NVIDIA Shield TV release date, specs, price: Android-powered media box comes with 4K HDR streaming and Google Assistant

NVIDIA's new Android open-platform media streamer, Shield TV, broke cover at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2017. It represents a new standard for streamers as it currently provides unmatched experiences when it comes to streaming, gaming and artificial intelligence (AI).

"SHIELD TV is the world's most advanced streamer. Its brilliant 4K HDR quality, hallmark NVIDIA gaming performance and broad access to media content will bring families hours of joy. And with SHIELD's new AI home capability, we can control and interact with content through the magic of artificial intelligence from anywhere in the house," said NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang as he introduced the device during his opening keynote address at CES.

The Shield TV features a sleek new design and now comes with a remote and game controller. Compared to other streamers in the market, it offers three times more when it comes to performance. It also gives users a rich visual experience with support for 4K HDR. NVIDIA's new streamer now comes with Amazon Video which translates to a larger catalog of content in 4K resolution. It also comes with Netflix, YouTube, Google Play Movies and VUDU.

The Shield TV also stands out with its ability to stream a wide variety of games via NVIDIA GameStream and the GeForce NOW game-streaming service. The library of games has been expanded and will soon see the addition of titles like "Watch Dogs 2," "Assassin's Creed Syndicate" and "For Honor." Down the line, the Shield TV's platform will also provide native support for games like "The Witness," "Tomb Raider" and "Shadowgun Legends."

If that weren't enough, the Shield TV also comes with AI capabilities that turns one's home into a smart home. The streamer comes with Google Assistant integration so users can simply give "Ok Google" voice commands to accomplish tasks like finding content and pausing or rewinding videos. The Google Assistant can also provide visual and audio responses to questions. Furthermore, there is SmartThings Hub technology integration that allows the Shield TV to connect to various smart home devices.

The NVIDIA Shield TV is priced at $199.99. It is now available to pre-order and will begin shipping later this month. The Shield Pro with 500 GB of storage will also be available for $299.99 during the tail-end of January.