Nvidia Shield will begin shipping from July 31 after ‘mechanical issue’ is resolved

Last month Nvidia announced that it would delay the first shipments of its Shield handheld gaming console, and today the company confirmed that the device will ship from July 31, according to Android Central (via The Verge).

The initial delay came as a surprise — it was announced the day before Shield was due to begin shipping to its first customers — and it still isn’t clear exactly why the five-inch touchscreen device was held up. Nvidia cited “a mechanical issue that relates to a third party component” as the reason for the delay, but the company hasn’t provided any further color beyond explaining that it has been resolved.

The new date was communicated by an email to customers, and it means that the Shield will ship a month later than originally scheduled. Nvidia originally announced a June 27 release date in a double piece of news that saw the price drop from $349 to $299. The Android-based gaming device was first announced at CES in January.

When it arrives, Shield will fill a unique space within the gaming industry, as it’s a portable Android handheld that’s also designed to function as a console, streaming client for PC gaming and a set-top box.

iOS and Android have helped revenue from mobile gaming rise to the point that it was triple that of handheld gaming consoles in Q1 2013, according to a joint report from App Annie and IDC. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see how the Shield — which straddles both categories as a Android-powered handheld — will perform in terms of sales and average revenue per user.

Here’s Nvidia showcasing the device:

Image Credit: Mandy Cheng/AFP/Getty Images