (SHiELD), proving that it can hold up under intense situations. While SHiELD is currently a ground-based behemoth (see below), the finished technology should be portable and rugged enough to be used aboard aircraft.
'Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty' debuts on smartphones
If you're looking for a premium mobile game without in-app purchases, there's good news: Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty has arrived on iOS, Android and NVIDIA Shield. The 2014 console game, based on Lorne Lanning's Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee has been re-purposed for mobile with new controls for a small touchscreen, letting you swipe on the side of the screen to perform actions like "use," and "sneak." It also has full external controller support, and you can resize or move buttons. And did I mention there's no in-app purchases?
Nintendo Wii, GameCube games come to China on NVIDIA Shield
As revealed by industry analyst Daniel Ahmad, Nintendo is teaming up with NVIDIA to release some of its Wii and Gamecube games in China for the first time. While NVIDIA's Tegra chip is at the heart of the Nintendo Switch, in this case, the games will run on the NVIDIA Shield, which hit the market today in China. NVIDIA confirmed that New Super Mario Bros. Wii, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and PUNCH-OUT!! are all available now for the Shield in 1080p, while others including Super Mario Galaxy are "coming soon." Ahmad posted videos of Nintendo games running on the Shield (sourced from Weibo) and provided some pricing info, saying that the Shield in China costs 1499 RMB (about $226), while each remastered game costs 68 RMB (about $10). We wouldn't expect anything about this arrangement to expand beyond China in the foreseeable future, but the licensing arrangement is a way for Nintendo to crack the market officially. We don't have much information on the Shield that's available in China, but it is different from the US version, with local "content, store, search and more" plus a voice control AI powered by Baidu.
NVIDIA's Shield TV is the latest home for Google Assistant
Last month at IFA, we heard that more Google Assistant-integrating speakers and appliances were on the way. Today, NVIDIA's Shield TV joins the list, adding the search giant's digital assistant SDK to its retinue of entertainment features. In short, instead of a paltry speaker, you'll be able to use your entire home theater setup to command your life, one 'OK Google' at a time. In fact, Google says Assistant is coming to Android TV on the whole, so if you have another device running that platform, voice control is likely coming soon.
NVIDIA's Shield TV upgrades to 4K for Cast and Google Play movies
Despite all the 4K material NVIDIA's Shield TV can handle, there have still been a few gaps: you couldn't play Google Play Movies & TV content in 4K, for instance, and you definitely couldn't Google Cast the 4K videos of your choice. Thankfully, NVIDIA is plugging those two holes today. An update lets all Shield TV boxes play both the content you Cast and Google Play titles in the ultra-sharp resolution, so you don't have to be quite so picky when looking for material beyond 1080p.
NVIDIA's original Shield TV gets the new model's smarts (updated)
NVIDIA unveiled a new Shield TV box at CES, but the list of upgrades was pretty slim. It has a funky new controller, with a mesh of triangles peppering the grips, but otherwise it's the same hardware with some extra software bells and whistles. If you have the older model, good news -- today, you're getting all those non-hardware additions too. They include a new foundation -- Android 7.0 Nougat -- and a bunch of new apps including Amazon Video, Twitter, the NFL, Comedy Central and Vimeo.
NVIDIA Spot brings Google Assistant to every room in your home
There's a common gripe with the Amazon Echo, Google Home and other voice-guided helpers: You have to stand within their listening range to make use of them. Not quite the Star Trek future you were promised, is it? NVIDIA, however, might have a fix: It just introduced the Spot, a hybrid mic and speaker that brings Google Assistant to every nook and cranny in your home. You need the new Shield TV to serve as the central hub, but you're otherwise free to turn on lights, ask questions and otherwise use Assistant knowing that you'll be heard.
NVIDIA's redesigned Shield gets HDR for games and a new controller
NVIDIA's Shield TV was one of the few successful Android TV devices: It was both a capable 4K entertainment device and a simple way to bring PC gaming into your living room. Today during his CES keynote, NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang announced that the Shield TV will be able to play games in HDR, a feature it previously had for films. Update: While the new Shield is slightly smaller than its predecessor, it includes all of the same hardware. The one big new addition is a redesigned controller.
