Nvidia Shield launching June 27, price dropped from $349 to $299

The Nvidia Shield, the graphics card manufacturer's Android-based gaming handheld, will be available June 27 for $299 — $50 less than the previously announced price of $349, the company announced today.

Nvidia said last month that it planned to start shipping the Shield in June. The company originally unveiled the device, a 5-inch handheld that can play Android games and wirelessly stream Windows PC games from a capable computer, at CES in January.

According to Nvidia, it is dropping the price due to customer feedback from the web and from hands-on sessions at events like PAX East and E3.

"We've heard from thousands of gamers that if the price was $299, we'd have a home run," said Nvidia. "So we're changing the price of Shield to $299."

All existing pre-orders will be reduced to the lower price. For more on Shield, check out our hands-on preview from CES.