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: drnick1
It's nice that you can unlock the bootloader on these and flash Lineage if you want to limit snooping by Google.<p>That being said, I think that you get more flexibility and performance with a mini PC and and air mouse. For one, stock (Googled) Android does not give you an easy way to use a browser with an ad-blocker, which is still the best way to stream from many sources without ads. Also all these anemic Android boxes struggle with high bitrate 4K videos.
1/31/2026, 6:08:14 PM
by: boricj
That reminds me of my own Samsung Galaxy SII.<p>Shipped out of the box with Android 2.3, Samsung supported it up until Android 4.1, then I switched to CyanogenMod until my father rage-bought me a new phone in 2016 because it crashed so much he had trouble contacting me. I still kept it up to date with LineageOS and then unofficial versions for fun (it's at Android 13 last I checked).<p>Do I expect a Samsung Galaxy SII to do as well with 2026 software as it did in 2013? No, but I can run a 2013 computer with 2026 software without needing to track down dodgy homebrews on xdaforums.com and that reflects badly on the smartphone ecosystem.
1/31/2026, 5:46:38 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: 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: DustinBrett
It's sad how few competitors have come out in a decade.
1/31/2026, 5:12:30 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