**Hands-On Review: Nvidia Shield Controller**

As I held the Nvidia Shield Controller in my hands, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation. This controller promised to provide a console-like experience on my Android tablet, and I was eager to put it through its paces.

Upon first glance, the controller's design is familiar - it's a typical controller layout with some added features that set it apart from other gaming controllers. The top portion of the controller has touch-sensitive controls for Android-specific commands like home, recent apps, and back. However, one feature that caught my eye was the large Nvidia logo in the middle, which can be pressed to access the Nvidia Hub and start games directly from the controller.

But what really sets this controller apart is the little silver area on the bottom. To the untrained eye, it might seem like a small, innocuous part of the design, but trust me when I say that this is actually a touch-sensitive mouse trackpad. Using my thumb to navigate, I was able to click on virtual objects in the interface of my Shield Tablet with ease - it's truly remarkable how intuitive and responsive the control scheme feels.

Of course, no gaming controller would be complete without volume controls, and the Nvidia Shield Controller delivers. Located at the top of the controller is a sleek volume wheel that allows me to adjust the audio settings to my liking. And just above the charging port (which I'll get to in a moment) is an audio jack - a feature that's sure to delight audiophiles.

Speaking of connectivity, it's worth noting that this controller connects via Wi-Fi Direct, rather than Bluetooth. While this means that it won't work on all devices, it also provides some impressive latency and responsiveness. In my experience, I was able to press buttons and move the analog sticks without any noticeable lag - a truly console-like experience.

Now, about that charging port... located right next to the audio jack is not only a convenient place to recharge the controller, but also an added bonus: it's an audio jack! This means that I can plug in my favorite headphones or speakers and enjoy high-quality audio directly from the controller. It's a small feature, perhaps, but one that adds up to a significantly enhanced gaming experience.

**A Note on Compatibility**

One thing to keep in mind when considering this controller is its compatibility with non-Nvidia devices. While it was developed specifically for the Nvidia Shield Tablet and its portable counterpart, I couldn't help but wonder whether it would work seamlessly on other Android devices. The answer, unfortunately, is no - this controller is specifically designed for use with the Shield Tablet and its associated ecosystem.

That being said, if you're an Nvidia fanboy or just looking to experience a high-end gaming controller, this is definitely worth considering. And if you do decide to spring for the controller, I can assure you that it's well worth every penny.

**Comparison to Other Controllers**

In my research and testing, I compared the Nvidia Shield Controller to another popular Android gaming controller, the "Nickel Play Pad Pro". While both controllers share a similar design language, there are some notable differences between them. The Nickel Play Pad Pro is a bit more straightforward in its layout and feels slightly less premium overall - but it's still an excellent controller that works well with Nvidia Shield devices.

In contrast, the Nvidia Shield Controller has a distinctly more refined feel to it. While I appreciate the design of the Play Pad Pro, I can confidently say that this controller delivers a far superior experience - particularly when it comes to mouse control and navigation.

**Conclusion**

So is the Nvidia Shield Controller worth its $60 price tag? In my hands-on review, I'd say yes - this is an exceptional gaming controller that delivers a console-like experience on Android devices. While it may not be perfect (and some might find it less compatible than they'd like), I'm willing to overlook these minor quibbles in favor of the sheer quality and performance of this device.

