Nvidia has announced the start of pre-orders for its hand-held console, the Nvidia Shield. Based on Nvidia's Tegra 4 chip, Android Jelly Bean OS paired up with a 5-inch 720p screen with XBox-like controller, the new Nvidia Shield will be available for US and Canadian residents with a US $349 pre-order price tag.

Revealed and announced back in January at Consumer Electronics Show 2013 in Las Vegas, the Nvidia Shield is bulit around a gaming-grade controller and a flip-up 5-inch 1280x720 screen. The heart of it is the Nvidia Tegra 4 chip clocked at 1.9GHz paired up with 2GB of RAM. It also features 16GB of internal storage expandable by microSD card slot, special audio with stereo bass reflex, 802.11n 2x2 MIMO WiFi and a 28.8Whr battery that should keep it alive for some serious gaming sessions.

Those in the US and Canada that actually decide to pre-order the new Shield will also be getting a special Silver Lid for the Shield as well as Expandable: Rearmed and Sonic 4 Episode II THD game titles. Nvidia also offers some extra accessories including a carrying case for US $39.99 and carbon fiber and glossy black lids for US $19.99 each.

Nvidia's pre-order site notes that consoles should be in hands of those that pre-order it by July and notes that offer is in limited quantities



Source: Nvidia.com.