Handheld gaming has taken some massive strides in the last decade. We’ve gone from consoles like the Sony PSP and DS, which had somewhat limited computing power, to devices like the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch, which are capable of running some impressive titles natively on-device.
Even with the advances of the Nintendo Switch 2 and its compelling list of exclusive first-party titles, I’m still holding out hope for a completely different kind of handheld gaming device: the next Nvidia Shield.
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The original Shield was underrated
Nvidia had a brilliant idea, just executed too early
While the Switch and Shield are fundamentally different devices, they accomplish the same thing when it’s all said and done. The original Shield, while released to pretty minimal fanfare, was a great device. When it was first released in 2013, it was marketing was amiss and misunderstood. Later revisions helped cultivate a cult-like following, but outside of that, the general consumer just couldn’t justify the cost.
For many, they saw the Shield as something you could play Android games on and not much else. The library of games on-device was limited, and many people didn’t have the internet connection required for streaming games back then. Fiber internet wasn’t available in nearly as many places as it is now, and this was a major reason why the Shield flopped.
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Why I’d prefer a Shield 2 over the Switch 2
Cloud gaming is the future
I’m not going to go out of my way to play any Android games, but I suspect if an Nvidia Shield 2 were to come to fruition, it would likely do away with that altogether and lean 100% into the cloud gaming angle, which I think is the right move. For a monthly fee, you can currently stream games from Nvidia’s GeForce NOW service, and while it’s currently limited and a little on the expensive side, I think it may still be worth it in the event of a Shield 2 launch.
Even if you decide not to jump into cloud gaming with both feet, the Shield can be used to stream games from your own computer through your own network. If you have a decent rig, it’s probably a better experience than GeForce NOW, and is certainly something that the Switch 2 just isn’t capable of.
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Missing on first-party exclusives is a big loss
Might be too much to bear if you’re a Nintendo fan
One of the biggest factors to consider when deciding whether to buy a Nintendo console is access to their first-party games, which is nonexistent if you don’t buy the console. Sure, you could presumably run or stream emulators of retro systems on the Shield 2, but access to any of the latest games will always be heavily restricted by Nintendo, as is their style. You’ll be missing out on any Mario, Zelda or Metroid titles, so if that’s a deal-breaker for you, then following in my footsteps is probably not an option.
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It’s a worthy trade-off to me
I love Nintendo’s IP, but I think I can honestly say that I enjoy the retro stuff just as much as the newer titles. Once I figured out how to run homebrew on my Switch, I used it to emulate older titles just as much as playing newer ones. With the Shield 2, I wouldn’t be restricted by any kind of console security presumably, and could install whatever was available to run on Android, and perhaps go even further than that.
For a tech enthusiast, the idea of buying a game console, especially one that will certainly be heavily locked down with security measures, just doesn’t sound great in comparison to something like the Shield. While I’m missing out on first-party exclusives and running games natively on-device, a Shield would enable so much more capability.
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Handheld gaming is only going to keep evolving
The Switch 2 will innovate on what the original had done so well, and will undoubtedly be an excellent experience for any Nintendo fan. I loved my original Switch, and while I did use it a lot, as someone who loves to tinker with their stuff, I would much rather have something like a modern Shield or a Steam Deck. This would allow me to play my existing library of games essentially anywhere, install whatever software I choose, and perhaps experience these Switch exclusives once they become “retro” in 10–15 years.
