Apple TV, Roku and Google’s Chromecast media players just got another contestant, the name? Amazon Fire TV.
The small television set-top box uses software based on the Android operating system, comes with Amazon Instant Video, Amazon Prime Instant Video along with Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, WatchESPN, MLB.tv, NBA, Crackle, Bloomberg TV, Pandora, TuneIn, iHeartRadio and others and is being shippen as we speak for $99.
The most obvious difference is the microphone in the remote that allows for voice search. Also, if you have Amazon’s Cloud Drive, you can see photos stored on it.
Also, Fire TV will have a gaming component, and Amazon lists Disney, Gameloft, 2K, Ubisoft and Double Fine as some of the publishers that are on board. An optional Fire Game Controller will sell for $40, but users can also play games through the remote control or with a companion phone and tablet app. The games are mostly adaptations of mobile titles and many are free to play.
Amazon did recently acquire a game studio, Double Helix, and Amazon is now building games specifically for the Fire TV and Kindle Fire tablets. One example Amazon demonstrated is Sev Zero, a third-person shooter that includes some tower defense elements.
What do you think of this? Excited? Twitching?
N.