Back at CES 2013, NVIDIA unveiled the original Shield TV, which was one of the very few Android TVs that actually gained in popularity. This year we have a successor, but it is not the full redesign that some have hoped for. Instead, we get the set-top box that has the Google Assistant built-in. Along with a virtual assistant, NVIDIA has added 4K HDR support to the Shield this year.
Since it is running Android TV, you get access to plenty of 4K content from services like YouTube, Netflix, and Google Play Movies. As the first Sheild did, you can count on this next generation to deliver excellent performance for gaming. You will be able to play titles like Watch Dogs 2, which we recently reviewed.
The real big update with the new NVIDIA Shield would be its connected home capabilities. As it can act as a hub for your house with built-in support for SmartThings. When the Shield is turned on your can use hands-free voice commands or a button the remote to call up the Google Assitant. And if you want the whole house to be wired with the Google Assistant, you can get the NVIDIA Spot accessories that have an always listening feature. This way you can control elements of your house and reach out to the Google Assistant.
It seems that this year NVIDIA aims for the Shield to compete with your traditional set-top box and streaming players, but they are also setting their eyes on Amazon Echo. As they have deeply integrated the Google Assistant into this years model. The NVIDIA Sheild is available for pre-order now from the company for $199. The NVIDIA Spot will be available later year for $49.99.
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