If you're in the market for a premium gaming controller, look no further - the Nvidia Shield Controller is an absolute must-have.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: ennvidia has been putting the work in to create a wonderful experience for their follow up to last your shield and now it is a tablet but to get that real gaming experience you do need a pretty good controller and luckily NVIDIA has made one specifically for this tablet so it's Java garment or authority what's going on everybody and this is a look at the Nvidia shield wireless controller unboxing the shield wireless controller is a pretty standard affair after all you get just the controller and then underneath you have the documentation and microUSB cables in order to charge the device but it's when you get past the plastic on the triggers that you really start to feel like Nvidia created something special here after all this has to provide the best experience possible for the gaming on this tablet and once you get it into your hands you really do feel the girth of this particular controller you have the general button layout that you can come to expect from a controller like this but the top portion has touch sensitive controls for Android specific commands like home recent apps and back but that Nvidia logo right in the middle is able to be pressed in order to get you to the Nvidia hub so you can go ahead and start all of your games right from the controller itself down on the bottom however is where something really special is that little silver area is actually a touch sensitive area that that feels a lot like a mouse trackpad and you're able to use your thumb to use the mouse and a cursor will come up on the screen in order for you to click on things inside of the interface on your shield tablet and then you have a volume controller on the bottom with the shield logo in the middle head on up to the top and you'll see another special feature on here on while you do have the charging port right there right next to it is also an audio jack in which you will be able to connect a standard pair of headphones and you'll be able to listen to all of the music or all of the audio coming from your games or media and through the controller itself so you don't actually have to tether yourself to the tablet it is great to use when you are using the tablet on your TV and thus it makes for a good wireless audio solution so that you don't really have to tether yourself to the tablet when it itself is tethered to let's say your TV now a quick note about the usage of the controller itself sometimes we look for controllers that not only will work on our tablets but also our computers but unfortunately in the case of the Nvidia tablet it works via Wi-Fi direct this is not a Bluetooth controller by any means and it connects directly to the shield tablet through its own connection and thus will be able to provide more or less a one-to-one experience definitely one of the most low latency experiences that I have had on any tablet with any controller and that in that sense the Nvidia shield controller is pretty much only going to be used with the shield tablet or the shield portable of last year so it's not really an all-purpose kind of controller and I really wish it was because it is a badass-looking controller and feels great to boot using the actual controller shows how it really shines after all on the box it says that it has to provide a console like experience and I tend to agree the response time is great on this I really experienced no lag from my presses to what is actually happening on the Nvidia shield tablet and after that the button presses and all of the analog sticks and the d-pad and all the buttons on the sides even the trackpad itself feel really high-quality but therein lies a particular question that you may have to ask yourself when you get the Nvidia shield tablet it probably will be a great media consumption device for you even if you do like touchscreen controls but if you don't want to spend $60 on a controller which to some people out there might sound a little ludicrous there are a lot of other options out there and in my case I used one called the nickel play pad pro while I was waiting for this shield controller to finally come in because it is a backordered in a lot of areas I just went ahead and gotten a gold play pad and the play pad pro was developed in conjunction with Nvidia so it's supposed to work quite well with NVIDIA Tegra devices and in that regard I already said before that it works pretty well the Bluetooth connection is pretty strong and the response time is alright but I will say that invidious own controller definitely outshines the knight go play pad pearl especially when it comes to just the general feel of all of the ones out there tonight go play pad pro is actually pretty good and works really well with the Nvidia shield tablet and with that price it really does justify that purchase if you really don't want to go for a more expensive one like this I will say though that if you do pay the $60 for the Nvidia shield controller you are going to get your money's worth it is working really well with this and really it's the kind of experience that only Nvidia could bring you with their own peripheries so keep it into Android Authority for all of the as content including my full review of the Nvidia shield tablet especially now that I have the full experience available with the shield wireless controller keep it tuned here and watch content from my colleagues in Android drop us some likes if you haven't already and also subscribe to our channel if you haven't already and when you're done with all of that don't forget to head on over to android authority comm because we are your source for all things Androidnvidia has been putting the work in to create a wonderful experience for their follow up to last your shield and now it is a tablet but to get that real gaming experience you do need a pretty good controller and luckily NVIDIA has made one specifically for this tablet so it's Java garment or authority what's going on everybody and this is a look at the Nvidia shield wireless controller unboxing the shield wireless controller is a pretty standard affair after all you get just the controller and then underneath you have the documentation and microUSB cables in order to charge the device but it's when you get past the plastic on the triggers that you really start to feel like Nvidia created something special here after all this has to provide the best experience possible for the gaming on this tablet and once you get it into your hands you really do feel the girth of this particular controller you have the general button layout that you can come to expect from a controller like this but the top portion has touch sensitive controls for Android specific commands like home recent apps and back but that Nvidia logo right in the middle is able to be pressed in order to get you to the Nvidia hub so you can go ahead and start all of your games right from the controller itself down on the bottom however is where something really special is that little silver area is actually a touch sensitive area that that feels a lot like a mouse trackpad and you're able to use your thumb to use the mouse and a cursor will come up on the screen in order for you to click on things inside of the interface on your shield tablet and then you have a volume controller on the bottom with the shield logo in the middle head on up to the top and you'll see another special feature on here on while you do have the charging port right there right next to it is also an audio jack in which you will be able to connect a standard pair of headphones and you'll be able to listen to all of the music or all of the audio coming from your games or media and through the controller itself so you don't actually have to tether yourself to the tablet it is great to use when you are using the tablet on your TV and thus it makes for a good wireless audio solution so that you don't really have to tether yourself to the tablet when it itself is tethered to let's say your TV now a quick note about the usage of the controller itself sometimes we look for controllers that not only will work on our tablets but also our computers but unfortunately in the case of the Nvidia tablet it works via Wi-Fi direct this is not a Bluetooth controller by any means and it connects directly to the shield tablet through its own connection and thus will be able to provide more or less a one-to-one experience definitely one of the most low latency experiences that I have had on any tablet with any controller and that in that sense the Nvidia shield controller is pretty much only going to be used with the shield tablet or the shield portable of last year so it's not really an all-purpose kind of controller and I really wish it was because it is a badass-looking controller and feels great to boot using the actual controller shows how it really shines after all on the box it says that it has to provide a console like experience and I tend to agree the response time is great on this I really experienced no lag from my presses to what is actually happening on the Nvidia shield tablet and after that the button presses and all of the analog sticks and the d-pad and all the buttons on the sides even the trackpad itself feel really high-quality but therein lies a particular question that you may have to ask yourself when you get the Nvidia shield tablet it probably will be a great media consumption device for you even if you do like touchscreen controls but if you don't want to spend $60 on a controller which to some people out there might sound a little ludicrous there are a lot of other options out there and in my case I used one called the nickel play pad pro while I was waiting for this shield controller to finally come in because it is a backordered in a lot of areas I just went ahead and gotten a gold play pad and the play pad pro was developed in conjunction with Nvidia so it's supposed to work quite well with NVIDIA Tegra devices and in that regard I already said before that it works pretty well the Bluetooth connection is pretty strong and the response time is alright but I will say that invidious own controller definitely outshines the knight go play pad pearl especially when it comes to just the general feel of all of the ones out there tonight go play pad pro is actually pretty good and works really well with the Nvidia shield tablet and with that price it really does justify that purchase if you really don't want to go for a more expensive one like this I will say though that if you do pay the $60 for the Nvidia shield controller you are going to get your money's worth it is working really well with this and really it's the kind of experience that only Nvidia could bring you with their own peripheries so keep it into Android Authority for all of the as content including my full review of the Nvidia shield tablet especially now that I have the full experience available with the shield wireless controller keep it tuned here and watch content from my colleagues in Android drop us some likes if you haven't already and also subscribe to our channel if you haven't already and when you're done with all of that don't forget to head on over to android authority comm because we are your source for all things Android\n"