The Nvidia Shield TV Is 7 Years Old. It Just Got a $100 Price Hike Leave a comment

The period of generative AI has upended expertise provide chains, and there may be one ironclad rule in 2026: If it has reminiscence or storage, it’s getting dearer. Even units with years-old tech inside are nonetheless apparently topic to that unwritten rule. Nvidia has simply introduced that the Protect TV Professional is getting $100 dearer, efficient instantly.

The newest model of the Protect streaming field debuted in 2019, operating Android TV with AI upscaling and {hardware} decoding for nearly any kind of media. Whereas it ran an growing old Tegra X1+ processor, that was (and nonetheless is) quick for a TV media streamer. The machine launched at $199.99, with a non-Professional variant at $149.99. The non-Professional Protect has since been discontinued, however the Protect TV Professional lives on on the new $299.99 worth.

Nvidia has confirmed which you could blame AI for the upper Protect TV pricing. “Beginning October 2, SHIELD Professional might be priced at $299. The price of elements, together with reminiscence, has elevated considerably throughout the trade,” a spokesperson advised Ars.

When Ars Technica talked to Nvidia’s Andrew Bell earlier this yr, he framed the Protect as a ardour challenge, nevertheless it appears to be like like ardour initiatives nonetheless need to pay the payments at Nvidia. In that interview, Bell defined that Nvidia nonetheless actively manufactures the Protect and sells each unit it makes. With out a stockpile of pre-AI {hardware} to promote, new Protect TV models are topic to the identical provide chain constraints as at this time’s smartphones and computer systems.

Nvidia isn’t a sufferer right here, although. As a key participant in AI hyper scaling, the corporate is extra accountable than most for the sky-high price of elements. It has additionally grow to be one of the vital invaluable companies on the earth due to its market-leading AI accelerators and GPUs. As a consequence, we’re seeing new merchandise launch at greater costs than their predecessors, and lots of find yourself getting dearer throughout their lifetimes. Recreation consoles have been notably affected, with Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony all bumping the costs of their current-gen {hardware}. The PS5 Professional, for instance, has gone from $699.99 at launch in 2024 to $899.99 at this time.

Inventory of the Protect TV Professional has been slim for the previous couple of months, most likely as a result of it turned too costly to fabricate new models with part costs rising so shortly. At $300, it can make sense for Nvidia to churn out extra units. Nevertheless, this greater worth will trigger an already area of interest set-top field to be even much less interesting to individuals who simply need to stream Netflix.

Until you want the Protect’s intensive codec help or Plex server functionality, it makes extra sense to get a less expensive streamer. The Protect remains to be out of inventory on Nvidia’s retailer, nevertheless it’s obtainable on the new worth from Finest Purchase.

This story initially appeared on Ars Technica.