NVIDIA updates original Shield Portable to 5.1

Today an optional update for the SHIELD Portable is going out that updates the device to Android 5.1 Lollipop. That’s not all, though.

NVIDIA’s software update not only brings Android 5.1 to the aging tablet, but it also offers improvements for the DirectStylus digital pen that comes with the tablet, fixes some issues with app compatibility, and improves network, audio, and display issues.

Through the update, NVIDIA Shield Portable users will now be able to stream games to their television sets or other Google Cast-ready devices using Chromecast, according to Android Authority.

The full details can be found at the link below.

It is nice to see that NVIDIA is still supporting its older devices, despite its focus on its newer models such as the Shield Tablet.

However, if you own the HP Slate 7 Extreme (HP-branded version of the Tegra Note 7) you will probably have to wait for HP to push out the update.

On the removal side of things, this update removes a few items permanently from your Shield Portable.

The trade-off for this added feature, however, is that support for Miracast will be dropped once the device’s firmware has been updated. The previous update, Software Upgrade 101, for the Shield Portable – which was launched two years back – was released by Nvidia in February this year.

The console’s control configuration has a similar set-up to that of the PlayStation’s DualShock controllers.

However, Nvidia has warned that some of the pre-installed apps on Shield Portable console will not be compatible with the Android “Lollipop” version.