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Amazon's Fire TV promises a premium set-top experience (update: hands-on video)
The first thing you notice when you pick up the Fire TV is how incredibly dense it is. It's tiny and encased in black matte plastic, but it feels like a solid brick of aluminum. That's not terribly surprising when you consider all of the power Amazon has crammed inside this thing. Though we're not sure about the speeds on its quad-core CPU and dedicated GPU, the company claims it has three times the processing power of its rivals like Roku and Apple TV. In any case, it's clear the silicon inside is pretty beefy, and it's likely that the chassis is a giant heatsink. During our brief time with the device, it was every bit as quick and impressive as it was during the on-stage demo. Voice searches were quick, if not exactly flawless thanks to the rather noisy demo area. It was less than a second from when I finished speaking to when the results popped up on screen (though, it seemed odd that Amazon assumed I meant "Klint Eastwood"). Despite its insistence that it handled search better than platforms like Roku, we'd have to say things aren't so cut and dry. Sure, you can voice search using the microphone on the remote, but searching with text requires the same cumbersome reliance on the remote's directional pad and an onscreen keyboard. Not to mention that Roku and Chromecast are also able to deliver voice search through their respective mobile apps.
Here's the Amazon Fire TV game controller
Amazon has finally revealed the game controller for its new Fire TV video streaming device. Lo and behold, it looks exactly like the controller that was leaked last month. It sports a familiar layout with dual analogue sticks, a D-pad, and typical face and function buttons. It also features what look like media controls for watching video on services like Netflix and Twitch. According to Mike Frazzini of Amazon Games, it will cost around $40 and will include some Amazon Coins as well. You won't necessarily need a controller to play games on Fire TV, as users will also be able to use the device's normal remote control or a special app that Amazon will release next month.
Amazon reveals game, movie streaming hardware 'Amazon Fire TV' [Update]
Amazon announced Amazon Fire TV today, a device that streams games and movies over the web. The Fire TV features 2 GB of RAM and a dedicated GPU, which Amazon said is the kind "usually found in smartphones." Additionally, Fire TV is based on Android and HTML, so apps are expected to be easy for developers to port to the device. It comes with a TV remote-like controller that includes a microphone on it, which can be used for the device's voice search functions. The Fire TV's separate dual-stick game pad costs $40. The device's UI includes sections for movies, television, apps and photos in addition to games. Among the app icons shown during Amazon's presentation were Twitch, WWE Network, Watch ESPN, Netflix and Hulu Plus. Amazon said it is "starting off with Hulu Plus and Amazon Instant Video of course, and we're rolling in other partners over time." As for the games available on Fire TV, the device will host "thousands" from publishers like EA and Ubisoft, and will include Minecraft shortly after it launches. Earlier in March, we got a look at what Amazon's Bluetooth gamepads might look like. The company founded Amazon Game Studios in 2012 and acquired Double Helix, the studio behind Killer Instinct, in February. Update: The Amazon Fire TV will cost $99 and is available to purchase today on Amazon's store.
