As for controls, Shield is a bit on the unwieldy side of things. In an effort to make the screen foldable, clamshell-style, with the full gamepad underneath, the analog sticks are sunk into the body. While it didn't make any of the games we tried unplayable, it did feel a bit less comfy...

Let's be honest: the Shield is a niche, boutique device that, while enticing to many, probably won't fit into your life without some meaty prerequisites. For you diehard PC folks, however, this is your gaming handheld. For the rest of us ... well, doesn't it look neat?

What really struck me about the Shield was how very far from ergonomic the device appears, and yet how surprisingly comfortable it is to hold. NVIDIA nailed the underside ergonomics almost perfectly.

Despite the caveats I've mentioned, I'm champing at the bit to see the final product ... Hopefully, the several months of lead time will be enough for Android developers to get Android gaming into a much more impressive state.

Overall, the Nvidia Shield is an exciting innovation not only because it demonstrates that Nvidia has serious hardware chops. Devices like this will finally spur Android game developers to give Google’s platform the attention it deserves.

The Nvidia Project Shield is a truly new thing, and I don't see a lot of new things at CES. This is probably the most important object I'll see this show. Whether or not it succeeds, Nvidia really gets points for trying here.

While I can attest Borderlands 2 was served up in smooth fashion on the Shield in a crowded conference room right next to a PC, it's hardly the best test situation. Still, side-by-side with a 1080p monitor, Borderlands 2 on the Nvidia Shield at least kept a consistant framerate and offered...

The Nvidia Shield should have stayed a project, an experiment for the company to develop features and ideas it could pitch for future products. On its own, it's too expensive and doesn't offer enough gaming bang for the buck.

Shield does its Android job well, and the hardware feels great to these gamers’ hands. Buttons are slightly clicky and the ergonomics are solid, and the thing doesn’t take up too much more space than an Xbox controller when the screen is folded down and it’s in travel mode.

t the moment it’s clear that NVIDIA has the structure ready for prime time, there’s simply a few kinks to iron out as far as which situation requires what action ... By the time this device is released, we’re expecting an undeniably smooth experience start to finish.

SHIELD works with a 5-inch 720p multi-touch display which flips-up from its hardware controller body. In this shell-opening form-factor, this device allows the user a gaming experience only otherwise given in part by 3rd-party accessories attached to smartphones.

And the best part about all this -- for as good as it is right now, it's still not finished.

I think that the Shield is a device that can be of great service for a specific group of people who are looking for a high-end portable gaming system. Never before has a portable console been so powerful, and never before have PC games been so accessible from the palm of your hands.

Screen quality of the Nvidia Project Shield is excellent, and while the UI elements of full PC games will likely be a bit small to discern comfortably, game graphics didn't feel notably compromised by the screen's specs.

One of the best parts of the Nvidia Project Shield is the fact that its launch games are familiar - it's everything you can already own on the PC, Steam, Google Play, and Nvidia's own TegraZone store.

Nvidia Project Shield is a powerful machine that sets a new standard in gaming, thanks to its versatility.

Nvidia said that it created Shield to do for games what the iPod and Kindle have done for music and books. And Shield might just have the hardware to back up that statement.

Showing off its versatility, we’ll hand it to NVIDIA for blessing this with a very reasonable looking screen. Indeed, we’re spoiled by 1080p touchscreen displays nowadays, but nevertheless, the 5-inch 720p touchscreen is effective enough for gaming – as well as navigating around Android.

Overall, we’re very impressed with NVIDIA’s Project Shield. There’s currently nothing like it on the market, and while Sony has plans to push this sort of feature to the PS Vita, it’s simply not there yet. We’re more than excited for the Shield to be released, which we hope is sooner...

The controller itself is reasonable. The thumbsticks don't have as much travel as we'd like, so the gamepad isn't up there with the Xbox 360's controller, but the Shield device is still comfortable to use and hold.

With an array of sensors and chips such as high-speed 2×2 MIMO WiFi, 3-axis gyroscope and accelerometer, GPS, Bluetooth and more, the Shield should work as a media consumption tool, too. It runs stock Android 4.2.1 and is preloaded with a few games and apps.

Overall the device feels really good in the hand and definitely benefits from some ergonomic design. The hinge on the screen did feel a tad creaky, but that isn’t unusual on any plastic hinge on pre-production models, and the screen is beautiful enough to warrant your full attention.