New NVIDIA Shield Android TV box includes Google Assistant, 4K HDR streaming

NVIDIA's latest set-top streaming box is a must-buy, even at $199.

NVIDIA has announced an updated Shield streaming box — the one that debuted last year running Android TV — with major updates, both in the hardware and software department.

Perhaps the most impressive, and surprising, inclusion is that of Google Assistant, the only piece of hardware outside of Google's own Pixel phone lineup that sports the nascent AI conversationalist.

Because it runs Android TV, the NVIDIA Shield includes all of the apps that Google's own Nexus Player and other similar set-top boxes feature, but NVIDIA of course has its own tricks: the ability to stream 4K HDR from Netflix and Amazon Video, the only piece of hardware currently capable of doing that. The same is true of the new game streaming features, which work with NVIDIA's GeForce graphics card lineup to blast games from a PC to a nearby television — 4K HDR game streaming is something many enthusiasts have been waiting a long time for.

Finally, NVIDIA has announced a milestone for its own Steam game store: 1000 titles fully optimized for the Shield box, compatible with the newly-updated controller.

The announcement comes alongside a new peripheral, the NVIDIA Spot, which works as a voice assistant for, well, Google Assistant, connecting to the Shield and facilitating Google Home-like functionality from anywhere in the house.

The updated NVIDIA Shield Android TV will start shipping later this month for $199, with pre-orders beginning now.

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