The Nvidia Shield TV Is 7 Years Old. It Just Got a $100 Price Hike
Nvidia has raised the price of its Shield TV Pro streaming box by $100, to $299.99, despite the model being essentially unchanged since 2019. The increase highlights how rising component costs, including memory used in AI hardware, are pushing up prices for consumer electronics.
The Shield TV Pro launched at $199.99, while the now-discontinued non-Pro model cost $149.99. Nvidia says it still manufactures the device and sells each unit it makes, leaving new stock exposed to current supply costs. At the new price, the Shield’s codec support and Plex server features may appeal to some users, but simpler streaming needs can be met by cheaper devices.
- Nvidia raised the Shield TV Pro price to $299.99.
- The streaming box’s latest version dates to 2019.
- Its specialist features may not justify the higher cost for everyone.
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The Shield TV Pro is a streaming box made by Nvidia, a company best known for graphics chips used in computers and artificial intelligence. It connects to a television to play films, programmes and other online video, and can also run a Plex media server, which lets people organise and stream their own video collection.
Streaming boxes range from basic devices for watching popular services to more capable models with support for a wider range of video formats and home media features. Nvidia says it still makes the Shield TV Pro and sells all the units it produces, so its price can reflect the cost of making new stock as well as the device’s features.
Prices for electronics can be affected by the cost and availability of components such as memory, which is also in demand for AI hardware. The change matters to shoppers weighing the Shield’s specialist features against cheaper boxes that may be enough for everyday streaming.
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The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The higher price may reflect the real cost of making and replenishing a niche device amid rising component costs, rather than a change in the product itself. Nvidia says it continues to manufacture the Shield TV Pro and sells each unit it makes, so pricing it to cover current supply costs can be defended as necessary to keep it available for people who value its codec support and Plex server features.
The case against
A $100 increase for a device essentially unchanged since 2019 is difficult to justify for consumers, especially when cheaper streamers meet many households’ needs. Even if component costs have risen, the price makes the Shield less competitive and asks buyers to pay substantially more without receiving a corresponding improvement.