Hot on the heels of NVIDIA’s announcement of the new SHIELD TV, which includes Google Assistant, Google has confirmed that Assistant is indeed coming to its set-top box platform.
Google Assistant will be available on the NVIDIA SHIELD TV and all Android TVs in the US running Android 6.0 Marshmallow or Android 7.0 Nougat. That includes the AirTV Player, Sharp Aquos, Sony Bravia, Xiaomi Mi Box, and other devices.
With Google Assistant on Android TV, you’ll be able to tell your device to play a certain show, like “Play Stranger Things on Netflix.” You can also search for content on certain services, get answers about shows, tell Google Assistant to dim your lights, and ask questions to help you prepare for your day.
The launch of Google Assistant on Android TV is a big deal. Using your voice with Assistant can help to make finding content much faster than typing things manually, and often it’s just more convenient to use your voice. It’s great to see Assistant making the jump from Google’s Pixel and Home to Android TV.
Android TV boxes aren’t the only new place that Assistant will be headed. Google says that Assistant will also come to Android Wear 2.0 smartwatches, Android-powered in-car infotainment systems, and other devices with the Embedded Google Assistant SDK.