Nvidia raises Shield TV Pro price by 50% with no hardware upgrades

Nvidia has hiked the price of its Shield TV Pro by 50%, raising it from $199.99 to $299.99, despite no changes to its hardware. The device still uses the same Tegra X1+ chip, 3GB of RAM, and 16GB of storage it shipped with seven years ago. Nvidia has also discontinued the cheaper Shield TV, making the Pro the only entry point to its streaming platform.

The price increase places the Shield TV Pro above Apple’s most expensive Apple TV 4K and double the cost of Google’s TV Streamer. Nvidia attributes the rise to increased component costs, particularly memory, which has become scarcer as manufacturers pivot to high-bandwidth memory for AI servers. This irony isn’t lost: Nvidia’s own AI business is driving up memory prices, indirectly raising the cost of its streaming box.

The Shield TV Pro remains a capable device, offering AI upscaling, Dolby Vision and Atmos support, GeForce Now cloud gaming, and dual USB 3.0 ports for media server use. However, it runs Android 11, lacks AV1 hardware decoding, and leaves only part of its storage free after system software. Nvidia has not disclosed whether the price hike is permanent, when a successor might launch, or if international prices will follow.

The new price took effect on October 2, seven years after the Shield TV Pro’s debut. This follows similar price increases from Apple, Roku, and Google, all citing rising component costs. Nvidia has promised continued software updates, but the Pro’s longevity now comes with a $100 premium and no hardware upgrades.