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Nvidia might be working on an updated Nvidia Shield Tablet - and it may be a 2-in-1 device able to switch into laptop and desktop modes, according to code XDA Developers found in the latest build of the Shield Experience software.
That software powers Nvidiaâs Shield TV set-top boxes, and the newest version indicates an as-yet unseen feature called âNvDtExp,â which XDA Developers theorizes is Nvidia Desktop Experience. It first appeared in Shield Experience builds back in December 2018, and has only just been noticed.
Given that the company hasnât updated the software for any of its now-discontinued tablets in a year (if not more), and that other code references a product code-named âMystique,â the publication inferred that âMystiqueâ is a new tablet in development - one built to harness this feature. The feature seems to switch between three different UI modes: Dynamic, Tablet and Desktop.
While XDA Developers couldnât explore the Desktop Experience and switch between the modes - its code allegedly checks whether the device used is a âMystiqueâ - they did see mention of start menu visibility and âmouse hover controlâ for desktop UI, suggesting a more traditional windowed look while in âDesktopâ mode. âDynamicâ may logically be a hybrid between âTabletâ and âDesktopâ UI layouts.
The code also suggested that âMystiqueâ would auto-switch to âDesktopâ if a keyboard was plugged in.
A new productâŚor a bygone idea
âMystiqueâ would be Nvidiaâs first new device other than its Shield set-top boxes since the company discontinued its Shield portable, tablet and Tegra Note 7.
While XDA admits that the product hints in the Shield TV builds may be outdated, it does provide some clues: source code from last year suggests âMystiqueâ has a 13.5-inch (3,000x2,000) LCD display. This is pretty large for a tablet (the largest iPad is 12.9 inches), which leads XDA to believe itâs more likely a 2-in-1 device.
Further, while the original Shield Tablet used Nvidiaâs Tegra X1 chip, which also powers the Nintendo Switch, the âMystiqueâ might use the more advanced Tegra X2 - or, as more recent code implies, the Tegra Xaviar processor that Nvidia is developing for autonomous vehicles and AI computing.
Whether itâs actually in development - well, weâll have to wait and see. Nvidia declined to comment to XDA on âMystiqueâ or the Desktop Experience code, instead opting for a boilerplate statement. The publication reprinted a statement theyâd received after uncovering code referring to a possible new remote and gamepad for the Shield TV back in March. It read:
âItâs fairly standard practice for various concept codenames to appear in codebases. Those references remain even when it becomes unlikely that the concept ever goes into production. We canât comment on which codenames refer to product concepts that are active vs which ones are inactive, as it can be fluid. However, I can confirm that none of the codenames below refer to products that have launched publicly."
[ul]
[li]âMystiqueâ may not see the light of day - but hereâs a list of the best tablets out now[/li][/ul]
[ul]
[li] Via The Verge [/li][/ul]
Continue readingâŚ
That software powers Nvidiaâs Shield TV set-top boxes, and the newest version indicates an as-yet unseen feature called âNvDtExp,â which XDA Developers theorizes is Nvidia Desktop Experience. It first appeared in Shield Experience builds back in December 2018, and has only just been noticed.
Given that the company hasnât updated the software for any of its now-discontinued tablets in a year (if not more), and that other code references a product code-named âMystique,â the publication inferred that âMystiqueâ is a new tablet in development - one built to harness this feature. The feature seems to switch between three different UI modes: Dynamic, Tablet and Desktop.
While XDA Developers couldnât explore the Desktop Experience and switch between the modes - its code allegedly checks whether the device used is a âMystiqueâ - they did see mention of start menu visibility and âmouse hover controlâ for desktop UI, suggesting a more traditional windowed look while in âDesktopâ mode. âDynamicâ may logically be a hybrid between âTabletâ and âDesktopâ UI layouts.
The code also suggested that âMystiqueâ would auto-switch to âDesktopâ if a keyboard was plugged in.
A new productâŚor a bygone idea
âMystiqueâ would be Nvidiaâs first new device other than its Shield set-top boxes since the company discontinued its Shield portable, tablet and Tegra Note 7.
While XDA admits that the product hints in the Shield TV builds may be outdated, it does provide some clues: source code from last year suggests âMystiqueâ has a 13.5-inch (3,000x2,000) LCD display. This is pretty large for a tablet (the largest iPad is 12.9 inches), which leads XDA to believe itâs more likely a 2-in-1 device.
Further, while the original Shield Tablet used Nvidiaâs Tegra X1 chip, which also powers the Nintendo Switch, the âMystiqueâ might use the more advanced Tegra X2 - or, as more recent code implies, the Tegra Xaviar processor that Nvidia is developing for autonomous vehicles and AI computing.
Whether itâs actually in development - well, weâll have to wait and see. Nvidia declined to comment to XDA on âMystiqueâ or the Desktop Experience code, instead opting for a boilerplate statement. The publication reprinted a statement theyâd received after uncovering code referring to a possible new remote and gamepad for the Shield TV back in March. It read:
âItâs fairly standard practice for various concept codenames to appear in codebases. Those references remain even when it becomes unlikely that the concept ever goes into production. We canât comment on which codenames refer to product concepts that are active vs which ones are inactive, as it can be fluid. However, I can confirm that none of the codenames below refer to products that have launched publicly."
[ul]
[li]âMystiqueâ may not see the light of day - but hereâs a list of the best tablets out now[/li][/ul]
[ul]
[li] Via The Verge [/li][/ul]
Continue readingâŚ