Nvidia's 10-year effort to make the Shield TV the most updated Android device
by qmr on 1/31/2026, 3:14:14 PM
Comments
by: wronglebowski
Everyone is missing the why here, this only happens because the whole stack is vertically integrated. Even if say LG wanted to make a box like this and update it for 10 years they couldn’t, they don’t make the chips. Qualcomm straight up refuses to support chips through this many Android releases. Even if device manufacturers want to support devices forever it won’t matter if the actual SoC platform drops support.
1/31/2026, 5:24:01 PM
by: buu709
I've got the OG model, and it's still the main device hooked up to my TV. All my TV streaming goes through it (mostly Jellyfin these days), and it can stream games no problem via Moonlight.<p>It's hooked up to a 4k LG TV, and I have no idea about how it does the upscaling, but 720p content looks perfectly fine on it.<p>Best (worst?) of all... it still gets updates.
1/31/2026, 3:55:26 PM
by: DecoPerson
The Steam Link, also from 2015, is also still receiving updates! My partner and I use ours regularly to play co-op games on our TV. I really appreciate the efforts of whomever is keeping it running.
1/31/2026, 5:03:00 PM
by: cf100clunk
The Shield TV's cylindrical form factor could use a rethink. It is hard to find a good spot for it on a shelf when cords are connected at both ends (HDMI and MMC slot at one end, power and LAN at the other) and the ports are too close for all cords to use right-angle-heads. Leaving it invisible by placing it on the floor or behind other gear sometimes impedes Bluetooth signal, so there it sits, well apart from the AVR, BD, other devices.
1/31/2026, 4:39:33 PM
by: beastman82
I have had two for 10 years and have no complaints whatsoever
1/31/2026, 3:53:24 PM
by: TuringNYC
I love the NVIDIA Shield as a technical product...but...I really wish they spent some effort on User Experience.
1/31/2026, 4:58:04 PM
by: raggi
I love my shield, it’s been a staple.<p>If they wanted to really knock it out the park, the next step would be a steamos port with DRM support.
1/31/2026, 5:06:44 PM
by: DustinBrett
It's sad how few competitors have come out in a decade.
1/31/2026, 5:12:30 PM
by: g051051
My Nvidia Shield Portable is sad to hear this. They updated it to Lollipop 5.1 and then killed it. Pretty much useless now.
1/31/2026, 4:52:03 PM
by: pier25
What a new model would need is more compat with DV and better software. Get rid of the Android ads. Add better frame rate matching. Etc.
1/31/2026, 4:34:54 PM
by: cf100clunk
Dupe of <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46824003">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46824003</a>
1/31/2026, 4:10:34 PM
by: junon
My shield bricked itself after just a few months, so YMMV on this. No rhyme or reason why.
1/31/2026, 4:10:00 PM
by: zdw
Shield TV + extra storage + HDHomeRun tuner is still a great device for getting OTA TV.<p>The only downside is that more recent versions use the Google Android TV launcher which is filled with a garbage truck full of ads, often for things I would never want to watch (horror movies? Nope!). Yes you can replace the launcher, but that's a pain.<p>Would love to pay more for a device that has updated codec support, no ads or tracking, and is basically identical.
1/31/2026, 3:58:02 PM
by: tempest_
Now if only they would release an updated one.
1/31/2026, 3:48:07 PM
by: titaniumrain
honestly, shield tv changed how i interact with my tv and my opinion about Android TV (even though its market sucks)
1/31/2026, 3:49:18 PM
by: 2OEH8eoCRo0
It's ironic that Nvidia before becoming a behemoth had the money for this kind of device.
1/31/2026, 3:50:49 PM