Nvidia’s official entry into the portable gaming console market is almost here. Project SHIELD (or simply SHIELD), is now available for pre-order for the slightly hefty price of $349.

For the price you get a console-grade controller, a high-definition, 720p HD display and all the benefits of running the Tegra 4. Sure it runs Android like most of the smartphones already available in the market but what makes the Shield special, as Nvidia put it, is like the Ouya, it’s more gaming-centric.

Here’s what you’ll get with the Shield:

• Tegra 4 – The world’s fastest mobile processor delivers rich graphics and unbeatable performance thanks to 72 GPU cores, four CPU cores and 2GB of RAM
• Console-grade controller – Precise control thanks to dual analog joysticks, a full-sized D-Pad, left and right analog triggers, full-sized bumpers and A/B/X/Y buttons
• Multi-touch display – 5-inch, 720p retinal multi-touch display for high-fidelity visuals
• Integrated speakers – Custom, bass reflex, tuned port audio system – we think this is SHIELD’s sleeper feature
• Wi-Fi – 802.11n 2X2 MIMO game-speed Wi-Fi for game streaming
• Pure Android – Latest Android Jelly Bean operating system from Google, for access to Android games and apps
• There’s more – We put into SHIELD everything we would want in a premium mobile gaming device: 16 GB memory, GPS, Bluetooth 3.0, a mini-HDMI output, micro-USB 2.0, a microSD storage slot, a 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack. See the full spec sheet, here.

Pre-orders start on May 20 via Nvidia’s partners and shield.nvidia.com.  The Nvidia shield will be able to run apps from NVIDIA TegraZone, Google Play and Steam (by connecting to your PC of course).

source Nvidia