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The Pro version of Nvidia's 4K Android TV box is now shipping

The Pro version of Nvidia's 4K Android TV box is now shipping

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The Shield Pro, Nvidia's gaming console and 4K streaming box, is now shipping. If you want to be an early adopter of the nascent Android TV platform, this is one of your only options, and it's certainly one of the cheapest. Sharp and Sony currently have the only Android TV-powered sets on store shelves, and while you can get it on Google's $79 Nexus Player set-top box, that device doesn't support 4K.

The Shield Pro is the stronger sibling of the $199 Shield. A powerful, portable console with 500GB of storage, it's packed with Nvidia's Tegra X1 — the mobile "superchip" unveiled at CES — and 3GB of RAM. All that makes the Shield Pro twice as powerful as an Xbox 360 with half the power output. Users can stream games with the Nvidia GRID, a Steam-like service that features titles like Borderlands 2 and Doom 3 BFG edition alongside a number of independent titles. It also leverages that power against Android TV to stream 4K video from services like Netflix and YouTube.

The Shield Pro is the cheapest way to get Android TV in 4K

Both the Shield and the Shield Pro are available on Nvidia's website and at Best Buy or Amazon. Nvidia throws in a little extra with the purchase of either version to the tune of $30 dollars of Google Play Store credit, three free months of Google Play Music, and a copy of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.