Your NVIDIA Shield now plays Netflix videos in HDR
NVIDIA just underscored one of the advantages of having a high-powered streaming media hub: you can roll out new video features before anyone else. It's delivering an update to its Shield set-top box that introduces high dynamic range Netflix video on supporting TVs -- a first for a stand-alone device, NVIDIA claims. You can also watch YouTube videos at both 4K and 60 frames per second, while Vudu 4K support is equally new. And if you're an audio junkie, you'll be glad to know that Dolby Atmos' extra-immersive audio gets a direct pass-through when you're using apps like Vudu, MX Player and NVIDIA's own media gallery.
HDHomeRun is ready to make your Android TV a DVR
When SiliconDust announced its DIY DVR project a year ago, recording your shows meant building a PC dedicated to the task, or hooking up network storage. Now it's testing out HDHomeRun Record for Android TV, which lets you create an entire DVR with just one of its TV tuner devices and an Android box. Unfortunately, suggested requirements of Android 6.0, Ethernet, and a USB 3.0 connection for external storage mean Amazon's Fire TV and Google's Nexus Player won't work, but NVIDIA Shield Pro owners should be able to try it out immediately, thanks to their 500GB of built-in storage. You can watch the recorded shows directly on the device, or on any platform that runs its HDHomeRun View app.
Fan-made Captain America shield pulls off a few superhero tricks
No armory of fan-made Avengers props is complete without Captain America's shield. While you can get one that looks the part over at MachinaProps, a shield that you can bounce off walls and Ultron robots is a little harder to come by. But! Even if your blood doesn't flow with the super soldier serum, the Hacksmith has attempted to make it happen with several powerful electromagnets and the aforementioned replica.
NVIDIA's new Shield Tablet is just like the old one, but cheaper
NVIDIA's first Shield tablet was a device that got almost everything right: The 8-inch slate had a crisp display flanked by twin speakers, a surprisingly precise built-in stylus and a powerful 192-core Kepler K1 processor. At the time, it was easily the best Android gaming device on the market, and a pretty darn good media tablet to boot -- but NVIDIA quietly put the Shield to pasture earlier this year. Is the company preparing to launch a new, more powerful Shield tablet? Nope: It's putting the same slate back on the market, albeit with a lower, $199 price tag and fewer bells and whistles.
NVIDIA's Shield TV goes on sale in the UK and Europe tomorrow
In the six months since NVIDIA launched Shield TV, we've put it through its paces and called it best Android TV box money can buy. Consumers in the US have been able to get their hands on it since May, but now it's time for Europe to get in on the act. That's right, from tomorrow (October 1st), consumers in the UK, France, Germany and Scandinavia can buy the base 16GB model for £150/€200 or the 500GB Shield Pro for £230/€300.
GeForce Now puts PC games on your NVIDIA device for $8 per month
NVIDIA's GRID service wasn't the be-all, end-all of its cloud gaming ambitions... if anything, the company was just getting started. The crew in Santa Clara has unveiled GeForce Now, an $8 per month subscription service that streams PC games to all of NVIDIA's Shield devices, ranging from the original handheld through to the Shield TV. It's still streaming at GRID's 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second, but you'll get a brand new interface with better parental controls. There are over 50 (mostly) major titles to start, including most of the Batman games (but not Arkham Knight), numerous Lego games and Ultra Street Fighter IV. You can buy other games outright, such as The Witcher 3, and there are promises of future games reaching GeForce Now as soon as they launch. The service goes live on October 1st in the US.
NVIDIA recalls Shield Android tablets over battery fire fears
NVIDIA has issued a recall for the Shield Android tablet after determining that its battery "can overheat, posing a fire hazard." Although the recall is voluntary, NVIDIA is asking users to back up their data and fill in the relevant online form to receive a replacement. The issue pertains to tablets sold between July 2014 and July 2015. You can check to see if your tablet is affected by heading to the Settings menu, clicking "About tablet," then "Status," and looking at the "Battery" section. If you see "B01," you can carry on using the Shield as normal. If you see "Y01," though, your tablet is at risk of overheating and you should arrange a replacement ASAP.