Nvidia Shield Tablet K1 specs, price & update: still a gamer's dream tablet; comes with GeForce Now & a lower price tag

Nvidia's Shield Tablet makes a comeback and it is more powerful than ever thanks to its new improved specs. 

Nvidia relaunched the new Shield Tablet K1 with gamers in mind. According to CNET, the Android tablet is powered by a Tegra K1 processor which is the same as the predecessor's last year. It comes with 16GB of storage, a microSD slot and a mini HDMI port.

If you're worried about the price tag, don't worry because it is $100 cheaper than its predecessor and definitely more affordable than the latest iPad mini which is sold at $399 each. It is priced at $199.

At 8 inches, it has a 1920 x 1200-pixel screen display resolution, weighs 390 pounds and has 5-megapixel front and back cameras, according to PC World. It is equipped to support GeForce Now video game streaming service.

According to 9to5Google, the tablet will run on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop but the company announced that they might ship it with the latest Android OS, Marshmallow just in time for the holidays.

If you're thinking of serious gaming through this device, you can attach it with the Shield controller which is sold separately to turn it into a gaming console, Tech Crunch reports. It allows you to play games through Nvidia's "streaming Netflix for games" - Grid with ease. Its battery life is reportedly 10 hours.

PCs that are equipped with Nvidia GPU can stream games from the tablet. Gamers can also play popular games like "Half-Life 2" and "Portal" which are included as Shield-exclusive games. When the tablet is connected to a TV, it can play games up to 1080p as well as stream videos at 4k from YouTube and Netflix.

Engadget explains why the new Shield tablet was not equipped with the new Tegra X1 chip that was announced this year. The outlet says that older Tegra chip was sufficient to balance out the price of the tablet at $199.

The original Shield Tablets were recalled this summer because of potential fire hazard issues due to its battery. Nvidia allegedly received reports of overheating where two resulted in flooring damage, according to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. According to the company's press release, customers can claim for a replacement for affected Nvidia tablets that were sold between July 2014 and July 2015.