Nvidia’s Shield Android TV updates with 6.0 Marshmallow, Vulkan support

By Danny Cowan February 22, 2016

nvidia updates shield android tv system software shieldtvupdate header — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Hardware manufacturer Nvidia has updated its Shield Android TV system software, putting the platform one step ahead of competing microconsoles with support for Android 6.0 Marshmallow, among other significant features and additions.

Notably, the Shield Android TV is now the first Android-powered microconsole to support the Vulkan graphics API, an open-standard framework that promises “highly efficient, low-level access to modern graphics hardware.”

Recommended Videos

“Today, Nvidia is equipping Android developers with fully conformant Vulkan drivers just one week after the specifications launched,” the manufacturer announced. “In addition, Google has announced that Vulkan will be a core platform API in a future version of Android to drive new classes of interactive user experiences.”

Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming

The platform’s update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow enables support for a number of recently released mobile apps and games, including Real Racing 3, Oddworld Munch’s Oddysee, Minecraft Story Mode, Metal Gear Rising Revengeance, and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories.

Shield Android TV owners can also tap into a library of console-quality games via the GeForce NOW streaming service. Subscribers currently have access to a Shield-compatible version of 2013’s Tomb Raider, and publisher Square Enix plans to support the platform with upcoming releases like Lara Croft and The Guardian of Light, Murdered: Soul Suspect, Sleeping Dogs and Quantum Conundrum.

This week’s Shield Android TV update enables new features like dashboard customization, upgradable storage, wireless support for controllers while charging via USB, and quick power menu access via the home screen.

Other improvements include an option for 1080p/60Hz resolution for Ultra HD TVs, fixed audio for the Android Netflix app, support for RGB Full Range, improved color options, and volume control support for third-party audio receivers.

The upgrade is available as a free download, and Shield Android TV owners will be prompted to update the next time they power on their systems.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…

Gaming

Is the Stardew Valley 1.6 update on consoles and mobile? Switch, PS5, Xbox, more

Stardew Valley

There are few cozy games as successful and beloved as Stardew Valley, so it's no wonder it has received regular updates since its 2016 release.

The 1.6 update for Stardew Valley was released back in March 2024 for PC, adding new festivals and events, NPC dialogues, farm types, more pets, and much more. Unfortunately, the update did not immediately release on consoles, leaving farmers playing on smartphones, Switch, Xbox or PlayStation waiting for all the new content.

Gaming

How to open the Warden Vault in Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Inside the Warden Vault in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

If you thought the puzzles in Dragon Age: The Veilguard were too easy, you haven't tackled The Warden Vault quest yet. Available in the Rivain Coast, The Warden Vault is a side quest, one of many incredible side quests, that has you figure out how to open the locked door to the Warden's Vault underneath a huge castle.

This puzzle requires you to solve three separate puzzles within the castle, but they are far from obvious. Without the right guidance, Rook and the party can easily get lost throughout this castle and not know how to unlock the Warden's Vault in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, so here's how to solve it.
How to unlock The Warden Vault side quest

Gaming

The fastest ways to gain XP in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Kill Order gameplay in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

Ever since Modern Warfare, Call of Duty fans have been obsessed with finding every tip and trick they can to level up faster. Now that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has arrived with a refreshed Prestige system, the drive to grind levels is again at an all-time high. While everything you do does earn you XP, they are not all created equal. Just like picking your Wildcards or Perks, earning XP as fast as possible takes a bit of thought and planning. If there's a piece of equipment you have your eye on at a high level, or just want to grind through some Prestige ranks as fast as possible, here are the fastest ways to grind XP in Black Ops 6.
Do your dailies

We'll get the most obvious tip out of the way first. Daily challenges are back and work just as they always have. Every 24 hours you will be given a handful of small optional tasks to complete for a heap of bonus XP. These can be things like getting Scorestreak kills, getting Point Blank Kills, and getting kills with a specific weapon type. Most daily challenges are worth 2,500 XP, which is already a nice bonus, but there is also a fourth one that can be worth between 3,000 and 5,000 additional XP. Each day you log on, you should prioritize your daily challenges.
Tailor your loadout and play the objective