Nvidia has purportedly announced that holders of the original Shield TV set-top box can now download Software Upgrade v5.0. The new download is a free over-the-air update which reportedly also boosts existing gaming capabilities alongside the viewing upgrades. The Nvidia Shield TV is said to be acclaimed for the additions it has taken to the somewhat neglected Android TV platform.

According to reports, the platform update also brings the older Shield TV unit to speed up with an upgrade to Android 7.0 Nougat. The update apparently adds everything found on the latest Shield TV unit launched early this year, such as 4K HDR streaming video support in Amazon Video, Netflix, YouTube, Google Play Movies, VUDU and many more.

There is apparently ample support also for upgraded GeForce Now game streaming. On the other hand, a new Nvidia Games app brings together all the available gaming sources, such as GeForce Now, GameStream and Android native games.

It is also reported that original Shield TVs can also be used as a smart home device in the future once the features are activated and probably with future software updates. It is also rumored that a new Shield TV comes with a controller that features a built-in ambient microphone, an addition that will be required for using voice recognition with Google Assistant. The microphones accordingly can be placed at various plugs throughout a house.

The new Shield apparently looks almost identical to its predecessor, but the controller has slightly longer handles. Performance wise, it is rumored that Nvidia claims it has three times the performance of any other streaming device on the market.

It is said to have digital assistant features, with a software update for SmartThings' smart home hub that is probably upcoming in the future. Accordingly, the only slight concern is that there is still no apparent sign of a follow-up to the Nvidia Shield tablet.

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