Nvidia Shield Android TV (2017) the gaming system for those who are too busy for gaming systems

[pc747]

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A few years ago, despite my early excitement, I passed on the Nvidia Shield Android TV box. At the time I was debating paying $200 for an android gaming system that lacked Madden or some of the other top games. But over the years I ended up not getting any of those top gaming systems (PS4 or XBOX One) because I just did not have the time to commit to playing games.

And that leads me to my point about the Nvidia Shield Android TV set top box. If you are a person who want a set top box that can do just a little more than what you can do on a tablet or nexus player then this is the device for you.

The Nvidia Shield Android TV is powerful enough to handle some of your top title games plus being just a little more than what the Nexus Player had to offer. I was playing Ultra Street Fighter IV and was amazed at how fluid the game play was. And for me I know that I will spend at most 2 hours a month playing games if that. So buying a ps4 or xbox would be just a waste of money knowing it will just sit on the shelf. The Nvidia Shield TV however would be a great replacement for my aging roku and nexus player, as the apps that were missing from my nexus player,ie amazon video, are present on my shield with the added bonus of a nice gaming controller.

So this day I officially retired my Nexus player but frankly it was retired months ago and I could not think of a better device to take its place. For me the shield combines the versatility of a chromecast, with the beautiful UI and software support of Google, and the gaming ability of Nvidia, all in a package that is priced fittingly for people wanting just a little more while not wanting to spend money on something that life will keep them from utilizing (gaming system). Oh and you can still use it to run Kodi if you so choose.

Those with the Nvidia Shield Android TV set top boxes, whether first generation or second, what are some of your recommendations as well as tips and tricks for users considering the device?

 

[johnomaz]

I have a first gen Shield Android TV and LOVE it. I tried the NVidia streaming game service and it was actually very good but I'm a PC gamer so I didn't use it past the 3 month trial. If I ever stop playing WoW, I may look into it again. There were some great new titles on it that played very well. It does stream very well from my desktop with NVidias in house streaming ability with your NVidia desktop GPU.

The app selection is pretty good. A few apps are missing that you can get on your phone but the companies haven't made an app for it yet. The little remote will get lost, constantly, I guarantee you that. Its battery is kinds meh too. The big controller lasts a decent while and does all the functions fine. I have found myself using my phone with the Android TV Remote app a lot. It works rather well and that battery is always charged.

It has built in Chromecast functionality too which is nice. It works as a Plex server too and its quite good at it so thats a benefit for those that want that feature. It was the reason i bought it. It links to my file server in my house and handles all the transcoding (if needed) very well.

If you are looking for an Android TV box, I would totally recommend it. However, if you have no plans on ever using it as a Plex server or don't need any kind of gaming streaming service, I'd recommend getting a Mi Box. Its Android TV, does 4K with HDR and all that jazz but for around $70. No reason to pay the extra money for the same features.

Also, NVidia has done a very good job getting OS updates and new features out quickly. My gen 1 Shield will get all the new features of the new gen Shield. Wasn't expecting that but its nice to know the company isn't leaving the existing customers out to dry.

 

[pc747]

I have a first gen Shield Android TV and LOVE it. I tried the NVidia streaming game service and it was actually very good but I'm a PC gamer so I didn't use it past the 3 month trial. If I ever stop playing WoW, I may look into it again. There were some great new titles on it that played very well. It does stream very well from my desktop with NVidias in house streaming ability with your NVidia desktop GPU.

The app selection is pretty good. A few apps are missing that you can get on your phone but the companies haven't made an app for it yet. The little remote will get lost, constantly, I guarantee you that. Its battery is kinds meh too. The big controller lasts a decent while and does all the functions fine. I have found myself using my phone with the Android TV Remote app a lot. It works rather well and that battery is always charged.

It has built in Chromecast functionality too which is nice. It works as a Plex server too and its quite good at it so thats a benefit for those that want that feature. It was the reason i bought it. It links to my file server in my house and handles all the transcoding (if needed) very well.

If you are looking for an Android TV box, I would totally recommend it. However, if you have no plans on ever using it as a Plex server or don't need any kind of gaming streaming service, I'd recommend getting a Mi Box. Its Android TV, does 4K with HDR and all that jazz but for around $70. No reason to pay the extra money for the same features.

Also, NVidia has done a very good job getting OS updates and new features out quickly. My gen 1 Shield will get all the new features of the new gen Shield. Wasn't expecting that but its nice to know the company isn't leaving the existing customers out to dry.

Thanks for your insight. Good to know they do a good job keeping up with the software updates.

Any tips?


I know the one thing I recommend is to update everything. I couldn't get the Chromecast feature to work, then I went to the play store to see Google cast was needing to be updated as well as a few other Google apps and services. Right after updating the Google cast (Chromecast) feature worked fine.

Also USB peripherals such as my full sized keyboard with mousepad that I used for my Nexus player worked immediately after I plugged it in.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[DroidModderX]

The Nvidia Shield TV is the best media box ever!!!!! I get my version 2 in for review soon and I am pretty excited about it. I agree about Kodi. This runs Kodi better than any phone or tablet I have used. I am also the type that likes to game but only occasionally. I can't justify a true console with the amount of gaming I do, but the Nvidia TV I can justify even if it didn't do video games. It is just all around the best streamer that you can buy right now.

 

[johnomaz]

The Nvidia Shield TV is the best media box ever!!!!! I get my version 2 in for review soon and I am pretty excited about it. I agree about Kodi. This runs Kodi better than any phone or tablet I have used. I am also the type that likes to game but only occasionally. I can't justify a true console with the amount of gaming I do, but the Nvidia TV I can justify even if it didn't do video games. It is just all around the best streamer that you can buy right now.

I just discovered Kodi. I knew about it but never used it. I'm a Plex guy and honestly, for my movies and TV show watching, I'm still going to use Plex but I found that Kodi has a NHL.tv addon that logs into my NHL.TV account and streams games better than the website and ignores my geolocation. Its AMAZING! I did add my movie/tv library to Kodi but the layout isn't quite as nice as Plex IMO. It however does start streaming faster though which is kinda nice but only by a couple seconds.

 

[xeene]

can it compete with https://www.amazon.com/MINIX-NEO-Z8...9&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=MINIX+NEO+Z83-4&psc=1 ?
the reviews for shield on amazon aren't that impressive.