Nvidia raises Shield TV Pro price by $100 to $299.99

In short: Nvidia has increased the price of its Shield TV Pro streaming device from $199.99 to $299.99, and it says higher memory costs linked to AI demand are a key reason.

What happened

Nvidia says the Shield TV Pro will now cost $299.99, effective October 2. That is a $100 increase from its long-standing $199.99 price.

The Shield TV Pro is a small box that connects to a TV and streams apps like Netflix. The latest model first came out in 2019, and it runs Android TV. It also includes features like AI upscaling, which tries to make lower-quality video look sharper (like a TV doing extra cleanup work on the picture).

An Nvidia spokesperson told Ars Technica that the cost of parts has gone up “substantially across the industry,” including memory. Memory is the fast, short-term workspace inside electronics, like a desk where work gets done, and it has become more expensive as companies buy huge amounts of it for AI hardware.

Nvidia has also said it is still making new Shield units and sells them as they are produced. That means it cannot rely on older, cheaper parts stocked before AI-related demand increased. Ars also notes the device has been hard to find in recent months, and it is still out of stock on Nvidia’s own store, while it is available at the new price from some retailers.

Why it matters

For many people, a $300 streaming box will be hard to justify when cheaper options can stream the same major services. The Shield TV Pro may still appeal to a smaller group of buyers who want its broader video format support or its Plex server feature, which lets the box help organize and stream your personal media library.

Source: Arstechnica