Thanks everyone for you input. I ended up pulling the trigger for the following reasons:
Ongoing support. This was the biggest reason for me, considering the fact that this Chinese box is falling apart and I can't install DirectTV Now and it runs pretty much every app like dookie. I read some threads about the Mi Box being awesome and I read a bunch about the device not getting updates for months and breaking. I know these are on a case-by-case basis, but I'd rather have a higher rated, more stable device.
Device Specs. 4k is cool and I probably won't use that or gaming that often, but the ability to handle GB speeds, better USB ports, and overall beefier specs. I know the Mi could likely handle Kodi/DirectTV Now and whatever else I throw at in well enough, but if i'm using a hardwired box for my whole central entertainment system, might as well make it powerful.
Amazon is awesome and accepted my year old $60 box as a return. I also recently got a similar $35 for my parents but I'm returning that too. I signed up for DirectTVNow (was planning on it) and they give you a free firestick, so I'm giving that to my mom instead of the new Chinese box ...essentially I am getting $95 back (inb4 /r/frugal says it's not free money, you already spent it) it doesn't seem so crazy to pull the trigger on the Shield for another $85.
Hopefully this Shield jawn owns up to the hype. Thanks boys.
A SHIELD is really worth the extra price, especially today (discounted on Amazon). It handles 4k without issue and has on-board Gig-E, neither of which the cheaper MiBox has to its credit. The SHIELD is also more powerful, though that really only matters when gaming or playing 4k content.
If you're only at 1080p and will be using WiFi, the MiBox is a much cheaper alternative...it has problems at 4k and doesn't have Ethernet, and isn't as powerful of a gaming box, but if these things don't matter to you, you can save a lot of money picking one up instead.