Android users now have access to games from Nvidia's TegraZone. The latest version of the TegraZone app is available on the Google Play store. Previously, Tegra's legion of games were only compatible with Tegra-based devices.
Nvidia announced today that version 2.9 of the app will not only open up Tegra's games to new customers, but also includes several key improvements. TegraZone now supports Google Play services, allows for Google+ login and features significant improvements for Nvidia Shield and MadCatz Mojo users. In addition, Android HID controllers are compatible with the TegraZone app. Logging in with Google+ should make for a more personalized gaming experience and optimize new game suggestions.
"TegraZone is not intended to replace the purchase, download, or functionality of Google Play, but rather to compliment it by providing a selection of premium games that developers believe will offer an exceptional experience for users of Tegra-powered phones and tablets," Nvidia stated in the app description on the Google Play store.
Nvidia also added three new sections to the app's interface: Games, Spotlight and News. Featured games and key pieces of gaming news show up under the Spotlight section, while a list of suggested games appears in the Games section. Users can filter through results in the Games section based on a few categories, including featured, controller, coming soon and the games you already own. Games are listed by name with their icon, rating and price. The listing also states whether the game offers controller support or not.
The new TegraZone app features a new section called TegraZone Collections, which categorizes games based on their publisher, genre and special features. TegraZone Collections should make it easier to find new games that interest you. Nvidia included a sharing shortcut option and encourages users to write game reviews.
The newly updated TegraZone app is just another step forward in Nvidia's push to increase the number of gamers using its services. At CES 2014, Nvidia introduced GameStream Ready, an ecosystem that aims to give gamers a more seamless and low-latency gaming experience when using a Nvidia-based PC or the Nvidia Grid cloud. Nvidia hopes that gamers will be able to stream games from their PCs to their mobile devices more easily once the new ecosystem is built. Of course, this new system only works with PCs that have Nvidia's GeForce GTX card and GeForce Experience installed, but it is an improvement nonetheless.
