As the battle of the machines rages on, Google has confirmed that Google Assistant is coming to Android TV, both on compatible televisions as well as set-top boxes. 

Making the announcement at CES 2017, Google gave the timeline of "the coming months", confirming that your Sony Bravia TV will get the update, allowing you access to Google Assistant on your TV.

When Google announced the new Assistant, it made it an exclusive feature of its Pixel smartphones and Google Home device. In a strange move, the full Assistant experience is denied to regular Android smartphones. 

This announcement is the first real signs of Google Assistant spreading its wings and making its way to a new selection of devices - those not manufactured by Google itself.

  • What is Google Assistant, how does it work, and when can you use it?

The poster boy for Android TV set-top boxes is the Nvidia Shield, also updated at CES 2017. Google has confirmed that the new Nvidia Shield will be the first to give you the full hands-free Google Assistant experience, like Google Home, with Nvidia's Shield Spot one of the first devices that will spread Google Assistant around your house – a little like the Amazon Echo Dot

In addition to Android TV, Google has confirmed that the long-awaited Android Wear 2.0 will also give you Google Assistant, so we imagine that there's going to be a wider update to Android at some point in the future too in support of this. 

Finally, Google Assistant is also going to be available in cars. Currently, this appears to be through compatible Android-powered in-car infotainment systems, with no specific mention of Android Auto.

With Amazon's Alexa kicking up a storm at CES 2017, there's a general feeling that Google is in the position of playing catch-up in the battle of the smart assistants. But all the signs are here that 2017 is going to be all about a more connected, smarter experience.