Katarzyna Petru
In the world of consumer electronics, where devices age faster than open milk, NVIDIA Shield TV has achieved the impossible. The device, which debuted in May 2015, has just surpassed the barrier of ten years of regular technical support. This is an achievement that not only inspires admiration but also shames the manufacturers of the priciest flagship smartphones.
Product created from... selfishness?
The most interesting thing about the history of Shield TV is how it even made it to market. It turns out that its foundation wasn't a complicated market analysis, but simply the desire of the creators to have decent equipment for themselves. In an extensive piece by Ars Technica detailing the behind-the-scenes of 10 years of Shield TV support, one of the project leaders, Ali Bell, honestly admitted:
“Somewhat selfishly, we built Shield for ourselves. We wanted a really good, high-quality, and efficient player that didn't necessarily belong to the Apple ecosystem. We created prototypes and it ignited us..., that [CEO Jensen Huang] asked: 'Why not release it and sell it to people?’.”
This approach is evident in every aspect of the device. Since the engineers were building the hardware for themselves, they didn’t make the compromises that usually ruin the durability of cheap electronics.
Why is Shield TV supported for so long?
The key was the proprietary processor Tegra X1. By designing its own chip, NVIDIA became independent of external suppliers. In most cases, support for Android devices ends when the processor manufacturer (e.g., Qualcomm or Mediatek) stops releasing driver updates. NVIDIA, being its own manufacturer, could update the Shield for as long as it wanted. This means that hardware from 2015 now smoothly supports cloud gaming via GeForce NOW, supports the latest video codecs, and offers image upscaling to 4K using artificial intelligence.
Lesson for the whole industry: longevity pays off
The success of ChooseTV is a powerful argument against the culture of "disposables". NVIDIA has proven that if a product is well thought out, and the manufacturer cares about customer loyalty, then the hardware can serve the user for an entire decade. In an era of fighting against e-waste and rising electronic prices, the ten-year journey of ChooseTV is a model that other manufacturers are just beginning to timidly aspire to.
Source: Ars Technica
