The next-generation Nvidia Shield will be a tablet, it's claimed.

While chipmaker Nvidia has been quiet about what's planned for the Nvidia Shield in 2014, several reports and leaks in recent weeks have indicated the company is currently developing a successor to the Shield. The device will carry the familiar Shield branding, it appears, though Nvidia has come up with a totally different form factor this time around.

The Federal Communications Commission first leaked in June that Nvidia was working on a new tablet. A second leak soon followed, from Nvidia's own TegraZone website. It advertised a new page for a yet-to-be-announced Shield Tablet but didn't offer any details about the mystery device. More recently, The Verge spotted both a tweet and a page from the Global Certification Forum mentioning a Nvidia Shield Tablet.

The GCF is an organisation incorporated in the UK that processes device certifications. It completed paperwork for Nvidia's new Shield device on Friday. Needless to say, Nvidia, which is primarily known for its graphics chips used in mobile devices and desktops, has more hardware stuff in the works, at least in regards to mobile gaming with Google's Android operating system. Unfortunately, specs and features are still elusive at this time.

READ: Nvidia Project Shield pictures and hands-on

The Nvidia Shield is a handheld game console that released last year. It runs on Android Jelly Bean and features a Tegra 4 processor as well as a 5-inch touchscreen display with a 1,280 x 720-pixel resolution. Other notable hardware specs include a control setup similar to a Dualshock controller, with two analog joysticks, a D-pad, and other buttons.

Pocket-lint has contacted Nvidia for comment and will update with any extra information.