Yesterday Amazon announced the Amazon Fire TV and Fire Game Controller, Android-based products priced at $99 and $39 respectively. They jump into a crowded market where theycompete directly with Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Google TV, OUYA, and others. How will they fare?
We already told you everything you need to know about Amazon Fire TV, but showing and telling are two different things:
Some comments I’d like to share:
- Holy finger grease! If you’re an OCD-type person, Fire TV might drive you bonkers. It’ a smudge magnet and they’re not easy to wipe away.
- The set top box looks like a big coffee table coaster and it’s rather heavy/dense for its size.
- Amazon is a logistics company and clearly aimed for price savings: Fire TV is just a black rectangle with an Amazon logo and the minimum necessary ports. Probably appreciated rather than whoring their brand out obnoxiously.
- The remote looks clunky but doesn’t feel bad… definitely better than the OUYA remote
- Back, Home, and Menu buttons… yay Android!
- The GameCircle button/icon is odd… does anyone else get it, cause I don’t?
- Double AA batteries for the Game Controller and Triple AAA batteries for the TV remote are fulfilled by Amazon Basics… didn’t know they made (or branded) batteries.
- The Fire TV Remote feels outrageously cheap and I’m hoping it is redundant… I’d get a better remote control by purchasing an oscillating fan.
- The power charger is… a power charger.
Some pictures I took afterwards:
And I was thinking of a Goomba. A Goomba. Not an Oompa Loompa. The Fire Game Controller reminds me of a Goomba. Not sure why but it does… so that’s my new name for Amazon Gaming. Goomba.
click to enlarge
A new entry into the crowded set-top box market has just been announced, and it’s from one of the biggest internet companies on the face of the Earth. Amazon has just shown off their new Fire TV box in an attempt to take over the living room. The Fire TV is based on Android and HTML, so it’s apparently pretty easy to get existing apps on the box. Of course, whenever a new device is announced we have to compare it to the competition.
The Fire TV matches up nicely with many of the top existing set-top boxes. At $99 it falls right in line with the Roku 3 and Apple TV, but of course it can’t compete with the $35 Chromecast. That’s because the Fire TV can do much more than Google’s affordable dongle, and you don’t need your phone to operate it. While the Fire TV may line up in price with the Roku and Apple TV, it has better specs than both.
Specs, man
The Fire TV is powered by a quad-core processor and 2GB of memory. The Roku 3 is slightly behind with a dual-core processor and 512MB of memory, while the Apple TV and Chromecast have single-sore processors with 512MB of memory. You should have no problem loading apps and navigating the UI smoothly and quickly on the Fire TV.
What about the apps?
The big determining feature for many people when deciding on a set-top box is apps. All four of the devices listed above have plenty of app support, but some have more than others. The Fire TV and Roku 3 both have 10 out of 11 popular streaming services. The Apple TV has 9, and the Chromecast has 7. Games is another area of apps. If you’re interested in those your only option is Fire TV or Roku 3. The Fire TV, however, has an optional dedicated gaming controller.
Who wins?
As of this moment it looks like the Fire TV and Roku 3 are the best options for streaming media set-top boxes. Amazon is a much larger company who will most likely make deals to get even more content on their device. When you combine the Fire TV with Amazon’s Fire tablets this is a very compelling device in a loaded ecosystem. For some the Chromecast will be all they need, but if you’re serious about cutting the cord the Fire TV is a great choice.
Buy the Amazon Fire TV right now for $99. Talk about the Amazon Fire TV at
