Amazon Fire TV Console

Some said it was inevitable, some said it would be redundant and unnecessary, but Amazon is officially entering the “TV Set Top Box” market with their new “Amazon Fire TV” console, available now, for only $99. Oh yeah, it also plays games. The included remote can be used for simple games, and a traditional controller is sold separately for $39. The remote can also recognize voice commands, making for easy navigation and searches for movies, TV shows, games, and countless other apps and services also available on the device.

Price wise, this fits towards the low end of the rumors and speculations, some of which I mentioned in a previous blog. But, also as I predicted, Amazon is willing to take a hit on the cost to be competitive, and the power of the Amazon Fire is way beyond other set top boxes available for the same price. Boasting a Quad Core processor, a dedicated GPU, and 2 GB of RAM, this tiny box is capable of full HD 1080p video and 7.1 optical audio. Amazon claims that the quad-core processor has three times the processing power of Apple TV and Roku, and the 2 GB of memory is four times that of Apple TV, Roku, and Chromecast. It would also be interesting to see how this compares even to the Xbox 360 and PS3.

The device itself is really small and not very flashy looking. The remote is also fairly simple and elegant, though the voice search function minimizes the need for lots of buttons. The game controller reminds me of the OnLive controller, which was similar to the Xbox 360 controller with the addition of some play, fast forward, and rewind buttons between the grips at the bottom. The console supports up to seven simultaneous input devices, which can be any combination of remotes and controllers.

The things that will separate the Amazon Fire TV from other devices are the tablet connectivity and the Amazon ecosystem. One of the included apps allows movies and shows to be mirrored on a tablet, or each screen can feature their own display or input commands. Buying games from the OUYA, for example, requires shopping through that isolated network, whereas customers with existing Amazon accounts are already primed to start shopping as soon as the device is turned on.

But the main interest for eBash Bits and Bytes is games. Boasting that much power, the Fire could give the current (Xbox 360, Wii, and PS3) generation a run for its money. Games like Minecraft have exploded on the mobile market (it’s included, free, on the Fire) and the list of already available games range from sports, puzzle, racing, action, and even shooting games like Dead Trigger 2. With an established marketplace (Amazon.com!) independent game developers will likely abandon platforms like the OUYA and start releasing content for the Fire.

Overall, I’m a little disappointed that Amazon didn’t shoot for the stars and include even more impressive components. But, it looks like they are mostly interested in competing with other set top boxes like Roku and Apple TV, and not the “big” consoles like the PS4 and Xbox One. Still, with the impressive marketing and content of Amazon.com, the Fire could become THE TV device in the living room in many homes.

The Amazon Fire TV is available now on Amazon.com for $99, the controller for $39. More information is available here.

Amazon Game Console?

The multimedia juggernaut, Amazon, could be extending their reach into living rooms and video games very soon, if rumors are to be believed. Amazon has announced that they will unveil their living room plans on April 2, and many are speculating that these plans include some sort of Amazon TV, a game console, or both.

Some people anticipate a very low cost device will be announced. This could be some sort of streaming device, like Google’s HDMI “Chromecast,” which will allow Amazon customers to stream content from their tablets and smartphones on to their living room TVs. A similar idea would be an actual TV Set Box like “Roku” or “Apple TV,” which only has to connect to the Internet and the TV, and becomes a portal to Amazon.com, Netflix, TV channels, and any other movie or TV apps that Amazon wants to include. Such a device would be small, and probably sell for $99 or less.

Moving up in cost, are rumors of a stand-alone device that can stream content from the internet, but would have processing power enough to run simple mobile games. This isn’t too hard to imagine, as many tablets and even smart phones already possess capabilities of connecting to a TV and a wireless controller. This “Smart TV” device might sell for $200.

On the high end, some are speculating about a fully functional console, something that can rival the Xbox One and PS4. With Amazon’s deep pockets and huge wealth of online content, even skeptical “hardcore” gamers should acknowledge that Amazon can afford to sell such a console at a loss, with the expectation that selling content (games, movies, music, TV, etc) will more than make up for it. The “next-gen” consoles, the PS4 and Xbox One, are currently being sold for $400 and $500 (respectively). If Amazon really wants to enter the “console wars” and compete with Sony and Microsoft, I predict their console would sell for $300, but no more than $400.

I’ve already met many customers of eBash that are familiar with Minecraft, for example, because they play with their friends, online, with their Kindle tablets. Some families have a hard time justifying a $400-500 console purchase for video games, but have no problems paying even more money for an iPad or similar device. Smart phones and tablets are seen as more portable and practical, and overall more useful than a gaming console. All Amazon has to do is put together a competitively crafted device, offer it for a lower price, and many families will abandon Sony and Microsoft. At any rate, we will find out what Amazon has planned on April 2nd!