Shield TV Pro price jumps to $299.99 as base Shield TV ends
The Shield TV Pro price is now $299.99 in the US, up 50%, and the base Shield TV is gone. Nvidia blames memory. Is it still worth it, and what about updates?
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The Shield TV Pro price went from $199.99 to $299.99 in the US on October 2, 2026, a 50% increase for a streaming box that launched in 2019 and hasn't had a hardware refresh since. At the same time, Nvidia stopped making the cheaper, non-Pro Shield TV, so the Pro is now the only Shield Nvidia still makes. Nvidia's reason, in a statement to the press: the cost of components, memory included, has gone up across the industry.
Key takeaways
- New price: the Shield TV Pro costs $299.99 in the US, up from $199.99, starting October 2, 2026. Nvidia's own page lists it at $299 and CA$399.
- One model left: Nvidia has ended production of the standard Shield TV, which listed at $149.99 and had been out of stock at Nvidia since the summer.
- Nvidia's reason: "The cost of components, including memory, has increased substantially across the industry," a spokesperson said.
- Updates: Nvidia's October statement doesn't mention software support, but the company has said several times this year that every Shield TV model, the base one included, keeps getting updates.
- Cheaper boxes exist: at their makers' current US prices, the Google TV Streamer ($149.99) and the Apple TV 4K (from $199) both cost less than the Shield now.
What changed with the Shield TV Pro price
Nvidia confirmed the change in a short statement: "Starting October 2, SHIELD Pro will be priced at $299. The cost of components, including memory, has increased substantially across the industry," a spokesperson told Ars Technica, which lists the new retail price as $299.99. As of October 4, Nvidia's Shield page shows the Pro at "$299" in the US and "$399 CAD" in Canada.
The hardware is the same as before. According to Nvidia's spec sheet, the Shield TV Pro runs the Tegra X1+ processor with a 256-core GPU, 3 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage, and supports Dolby Vision, HDR10 and Dolby Atmos.
The second half of the news is the base model. WCCFTech reports that Nvidia announced it will stop producing the standard Shield TV and focus production on the Pro. That box had already been missing from Nvidia's store: in July, TechRadar noted that the $149 model was out of stock through Nvidia's official channels, with no word on a restock.
Is a $299.99 Shield TV Pro still worth it?
At the new Shield TV Pro price, probably not for most people who just want Netflix, YouTube and the usual apps. Here's what the makers of the obvious alternatives list today:
| Streamer | Maker's US price (October 4, 2026) | What the maker sells it with |
|---|---|---|
| Nvidia Shield TV Pro | $299.99 | 16 GB storage, 3 GB RAM, two USB 3.0 ports, Plex Media Server |
| Apple TV 4K (Wi-Fi) | $199 | 64 GB storage |
| Apple TV 4K (Wi-Fi + Ethernet) | $249 | 128 GB storage |
| Google TV Streamer | $149.99 | 4K streaming box with Google TV |
Prices come from Apple's store and the Google Store. The Google TV Streamer got more expensive too: Google raised it from $99.99 on August 31, also citing rising component costs, 9to5Google reported.
The case for the Shield rests on the extras Nvidia builds it around. Nvidia sells the Pro on its two USB 3.0 ports for storage and tuners, a built-in Plex Media Server, AI upscaling and GeForce Now cloud gaming. Ars Technica's Ryan Whitwam put it plainly: unless you need the Shield's codec support or Plex server, a cheaper streamer makes more sense. We haven't tested any of these boxes, so that judgment is his, not ours.
There's also the age problem. In a January interview with Ars, Nvidia's Andrew Bell said a refreshed Shield would prioritize AV1, HDR10+ and VP9 Profile 2 hardware decoding, which suggests the 2019 hardware falls short there. You'd be paying 2026 money for 2019 video support.
Shield TV updates: what base model owners can expect
If you already own the standard Shield TV, nothing changes on your box today. Nvidia's October statement doesn't address software support, so there's no new promise either way. What the company has said before still stands:
- In July, Nvidia told Android Authority that all Shield TV models keep getting software updates and support, according to TechRadar.
- In January, Bell said Nvidia has no plans to stop production or updates "any time soon." Production has now stopped for the base model, so that part of the promise has already changed.
- The most recent release, Shield Experience 9.2.4, arrived in late February with the January 2026 Android security patch, 9to5Google reported.
The base model and the Pro both use the Tegra X1+ chip, and Nvidia still updates the 2015 and 2017 boxes too. That history is the best reason to expect updates to continue, but it's an inference, not a commitment Nvidia made this week.
How this fits the memory squeeze
Nvidia isn't alone in passing on higher memory costs. Memory makers are shipping more of their output to AI data centers, and Micron expects supply to get tighter in 2027 and 2028. Samsung and Google already raised the prices of phones that were on sale, as in the Galaxy S26 and Pixel 10a increases, and memory is a big part of why Nvidia's own DGX Spark 64GB costs $4,999.
The Shield is an unusual case because it's a seven-year-old design. Bell told Ars in January that Nvidia still builds new units and sells every one it makes, and as Ars points out, with no stockpile of older hardware, each new Shield is exposed to today's component prices.
Bottom line
At $299.99, the Shield TV Pro is a box for people who know why they want it: a Plex server in the living room, local files on a USB drive, broad audio format support. If that's you and your current box is failing, it's the only Shield Nvidia still makes, and Nvidia's update record is strong. If you just stream, the Google TV Streamer or an Apple TV 4K costs $50 to $150 less at their makers' prices. If you already own a base Shield TV, keep using it; watch the next Shield Experience release for a sign that support continues.
FAQ
Why is the Shield TV Pro more expensive now?
Nvidia says the cost of components, including memory, has risen substantially across the industry. The new US price, $299.99, took effect on October 2, 2026. The hardware didn't change.
Is the base Nvidia Shield TV discontinued?
Yes. Nvidia announced that it will stop producing the standard Shield TV and focus on the Pro. It had been out of stock at Nvidia since the summer.
Will the discontinued Shield TV still get updates?
Nvidia hasn't said anything new about it this week. In July it said all Shield TV models continue to receive updates, and the latest release, Shield Experience 9.2.4, reached Shield owners in February 2026.