Nvidia's current Android-powered Shield TV models have been around for a few years now, having originally launched in 2019. However, the company regularly updates them with software builds that adds new features, apps and abilities. That's not so much the case this time. The latest patch actually removes something from the system, although it's really for the better.
Nvidia has killed Gamestream completely, which means you can no longer stream games to a Shield TV from a PC connected to the same home network. The latest update removes all references of it from the Shield TV or Shield TV Pro's system and, after installation, the Nvidia Games app will be renamed GeForce Now Cloud Gaming for Shield TV instead.
This is important for two reasons - for starters, Gamestream had already been made inoperable by Nvidia, so it cleans up the Shield experience. And, it shows a further commitment to the GeForce Now game streaming service - especially since the death of Google's rival, Stadia.
Nvidia Shield TV Pro
The Nvidia Shield TV Pro is one of the most powerful TV streaming devices around. Powered by Android TV, it offers all the apps you could wish for thanks to Google Play Store access, plus a few of Nvidia's own custom services - such as GeForce Now. The Pro model has 3GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, and can output 4K HDR (Dolby Vision) video and Dolby Armos sound.
As well as tidy-up the messaging for users, Nvidia claims the move will help it make further improvements to the way its cloud gaming service runs on Shield TV in future: "[This is the] first step in bringing new features and improvements to GeForce Now on Android and Android TV devices," it said (as reported by 9to5Google).
It's not yet known when the new update might hit everyone's Shield TV device. The rollout seems to have started though, so it shouldn't be long.
What is the Nvidia Shield TV?
The Nvidia Shield TV is one of the best TV streaming devices around. It currently runs on Android TV 11 and therefore offers all manner of recommendations and a streamlined user interface. Nvidia also has a few unique features on its devices - the Shield TV and Shield TV Pro - including AI upscaling that will sharpen and clean standard and HD content to make it look better when running on a 4K HDR TV. This works across supported video streaming apps, such as YouTube.
Nvidia Shield TV
The standard Nvidia Shield TV is a very capable Android TV streaming device with up to 4K HDR (Dolby Vision) video capabilities and Dolby Atmos sound.
You can also use the Nvidia Shield TV Pro as a Plex media server and both come with Chromecast streaming capabilities built in. Considering the devices were launched in 2019, they hold up remarkably today - four years later. The Pro is as swift to use as anything else we've seen in the meantime.