Wednesday, January 29, 2014

NVIDIA releases TegraZone app for all Android devices

For those who always wanted to discover Tegra-optimized games on your non-Tegra optimized device.

NVIDIA has expanded the potential install-base of its TegraZone app this afternoon, as it is now making the application available to all Android devices running Android 2.2 or higher. If you're not familiar, TegraZone is a game discovery "network" focused on titles optimized specifically for NVIDIA Tegra-powered devices. Think of it as a news blog, a mini-review site and a storefront all in one. You can read about new games, see what others think of them, and get pointed at Google play to download them.

Today's update won't make those games available for non-Tegra devices, but it does expose users to some great game titles — many of which are available in non-Tegra versions as well. The feature-list of the new version:

Supports Google Play Game Services – provides achievements for downloading games, submitting reviews and ratings, and spreading the word about games featured in TegraZone
Uses your Google+ login to personalize your TegraZone experience
TegraZone Collections will allow highlighting of special interest groups of games by feature, genre, or publisher
Sharing shortcut icon makes it easier to share via your favorite social network
Dynamic loading of additional content when you scroll to the bottom of games lists and news
Archived news items are now viewable

We understand the "why" here — you always want your product to be in front of as many eyes as possible. We're just not so sure users will want to do it this way. Using the TegraZone app on the Shield, for example, is a great way to discover new and upcoming titles to play. I'm not convinced I'll want to do the same on a device I can't play most of those titles on. You can grab the app at the Google Play link above and give it a spin.