NVIDIA Shield TV price drops before Apple TV release

Pre-order begins today for NVIDIA Shield TV 16GB with Remote for $179

NVIDIA dropped the price of its 4K streaming box a day before the new Apple TV hits the market.

The 4K version of Apple TV goes on sale Friday. NVIDIA made a pre-emptive strike against possible Apple TV orders by dropping the price of for a 16GB SHIELD TV by $20.

It’s being bundled with the SHIELD remote for $179, and does not include a gamepad. The price drop matches the price of the new 32GB model of Apple TV.

Reviews for the new Apple TV have been lukewarm all around. The Verge described the Apple TV the same streaming box as the 4^th generation with a software update. MacRumors noted that YouTube can only play on 1080p. Techradar said there was no Amazon Video support at launch, and Siri can’t find 4K HDR movies, just 4K ones.

On the bright side, customers who have purchased HD movies from Apple with get one benefit for buying a new Apple TV box. Apple is automatically upgrading eligible movies to 4K HDR at no extra cost.

NVIDIA Shield TV aimed at cord cutters

NVIDIA released an updated version of Shield TV in January with a slimmed down console, and support for Amazon Video. The new bundle will likely be an attractive option for cord cutters looking for a new 4K media streamer.

Perhaps the bigger game changer came on June 1 when Shield TV became the first media streamer to support Live TV on Plex software.

The Plex support nudged the Sheild into becoming an all-in-one device that supported 4K HDR, OTA television/DVR capabilities and high-end gaming. I reviewed NVIDIA Shield Pro with Plex Live TV over the summer. Many Shield fans are still awaiting the release of NVIDIA Spot, a microphone that’s designed to transform the Shield into a voice-activated smart home hub. The Spot was announced at CES 2017. Google Voice Search is already part of the Android TV infrastructure.

Preorders for the new NVIDIA Shield bundle begin today, and begin shipping on Oct. 18.