NVIDIA is actually working on two new Shield TV devices

What you need to know

• NVIDIA has two new Shield TV devices in the works, named "mdarcy" and "sif".
• Code shows that "sif" will not have support for a TV Tuner or USB, but will include SD card support.
• The code was discovered in the recently released Android 9 Pie update for the current NVIDIA Shield TV.

There has been a lot of news about the NVIDIA Shield TV lately. First, we found out that NVIDIA is working on an updated version of the Android TV box, and then it dropped the Android Pie update at the end of July.

Now, thanks to the guys over at XDA-Developers and their keen eye while digging through the code, we've learned NVIDIA has another Shield device in the works. We've already covered that NVIDIA has a new Shield device with the codename "mdarcy", but the new code makes reference to another device, this one codenamed "sif".

According to the code, "sif" will not feature a TV Tuner or USB support, meaning we could be looking at a new Shield TV form factor. The code does make references to "sif" including SD card support, though. To further back up that "sif" will be a new form factor, we have the FCC listing which shows off two different label designs, one of which is made for a much smaller device.

Putting this all together, it appears "sif" will be a smaller dongle or puck-sized Shield TV device. We can also assume it will be cheaper than the NVIDIA Shield TV, which would give consumers more choices when looking to purchase an Android TV device.

There's a reason we get excited about the NVIDIA Shield TV around here, and that's because the current model is the best Android TV box you can get. Sure, there are cheaper alternatives out there such as the Mi Box, but no Android TV box has been able to stand up to the NVIDIA Shield. Even Google's own Nexus Player was no competition for it.

It's unclear when the new Shields will be announced, but with IFA 2019 right around the corner and CES 2020 coming up in January, hopefully we won't have to wait too much longer before we learn more.