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Evidence suggests new NVIDIA Shield TV remote and controller on the way
- Codename references in the newest NVIDIA Shield TV public release suggest there will be a new remote and controller.
- If NVIDIA is working on a new remote and controller, it stands to reason it is also working on a new NVIDIA Shield TV.
- In a statement, NVIDIA neither confirmed nor denied that it is working on a new Shield TV.
A custom ROM developer over at XDA Developers discovered some new codename references in the latest public source for the NVIDIA Shield TV media streamer. The code suggests that Nvidia is working on a new NVIDIA Shield TV remote as well as a new controller.
It stands to reason that if NVIDIA is working on a new controller and remote, it would also be working on a new NVIDIA Shield TV unit altogether.
The NVIDIA Shield TV — which runs on Android TV — first launched in 2015. The Shield itself had the codename “foster,” while the remote and controller were codenamed “jarvis” and “blake” respectively. NVIDIA released an updated version of the Shield TV in 2017, codenamed “darcy.” The remote and controller for the updated model were codenamed “pepper” and “thunderstrike.”
Now, within the newest public code for the Shield TV, the anonymous ROM developer found explicit references to a remote codenamed “friday” and a controller codenamed “stormcaster.” There were no references to a new codename for the Shield TV itself.
These new codenames are pretty good evidence that NVIDIA is working on a new Shield TV. The timelines certainly line up, as NVIDIA pushed a Shield TV update two years after the original release, and it’s now been about two years since that update.
XDA reached out to NVIDIA about the codenames and received this in response:
It’s fairly standard practice for various concept codenames to appear in codebases. Those references remain even when it becomes unlikely that the concept ever goes into production. We can’t comment on which codenames refer to product concepts that are active vs which ones are inactive, as it can be fluid. However, I can confirm that none of the codenames below refer to products that have launched publicly.
In other words, NVIDIA won’t deny that it’s working on a new controller and remote, but won’t confirm that “friday” and “stormcaster” will ever see release, nor whether they will be attached to a new Shield TV device.
The NVIDIA Shield TV is our favorite media streamer and one of the best ways to experience Android TV. It also receives consistent updates, with the original NVIDIA Shield TV getting its twentieth update in September.
Click the button below to grab an NVIDIA Shield TV for yourself!