Nvidia’s new Shield TV supports 4K HDR video and has Google’s Assistant

Nvidia is announcing a new version of its Shield TV home streaming box today. The new model has an updated design and support for 4K HDR streaming. It now comes with both a remote and game controller and is available for preorder now for $199.99. It is expected to ship to customers this month.

Nvidia says the new Shield TV has three times the performance of any other streaming box on the market. It runs Android TV and has access to 4K content from Netflix, Google Play Movies, and Vudu. Nvidia has also added Amazon Video in 4K HDR — a rarity for Android TV boxes. Nvidia says that existing Shield TV devices will get the new one’s features through a software update delivered sometime in January.

In addition to Amazon Video, the Shield TV will have support for Google’s Assistant for voice control, including hands-free commands, like Google’s Home speaker. A peripheral microphone called Nvidia Spot is being sold spearately and can be placed anywhere in the home to receive voice commands. It’s very similar to Amazon’s Echo Dot, though it doesn’t work fully standalone and requires the main Shield TV to function. The new Shield will support integration with the SmartThings smart home hub, which allows for control of many different smart home appliances.

The Shield TV has always been positioned as more than just a streaming video box, and the new model has support for thousands of games, including Watch Dogs 2, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, and For Honor. Nvidia says that future games from Ubisoft will be releases for the Shield TV at the same time they are released for PC. Nvidia is also releasing a Steam app on the Play Store that will allow gamers to stream games in 4K HDR to their TVs.

Shield TV sits at the top of heap of home media streamers, and its nearly $200 price tag reflects that. An even more fully-featured Shield Pro with a controller, remote with headphone jack, and 500GB of internal storage is going to be available later this month at a to be announced price.

The article was published on : theverge