NVIDIA Shield delayed as 'mechanical issue' pushes launch to July

No new shipping date given for portable Android gaming console/controller

NVIDIA Shield the graphics company's ambitious move into the consumer hardware space will miss its June 27 shipping date because of a "mechanical issue" that popped up during final testing, the company announced today.

It did not say when the handheld gaming device would finally hit customers' hands.

An NVIDIA spokesperson told Android Central:

During our final QA process, we discovered a mechanical issue that relates to a third-party component. We want every SHIELD to be perfect, so we have elected to shift the launch date to July. Well update you as soon as we have an exact date.

NVIDIA would not disclose the nature of the issue, or which third-party component was the culprit. "Mechanical" sounds like moving parts, however, and there aren't many of them on Shield. (Buttons, the joysticks and d-pad, exhaust fan and the clamshell hinge come to mind.)

Shield is NVIDIA's first foray into the consumer hardware market, basically taking a traditional console gaming controller and outfitting it with its newest Tegra 4 processor and a 5-inch, 720p display and can output at up to 4K resolution via an HDMI port. Shield debuted at CES in January, and we got our first look at the finished product four months later. It runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and has a dedicated button to take you to Shield-optimized games (either to play them or purchase them).

Shield is very well-made (OK, save for whatever this "mechanical issue" is, we suppose), but it's caught criticism for being what many consider an overpriced niche product. To that end, NVIDIA lowered the price from $349 to $299, hoping to assuage those cost concerns and move it more into impulse-purchase territory.

For more discussion, check out our NVIDIA Shield forums.

Via: NVIDIA Shield delayed as 'mechanical issue' pushes launch to July