NVIDIA

We Came, We Saw, We Made Stuff: NVIDIA’s GeForce Team Hits the Maker Faire

2013-05-20T04:56:53Z

A choir of mechanical lobsters, bass, trout, catfish and sharks mounted on a blue Volvo sedan belted out tunes. Children wearing t-shirts proclaiming “Will Render For Food,” clutched bags of kettle corn. Young and old stepped out of the California sun for hands-on workshops on soldering. This is our kind of scene.

NVIDIA’s GeForce team put on a show at the Maker Faire for the tens of thousands of do-it-yourselfers crowding through the grounds of the San Mateo County Event Center for the weekend event.

The Faire is at the center of a movement of do-it-yourselfers who take pride in mastering the technologies in the world around them, whether that means turning scooters and sheet metal into cupcake cars — complete with sprinkle-adorned hats — or learning how to mix Diet Coke and Mentos into magnificent, and messy, displays of do-it-yourself science.

Hands on: NVIDIANs walked fairgoers through the process of building a PC.

NVIDIA’s GeForce team fit right in, leading attendees through hands-on workshops showing them how to build their own PC, overclock a GPU and turn a PC case into a work of art.

“The reason we’re here is we want to celebrate the spirit of do-it-yourself,” NVIDIA’s Peter Kingsley said as he toted his 20-month-old daughter around the show. “Building your own GeForce gaming PC is easy, cost efficient, rewarding and a lot of fun.”

In between sessions led by NVIDIANs clad in black and green t-shirts, the GeForce hardware on display at NVIDIA’s booth drew lustful glances.

“What I would give for that PC,” said Chris, as he eyed a machine equipped with three NVIDIA GTX Titan graphics cards.

“I’m a total NVIDIA fanboy,” said David, a freshman at Harvey Mudd College, before diving into a session led by NVIDIA’s Tom Petersen explaining how to tune up your GPU. “All this hardware is first rate.”

Also drawing gawkers: Brian Carter — who runs Bods Mods, a custom PC case shop — hand assembled a robot-shaped PC case out of acrylic over the course of the weekend as fair-goers asked him about his work.

The clear plastic case, and its motorized robot arms, drew plenty of comments as Carter pieced the machine together.

“Amazing, that’s just amazing,” said Andy, who was showing his son, Rob, around the Maker Faire.

Andy, who hand-built his own gaming PC for sessions of “Call of Duty: Black Ops II,” was inspired.

“We need to build him one at some point,” he said, gesturing towards Rob, who grinned. “In fact, I think it’s time to get started.”

Mission accomplished.

NVIDIA will be at the Maker Faire all weekend at booth #328. Check our list of workshops and plan your day here: http://ow.ly/l8ODO

NVIDIA Shows Off First 1080p High-Def Mobile Video Conferencing at Google I/O with Tegra 4

2013-05-17T21:21:40Z

Imagine being able to participate in smooth, 1080p high-definition video conferences on a mobile device. Better still, imagine being able to dive in with nothing more than a web browser. No need to install any special browser plug-ins or dedicated software.

That’s the idea behind an amazing technology called Web with Real Time Communications capabilities, or WebRTC, that Google is spearheading. And our Tegra 4 mobile processor will be the first to fully support the royalty-free VP8 video compression format at the core of WebRTC.

Demonstrating our key role in the Android ecosystem, we’re showing how Tegra 4 supports high-definition 1080p videoconferencing on a system running Android Jelly Bean at a buttery-smooth 30 frames per second. With Tegra 4, NVIDIA is the first to offer built-in support for both VP8 encoding and decoding.

That’s four-times the performance of earlier software-only efforts, which delivered only 8 frames per second of video at 1080p. Even more impressive: that performance is accomplished using just half the power, a mark our engineers are hustling to drive even lower.

NVIDIA has been working closely with Google’s Android ,Chrome, VP8 and WebRTC teams to support VP8 hardware acceleration in the WebRTC architecture. The goal: to deliver the best WebRTC experience on Android, Chrome OS and Google TV.

This Tegra 4-powered demo shows off the great work the two teams have done so far.

Drop by the WebRTC pod at the Chrome area at Google I/O to learn more, and to see a demonstration of this technology in action.

