I think you read a different article than I did. The Ars Technica article doesn't mention the Shield at all, just the Tegra 4.
Anyway, it sounds like NVidia is putting out a device to show people what the Tegra 4 can do. They have to build prototype devices anyway; they might as well sell a few of them while they're at it. They're not expecting to create their own platform: the Shield is just useful for basically acting as a controller for your PC or as a box for playing Android games.
There's more to the market than "hardcore gamers" (how hardcore can you be using a portable device anyway?) There's the Windows 8 tablet and Android tablet markets, which NVidia would very much like to win. I also would not be greatly surprised to see an SoC like this in Steam's new box, either.
Anyway, it sounds like NVidia is putting out a device to show people what the Tegra 4 can do. They have to build prototype devices anyway; they might as well sell a few of them while they're at it. They're not expecting to create their own platform: the Shield is just useful for basically acting as a controller for your PC or as a box for playing Android games.
There's more to the market than "hardcore gamers" (how hardcore can you be using a portable device anyway?) There's the Windows 8 tablet and Android tablet markets, which NVidia would very much like to win. I also would not be greatly surprised to see an SoC like this in Steam's new box, either.