Nvidia’s new 4K Shield TV set-top box comes with Google Assistant

Nvidia surprised the crowd at CES 2013 with its first Shield gaming device.

The new NVIDIA Shield TV is priced at $199 (including both the remote and game controller).

With voice actions on these supported devices, you’ll be able to issue commands like “Play Stranger Things on Netflix”, or “Search YouTube for Jimmy Kimmel”. Sadly, we don’t know when it’s going on sale, but our guess is that Nvidia will wait to deliver the relevant features to the Shield console before offering the Spot for sale.

Nvidia did not reveal what kind of internal hardware powers the new Shield. It supports a number of apps, as well as games of its own right, including big AAA titles like Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Watch Dogs 2, For Honor and more.

Alongside Shield TV, Nvidia was also talking up its GeForce Now platform at CES 2017. This feature isn’t new to Shield devices, but now you can game at much higher resolution.

Nvidia stepped up the game with the debut of their Shield streaming device with 4K streaming capability along with great add-ons. Plus, the Shield TV’s getting better as a server device.

The Google Assistant is also coming to existing Shield TV models, so if you wanted to get into Google Home without investing in the standalone speaker, this might be the way to go if you already have the Shield TV. The concept is like the voice command options that Microsoft’s Xbox One allows, but Nvidia took its system to the next level.

“Shield TV is the world’s most advanced streamer”. You’ll also be able to access some of your smart home devices through the SmartThings platform.

By working with Google, the Nvidia Shield is ready to serve when it hears your voice. 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 unit is small and plugs directly into an outlet. This always-on microphone called Nvidia Spot can be placed anywhere at home.

Furthermore, each Spot will cost you $49.99, so the more rooms you need to cover, the more cash you’ll have to shell out to cover your entire home with Google’s Assistant. That’s not cheap, but it’s also cheaper than buying a handful of Google Home units for each room.