SHIELD Pre-Order Moved Up in Response to Growing Buzz

2013-05-17T18:51:37Z

Good news: our partners are so excited about SHIELD that they’re moving up the pre-order date for our amazing new open platform gaming portable.

You can now pre-order your SHIELD today.

Check out what some of our partners are saying about SHIELD:

“SHIELD is a brand new kind of gaming portable and we’re thrilled to be one of the few retailers who will be carrying it,” said Stephen Weller, director of product management at Newegg. “Our tech savvy customers love gaming and are anxious to get their hands on it. In fact, we’ve decided to move up the pre-order date for those customers who want to be among the first to own a SHIELD!”

“Gamers look to GameStop as their defacto gaming destination,” said Joe Gorman, vice president of mobile at video game retailer GameStop. “As Android gamers look for a place to get the latest and greatest gear, it made total sense for us to carry SHIELD. We believe this handheld console will revolutionize the Android gaming market.”

Here’s where you can pre-order SHIELD now:

NVIDIA – store.nvidia.com/buyshield
Newegg – www.newegg.com/buyshield
GameStop – https://www.gamestop.com/android/consoles/nvidia-shield-16gb/109517
Canada Computer – http://canadacomputers.com/nvidia/nvidiashield.php

Look for Micro Center to go live with a pre-order page within the next few days. We’ll update this post with a link to it when they do.

SHIELD Rocks Google I/O

2013-05-17T01:26:26Z

Just days after our NVIDIA SHIELD pre-order announcement, the Tegra 4-powered portable gaming device is making a special appearance on the Google I/O 2013 show floor.

In their keynote address, Google announced Google Play Game Services. The new service will deliver real-time multiplayer functionality and cross-platform leaderboards, cloud saves and achievement tracking. To take advantage of the new gaming services, simply sign in with your Google+ account – Google will save your game info to the cloud and allow you to hop between Android devices and continue your game.

To help showcase Google’s compelling cross-device gaming services, we brought a bunch of NVIDIA SHIELD units to the Google Play Initiative Area and the NVIDIA Pod.

Picture this: you start playing the Tegra-enhanced version of Riptide GP 2 on the HTC One X+, but you want to use SHIELD’s analog joysticks to control that supercharged jet ski of yours. Thanks to Google Play Game Services, you can save your game state (including your ranking and achievements/upgrades), pick up your SHIELD, and continue gaming from the exact same spot where you left off.

With Google Play Game Services, you no longer have to worry about playing your games on the “right” device. You can hop between your Tegra-powered smartphone, tablet and SHIELD without skipping a beat. And you can do it all with built-in multiplayer functionality.

Find out more about NVIDIA SHIELD and sign up for our pre-order at http://shield.nvidia.com.

For more information about Google Play Game Services, head to https://developers.google.com/games/.

Citrix Synergy Advisory: Cloudy With a 100% Chance of Meaty Graphics

2013-05-16T20:55:18Z

Citrix’s annual user conference, Citrix Synergy, is all about the cloud, virtualization and mobility. And we’ll be getting more than a little graphic at the event.

As a first-time conference sponsor, we have a booth just inside the doors of the Anaheim Convention Center that you can’t – and won’t want to – miss. The focus will be a video wall demo that shows what the state of the art in virtualization in the enterprise looks like. The best news? The future isn’t far off.

NVIDIA GRID technology lets businesses enjoy the benefits of virtualization – flexibility, manageability and security – while delivering a full PC experience that doesn’t skimp on graphics performance. That’s why the world’s leading server manufacturers have embraced it.

Cisco, Dell, HP and IBM will all be using their booths to show off their latest servers with NVIDIA GRID technology.

Running in Citrix booth 100, the biggest on the show floor, Citrix XenDesktop, XenApp and XenServer will demonstrate how NVIDIA GRID software unlocks the virtualization and remoting capabilities of NVIDIA GRID GPUs.

Citrix Synergy kicks off Tuesday, May 21^stand runs through the 24^th. Sign up now for sessions on GPU-accelerated virtual desktops and applications, including:

Excalibur: Reinventing HDX for Mobile, 3D Graphics and Beyond
NVIDIA GRID Accelerated Desktops and Applications
Best Practices for Virtualizing 3D Professional Graphics Apps

Learn more about Citrix Synergy on our website and follow us at @NVIDIAGRID. If you’re in town, visit us in booth 303 and stay tuned for some exciting news about virtualization.

