Nvidia's Shield TV Pro launched for $199.99 in 2019. Seven years later, it costs $299.99. Nvidia raised the price by $100 on October 2 and says rising memory costs are to blame. The cheaper Shield TV is gone too, and Google just did the same thing with the Pixel 10a. Here's what's happening, and what it means if you're thinking about buying.
A $100 Price Hike for a 7-Year-Old Streamer
The Shield TV Pro hasn't changed since Nvidia unveiled it in October 2019. It still runs on the Tegra X1+ chip with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. What changed is the price, up from $199.99 to $299.99 as of October 2.
Nvidia was direct about why. “The cost of components, including memory, has increased substantially across the industry,” a company spokesperson told Ars Technica.
The Cheaper Shield Is Gone
At the same time, Nvidia has stopped making the standard Shield TV, the tube-shaped model that launched at $149.99. That leaves the $299.99 Pro as the only Shield streaming box left.
Finding one may take some patience. Nvidia's own store lists the Pro as out of stock, and stock has been limited for months, gHacks reported. Best Buy sells it at the new price, and Nvidia says it has no older inventory sitting around.
Why Memory Got So Expensive
Nvidia isn't alone. In July, Google's Shakil Barkat, vice president of devices and services, told 9to5Google the industry is facing a “severe, supplier-driven RAM memory crisis.” That warning came with the news that Pixel 11 prices were going up.
The numbers are hard to ignore. Morgan Stanley data cited by TechRepublic shows the cost of 1GB of RAM rising from $2.80 in 2025 to $12 this year. Memory makers are prioritizing chips for AI infrastructure, TechRepublic reported, which leaves less supply for phones, streaming boxes and other consumer devices.
The Pixel 10a Got the Same Treatment
On the same day as the Shield increase, Google raised the price of the Pixel 10a in the US from $499 to $599 at the Google Store, 9to5Google reported. The 256GB model now costs $699. Google hasn't commented on the change, but 9to5Google tied it to memory costs.
It's not a surprise. In July, Barkat said price “adjustments” would come across the Pixel family, rolled out to match supply.
Should You Buy Now or Wait?
Nothing in Nvidia's or Google's statements suggests prices will come back down soon. Waiting is a gamble with no clear payoff.
If you want a Shield specifically, the good news is that Nvidia still supports it. The Shield TV Pro still gets software updates, Tom's Hardware noted, and Nvidia said earlier this year it would keep supporting the Shield TV for the foreseeable future, according to 9to5Google. Few Android TV boxes from 2019 can say that.
If you mainly want streaming apps, $299.99 is a lot to pay for a 2019 chip. It's worth comparing the Shield with cheaper streaming devices before you buy.
Either way, the Shield and the Pixel 10a show where things are heading: as long as memory stays expensive, the devices that use it will too.
