Alexa skills come to the Nvidia Shield TV

Nvidia has announced that Alexa skills are coming to the Shield TV in the US. This, according to Nvidia, makes the Shield TV the only streaming box that can be controlled both with an Amazon Echo and a Google Home. The Shield runs Android TV and already has Google Assistant baked in.

Nvidia is launching this new feature with a hefty amount of Alexa commands. You’ll be able to use Alexa to control any number of things on the Shield TV, like turning it on and off, controlling the volume, playing, pausing, or fast forwarding, opening entertainment apps, and more.

Also, after using one command, Alexa will assume that relevant follow-up commands are for the Shield TV. So, you could say, “Alexa, set volume to 80 percent on Shield,” and then, “Alexa, set volume to 60 percent.” The company says even more commands will be coming later on. (You can find a full list of all the commands on Nvidia’s website.)

To pair an Amazon Echo to your Shield, open the Amazon Alexa app, and tap the menu button. From there, select “Skills & Games,” search for “Nvidia Shield TV,” select that, and confirm “Enable.” From there, make sure you’re logged into your Nvidia account on your Shield in order to link it to the Alexa app. You should then be able to select the Shield and Echo devices you’d like to pair together.

The company also announced a new addition for those using Shield TV with Amazon content: Dolby Atmos passthrough support for Prime Video.

Nvidia is offering a couple of deals with this announcement. Through November 10th, you’ll receive a third generation Amazon Echo Dot for free when you buy a Shield TV from Amazon or Best Buy. If you already own a Shield, the company says you can look for a discount on that same Amazon Echo Dot.

For now, these Alexa skills only work within the US, but Nvidia is working on bringing it to other countries.

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