HP’s SlateBook x2 Hybrid Tablet Does It All, With Tegra 4 Providing the Power

2013-05-15T20:46:26Z

Stellar news for those searching for the perfect tablet that meets your business and gaming needs – the Tegra 4-powered HP SlateBook x2 is expected to be available in the U.S. in August, starting at $479.99.

The tablet/notebook cross-over combines portability and productivity by allowing users to transform their device into a notebook in no time. Powered by our NVIDIA Tegra 4 mobile processor, the SlateBook x2 offers an incredibly realistic gaming experience, super-fast web browsing and smooth HD video playback, with a quad-core Cortex-A15 CPU and 72 custom GPU cores.

And with access to the TegraZone app, users will have a horde of optimized games at their disposal. Worried about the impact that on-the-go gaming will have on your power? Fear crushing zombies will prevent you from accessing, editing and sharing files in the cloud? Leave the agony at home – the SlateBook x2 also packs two batteries, one in the tablet and one in the dock.

Breathtaking visuals and reduced glare are the result of its IPS 10.1-inch full HD display. Plus, the DTS Sound + Solution will treat audiophiles and music lovers to a booming concert like experience. The SlateBook x2 further sets itself apart with HP’s exclusive native printing capability that allows users to print directly from most applications.

Sporting Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 and the full Google experience with Google Now, Google Search, Gmail, YouTube, Google Drive, Google+ Hangouts and access to apps and digital content through Google Play, the SlateBook x2 is packed with functionality.

Whether you’re looking for a portable, high performance tablet for your entertainment, a productive and easy to manage notebook for your work, or even better, a combination of the two, HP’s SlateBook x2 offers the whole package – and pulls it off in impressive fashion.

NVIDIA Out in Force at Google’s Developer Conference

2013-05-15T15:29:43Z

The thriving ecosystem around Google’s Android operating system is stronger than ever. And NVIDIA will be out in force showing our solidarity this week at Google’s annual I/O developer conference at San Francisco’s Moscone Center West.

NVIDIA SHIELD, the open gaming platform we announced earlier this year, is the latest example of our involvement. These pure Android devices – featuring Tegra 4, the world’s fastest mobile processor – will be showcased at the conference.

In addition, NVIDIA’s Richard Seis, who knows just about everything worth knowing about game development, will be featured alongside Google’s own experts as part of the event’s “Office Hours” program, with a 30-minute talk on how to support game controllers.

Don’t miss a demo of Tegra 4’s support for Web with Real Time Communications capabilities (WebRTC), a technology that unleashes high-definition browser-based audio and video conferencing without the need for special software or plug-ins. Tegra 4 will be the first product to ship with support for the open VP8 video compression format used by WebRTC. You can see it at the demo pod in the conference’s Chrome area.

Finally, we’ll have an NVIDIA Pod at the event’s Developer Sandbox stocked with NVIDIA-powered devices and a quadrocopter controlled by SHIELD. You can also learn more about our powerful developer tools, including Nsight Tegra, a complete development environment integrated into Microsoft Visual Studio.

If you’re around, drop by and talk to us about how we can help you take advantage of the growing array of hardware, applications and services built around Android.

Be Among the First to Wield SHIELD: Taking Pre-Orders Now

2013-05-15T05:32:54Z

A console-grade controller. A high-definition, 720p HD retinal display. The rich graphics and blazing performance of Tegra 4 – the world’s fastest mobile processor.

These pieces, put together by a company full of gaming fanatics, add up to an amazing new open platform gaming portable. It’s the best way to play Android games. And because it’s an Android device, it works with both Tegra-optimized and regular Android games – as well as Android apps.

Project SHIELD is now, officially, SHIELD. The price is $349. Newegg, GameStop, Micro Center and Canada Computers will all carry SHIELD. It ships in June.

SHIELD is a new kind of portable.

Pre-order will go live on May 20^th from the partners listed above, and on shield.nvidia.com. Fans who have signed up to receive SHIELD updates by clicking “Notify Me” on the SHIELD website will have an exclusive opportunity to pre-order starting today.

If you’re an Android gamer, this will fit into your life the moment you open the box.

