Last month at IFA, we heard that more Google Assistant-integrating speakers and appliances were on the way. Today, NVIDIA’s Shield TV joins the list, adding the search giant’s digital assistant SDK to its retinue of entertainment features. In short, instead of a paltry speaker, you’ll be able to use your entire home theater setup to command your life, one ‘OK Google’ at a time. In fact, Google says Assistant is coming to Android TV on the whole, so if you have another device running that platform, voice control is likely coming soon.
The Shield TV update also adds Samsung’s SmartThings integration, allowing owners to turn their set-top box into a connected device hub. And the recent price drop for the basic Shield TV-plus-remote price down to $180 for makes it an even more attractive option. With more devices supporting Google Assistant every day, like LG’s appliances, NVIDIA’s set-top box owners might start seeing their device as less of an entertainment portal and more of a hub for their connected home.