Although it’s been more than six years since they launched in 2019, Nvidia’s Shield TV and Shield TV Pro have remained two of the most popular streaming devices on the market, especially among power users, and for good reason.
For starters, despite their age, they still pack impressive hardware, largely thanks to Nvidia’s Tegra X1+ processor. They also run Android TV, giving users the freedom to customize their device and sideload apps. That’s increasingly valuable, especially now that Amazon has started shifting its Fire TV Sticks to Vega OS, which doesn’t support app sideloading at all.
Since launch, Nvidia has offered two versions of the Shield TV: the standard tube-shaped Shield TV and the Shield TV Pro. The Pro costs $200 and comes with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, compared to the standard Shield TV’s 2GB of RAM and 8GB of storage.
That said, the regular Shield TV was still a compelling option. At $150, it costs $50 less than the Shield TV Pro while still delivering the same speedy Nvidia Tegra X1+ processor. If you didn’t need the extra RAM or storage, it was an easy way to get most of the Shield experience for less.
Unfortunately, it now appears that the cheaper Shield TV’s time on the market has come to an end, as Nvidia seems to have quietly discontinued it (via AFTV News). The Shield TV is no longer available to purchase directly from Nvidia, and the same is true across most major retailers.
While it’s possible this is simply an out-of-stock situation, there are several signs suggesting this is the end of the road for Nvidia’s tube-shaped Shield TV.
It doesn’t look like the Shield TV is coming back
Don’t worry, the Shield TV Pro is still available
Nvidia doesn’t explicitly say the Shield TV has been discontinued on its website in the US, but several of its major retail partners strongly suggest that’s the case.
In particular, B&H Photo Video, an Nvidia-authorized dealer, lists the Shield TV as “Discontinued” on its product page (as you can see in the image above).
Best Buy doesn’t go quite that far, but if you try to buy the streamer new, it says, “This item is no longer available in new condition.” Newegg has a similarly discouraging message, stating, “This item is currently out of stock and it may or may not be restocked.”
Considering B&H Photo Video explicitly labels the Shield TV as discontinued, and it’s sold out virtually everywhere else, it’s not looking good for Nvidia’s tube-shaped streamer’s future.
…I want to be clear that this only appears to affect the regular $150 Shield TV, not the $200 Shield TV Pro, which is still available on Nvidia’s website and at various retailers.
Pocket-lint has reached out to Nvidia for official confirmation on whether the Shield TV has been discontinued, and we’ll update this story if we hear back.
Given the ongoing global memory shortage, I wouldn’t be surprised if Nvidia decided to discontinue its cheaper Shield TV to keep the more popular Shield TV Pro in stock. I want to be clear that this only appears to affect the regular $150 Shield TV, not the $200 Shield TV Pro, which is still available on Nvidia’s website and at various retailers, such as B&H, Amazon, Best Buy, and more. But there is always a possibility that once the Shield TV Pro’s stock dries up, it could meet the same fate as the Shield TV.
A new Shield TV isn’t off the table
Nvidia said it plans to continue updating Shield TV
One big question that many Shield TV fans have had for years now is whether Nvidia will ever release new Shield TV models. 2019 is getting increasingly far in the rear-view mirror, and while the Shield TV and Shield TV Pro still hold up decently in 2026, they aren’t exactly perfect, especially since they lack support for modern AV1 video codecs, with a major limitation being the absence of HDR10+ support.
In an interview earlier this year with Ars Technica, when asked about future Shield TV models coming, Nvidia’s senior VP of hardware engineering, Andrew Bell, said, “We talk about it all the time — I’d love to,” adding that if Nvidia lands on a new Shield TV concept it’s passionate about, it could happen.
So while Bell didn’t specifically state that a new Shield TV is on the way, it doesn’t seem like the idea is entirely off the table either. And Bell also said the company has no plans to stop updating its Shield TVs, with its last update arriving back in February.
Hopefully, Nvidia surprises all of us and announces a new Shield TV in the not-so-distant future.
I, for one, would love to see Nvidia release a brand-new Shield TV with upgraded hardware and support for more modern AV1 video codecs. But I also acknowledge that, given the ongoing memory shortage and Nvidia’s massive focus on AI right now, a new Shield TV might not be at the top of Nvidia’s priority list, and this may be wishful thinking, unfortunately.
All in all, while it sucks that the regular Shield TV might be discontinued now, the Shield TV Pro is still available, so if you’ve always wanted to try out the Shield TV experience, that’s still an option at least. Hopefully, Nvidia surprises all of us and announces a new Shield TV in the not-so-distant future.
- Brand
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Nvidia
- Ethernet
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Gigabit Ethernet
- Supported video
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4K HDR, Dolby Vision, HDR10
- Storage and RAM
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16GB of storage, 3GB of RAM
The Shield TV Pro is Nvidia’s higher-end Android TV-based streaming player that features a set-top box design, the Tegra X1+ processor, advanced Dolby audio-visual technologies, and more.
