• Promises true console quality graphics on handheld device
  • Works with both Android and PC games, with entire Steam library available from launch
  • Boasts impressive 1280*720 display for crystal clear gaming

By Talal Musa

PUBLISHED: 12:09 EST, 7 January 2013 | UPDATED: 13:12 EST, 7 January 2013

The new year has barely started, but computer giants Nvidia have announced a new console.

The amusingly named Project SHIELD is a portable gaming system capable of producing console-standard graphics on the move.

d

Familiar face: Gamers will notice how similar the Project SHIELD control pad looks to an Xbox 360 controller

Cleverly, it plays both Android and PC titles and can stream games from a PC powered by Nvidia GeForce GTX GPUs, accessing titles on the Steam game library anywhere in the home.

It's powered by the Nvidia Tegra 4 - the world's fastest mobile processor. This is backed up by a custom 72-core GeForce GPU, which is the first quad-core application of ARM's most advanced CPU core, the Cortex-A15.

The system also features a battery-saver core and energy-saver PRISM technology, meaning hours of gaming on a single charge.

Controller design is slightly more familiar, echoing the much-revered Xbox 360 controller. Display is a 5-inch 1280*720HD retinal multi-touch unit, with 294dpi. There's also Direct Touch technology which Nvidia claim allows for a smoother input experience.

Finally, excellent sound quality is promised through SHIELD's custom bass reflex, tuned port audio system - boasting twice the low-frequency output of high end laptops.

Jen-Hsun Huang, co-founder and chief executive officer at Nvidia, said: 'Project SHIELD was created by Nvidia engineers who love to game and imagined a new way to play.

'We were inspired by a vision that the rise of mobile and cloud technologies will free us from our boxes, letting us game anywhere, on any screen.

'We imagined a device that would do for games what the iPod and Kindle have done for music and books, letting us play in a cool new way. We hope other gamers love SHIELD as much as we do.'

Now see it in action:

 

Follow Talal on Twitter: @TalalMusa and on Facebook: Daily Mail Games