Nvidia provided a sneak preview of a hand-held gaming device, powered by “Tegra 4” processor. Company is hoping that it will help them compete better with the likes of Sony and Microsoft.

Called “Project Shield”, the device will be sold directly to consumers. This is quite an unusual strategy for a company known world over for mobile processors and computer graphics cards.

Company says that when it launches, it will be able to run Google Android games. In addition, it can also stream games from PCs.

Smartphones and tablets support limited control functions such as swiping and tapping. And that is where by integrating a controller with a screen, Nvidia may be angling for hardcore gamers who play intense action games on consoles.

Industry experts are of the view that Nvidia may be attempting to vie for a bigger slice of the console gaming market.

Nvidia’s new device is going to support the famous game digital download service “Steam”, bringing on board top-selling titles such as “Assassin’s Creed” and “Battlefield 3”.

With PC sales on a dip because of economic uncertainty and a growing consumer preference for tablets, company has also staked its future on leveraging its graphics expertise to come up with high-performance processors for mobile devices.