While Android phone makers are tooting their horns about seven years of software support, one Android device has been receiving regular updates for more than a decade. The first NVIDIA Shield TV launched in 2015, yet it still outclasses every other Android device in terms of software support.
The NVIDIA Shield TV is more than a decade old, but it’s still receiving new updates
Android phones have nothing on it
Credit:Â Joe Fedewa / How-To Geek
The original Shield TV launched in May 2015, making it almost 11 years old. Despite being ancient by modern hardware standards, the OG Shield TV has been receiving software updates on a regular basis all this time, which is unheard of in the world of Android, regardless of what device type we’re talking about. Even six years of continuous support for the latest 2019 revision is a praiseworthy achievement, especially when compared to other Android streaming boxes.
During that time, the Shield TV devices went from Android 5.0 to Android 11, a feat that’s still unimaginable even for flagship Android phones. Aside from six new Android versions, NVIDIA’s TV streamer has also received a plethora of new features, quality-of-life improvements, and bug fixes.
NVIDIA even managed to patch up a security flaw marring early versions of the Tegra X1 chip found in the 2015 and 2017 models (the 2019 revision ships with an updated chip), which prevented Shield TV owners from enjoying most DRM-protected 4K content. Instead of telling owners to just buy an updated model, NVIDIA’s Shield TV team spent 18 months building an entirely new security stack and persuading its partners to recertify the aging streaming box.
The culmination was the first major update for the device in two years—Shield Patch 9.2—but NVIDIA didn’t stop there. In the meantime, the company has released multiple updates, one of which brought support for 120FPS GeForce Now game streaming, along with a number of other updates and fixes. The latest update, which arrived while I was writing this very piece, brought the latest Android security patch and squashed several bugs.
This aligns with what NVIDIA has been doing on the gaming GPU side. The company has recently released DLSS 4.5, which works even with the first-generation ray tracing GPUs, the RTX 20 series, which came out way back in 2018.
NVIDIA has also supported its GTX 900 series, released in mid-2014, for more than a decade. The last Game Ready driver for the series was released in October 2025, but NVIDIA is still issuing new security-update drivers. Despite rocking an AMD GPU, I’ve got to hand it to NVIDIA; it’s unmatched when it comes to product support, an area where AMD has a less-than-stellar record, to say the least.
The Shield TV is a solid purchase, even in 2026
You’ll hardly find a more versatile Android streamer
Despite the newest model being released in late October 2019, the NVIDIA Shield TV and the beefier Shield TV Pro are still solid purchases, even in 2026. The Tegra X1 chip at the heart of the two devices (the 2019 models pack a slightly faster Tegra X1+ chip) can still flex its muscles, especially when pitted against underpowered hardware found in modern TVs and most Android streaming boxes.
The Shield TV family still offers stellar audio support, and the device can chew through anything you throw at it—as long as it isn’t encoded in AV1. Other highlights include fantastic AI-based video upscaling, a snappy UI, and support for 4K streaming. The Pro version also includes two USB 3.0 ports, a welcome addition for anyone looking to hook external storage to the box and enjoy some movies or TV shows.
You can even watch OTA TV on the Shield Pro. You’ll need a TV antenna and a digital tuner, but you can turn your Shield Pro into an all-around TV set-top box very easily. Lastly, there’s also stellar software support that likely won’t stop anytime soon.
Despite their high price—the regular Shield TV costs $150, while the Pro version will set you back $200—NVIDIA’s streaming boxes are still a solid purchase, even in 2026. While I don’t recommend them to the regular user who just wants a no-frills streaming box, enthusiasts will get their money’s worth, and then some.
You can do so much more with the Shield TV than stream videos
Stream games, turn it into a media server, or install Linux on it
Credit:Â NVIDIA
Originally advertised as a “gaming microconsole,” the Shield TV still excels in the gaming department. Since it’s based on Android, you can run a number of retro emulators on it, and you don’t have to worry about performance due to the beefy Tegra X1 chip powering it. While not powerful enough for some of the latest and greatest AAA Android games, you can enjoy tons of older Android titles on it. Just grab a controller (the thing works with most controllers, including the DualSense and Xbox Series controllers) and game away!
The device also has support for 120Hz GeForce Now game streaming, albeit at 1080p. You can even use it as a Moonlight client, allowing you to stream games from your PC locally. I wholeheartedly recommend it; I’ve been enjoying local game streaming via Moonlight for years now, and I’m still amazed by the low latency and image quality.
You can also turn the tiny streamer into a Plex media server or NAS and even install Ubuntu on it if you’ve got the time and know-how. The possibilities are vast, but hardware limitations hamper the Shield TV from reaching its full potential.
An NVIDIA Shield TV 2 could be the ultimate TV streamer
The sky’s the limit
Credit:Â NVIDIA
Despite its beefy hardware, the Shield TV has been showing its age recently. The lack of AV1 support is perhaps its weakest point, and the unfortunate truth is that you can’t add AV1 support via an over-the-air update; you’d need new hardware—a next-gen Shield TV. The next-gen streamer could also add support for VP9 Profile 2, allowing it to play HDR YouTube content, as well as support for HDR 10+.
Another point of contention is the lack of HDMI 2.1 on current models. With it, the new generation of Shield TV would really shine, allowing owners to stream games (locally or via GeForce Now) at 4K resolution and 120 frames per second. Lastly, a potential next-gen Shield TV would also make a switch to Google TV, a clear upgrade over the now-dated Android TV on current Shield TV models.
I’d also like to see RTX HDR, support for DLSS upscaling, and perhaps even AV2 support to future-proof the next-gen streamer, given the lifespan of the current models.
Andrew Bell, VP of hardware engineering at NVIDIA, teased some of the mentioned upgrades in a recent interview, also noting that he’d love to build a new Shield TV. Perhaps a next-gen Shield TV isn’t a pipe dream after all.
While NVIDIA is currently focused on AI hardware, a market where it earns mountains of cash with every passing hour, it certainly has the resources to develop a new Shield TV. But if and when that happens, the original Shield TV will remain the most updated Android device in history. Even recent flagship Android phones, with their promises of seven-year update cycles, can’t—and won’t—come close.
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