Nvidia’s issued a product recall for its Nvidia Shield tablet gaming device thing, saying that many have shipped with faulty batteries that can “overheat and pose a fire hazard”.
The tablet — which I once described as “Robocop’s lunchbox”, “a PDA that Batman might use, but not the cool new Batman, the George Clooney Batman with the nipples” and “an electric egg that Knight Rider might hatch out of” — has shipped with two different kinds of battery. One of them is dangerous and might destroy everything you hold dear.
By checking the Shield’s settings menu, users can check whether or not their device is a ticking time bomb. B01 batteries are fine, while Y01 batteries are tiny little arsonists in waiting.
Nvidia are replacing affected units at no additional cost, though users are advised to back up their own data first, presumably because Nvidia plan to destroy the faulty devices in a controlled explosion somewhere in the desert.
The Shield is an Android-powered tablet able to stream games from your PC to its portable, five-inch, 1280×720 screen. The 16GB model, sans controller, is priced at £239.99.
Thanks Eurogamer.