SHIELD is the one device that taps into the planet’s largest ecosystem of games — spanning NVIDIA TegraZone, Google Play and Steam. Rediscover your Android games with the mobility, control and performance of SHIELD. Connect to your Google Play account to enjoy your favorite movies, music and apps.

And GeForce game streaming, launching as a beta feature, will give SHIELD the power to access your NVIDIA GeForce GTX GPU-powered computer from the comfort of your couch. We’re working on streaming your favorite PC games to SHIELD, including great titles from Steam.

Here’s what you’ll get:

Tegra 4 – The world’s fastest mobile processor delivers rich graphics and unbeatable performance thanks to 72 GPU cores, four CPU cores and 2GB of RAM
Console-grade controller – Precise control thanks to dual analog joysticks, a full-sized D-Pad, left and right analog triggers, full-sized bumpers and A/B/X/Y buttons
Multi-touch display – 5-inch, 720p retinal multi-touch display for high-fidelity visuals
Integrated speakers – Custom, bass reflex, tuned port audio system – we think this is SHIELD’s sleeper feature
Wi-Fi – 802.11n 2X2 MIMO game-speed Wi-Fi for game streaming
Pure Android – Latest Android Jelly Bean operating system from Google, for access to Android games and apps
There’s more – We put into SHIELD everything we would want in a premium mobile gaming device: 16 GB memory, GPS, Bluetooth 3.0, a mini-HDMI output, micro-USB 2.0, a microSD storage slot, a 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack. See the full spec sheet, here.

To everyone who’s been following SHIELD, thank you. This is going to be fun.

5 Cutting-Edge Games That Will Rock NVIDIA SHIELD

2013-05-15T05:43:56Z

Provide a powerful, open platform, and developers will do amazing things.

That’s why we built SHIELD using Google’s Android operating system and the world’s most powerful mobile processor, Tegra 4.

Developers have responded, creating a lineup of titles that will tap into SHIELD’s power to create amazing gaming experiences.

Here’s a look at five new games coming soon for SHIELD:

Broken Age
Developer: Double Fine

This adventure game tells the stories of a young boy and girl leading parallel lives. The girl has been chosen by her village to be sacrificed to a terrible monster – but she decides to fight back. Meanwhile, a boy on a spaceship is living a solitary life under the care of a motherly computer, but he wants to break free.

Costume Quest
Developer: Double Fine

Costume Quest promises to show off the power of our platform, putting this game into a portable device for the first time. In this charming role-playing game, choose your hero and trick-or-treat through three beautiful environments. Complete quests, build your party, and collect special costumes that allow you to take down the evil Repugians.

Flyhunter: Origins
Developer: Steel Wool Games

Bumbling alien spaceship Janitor, Zak, inadvertently jettisons the ship’s crew and a cargo of rare flies across the Earth’s surface. It’s your job to hunt them all back down. The developers of Flyhunter: Origins, Steel Wool Games, include a group of exceptional artists, so expect the visual story-telling here to be first rate.

Skiing Fred
Developer: Dedalord Games

Perfect chaos is how the developers behind this over-the-top action sports game describe Skiing Fred. The game features a unique free-movement system that allows you to take control of the action as you face extreme storms, apocalyptic meteor showers and blinding blizzards.

Chuck’s Challenge
Developer: Niffler

A 3-D puzzle game with a twist: players can create and share their own levels with a simple interface. Niffler, an independent games studio founded by Chuck Sommerville and friends, aims to create games that are fun for the player to both play and make.

Own the Tunnels in ‘Metro: Last Light’ with New GeForce Game Ready Drivers

2013-05-11T00:28:49Z

Just in time to save humanity in Metro: Last Light, the highly anticipated sequel to the award-winning cult classic Metro 2033, NVIDIA has rolled out a new set of beta drivers that boost performance by up to 10%.

GeForce 320.14 drivers and optimal game settings for Metro: Last Light are available starting today through GeForce Experience.

NVIDIA worked closely with 4A Games to deliver a truly next-gen gaming experience in Metro: Last Light, complete with explosive PhysX effects, immersive 3D Vision Surround technology, and DirectX 11 tessellation.

For more details, refer to the release highlights on the driver download pages and read the GeForce driver article on GeForce.com.

Enjoy the mutant-ridden Metro catacombs with our new GeForce Game Ready drivers and let us know what you think.