It'd be a much better gaming device.
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Amazon FireTV Announced and Released [$99 box, $40 controller, game capable STB]
- Thread starter Nirolak
- Start date
This isn't a dedicated mobile games console
Zombie James
Banned
I want to slap XBMC on one of these things.
MikeE21286
Member
Does 1080p really matter that much?
I have no idea what the Fire TV specs translate to in real world power, but a Vita TV is basically a set-top Vita. So I guess the question is, is the Vita more powerful than the Amazon FireTV?
They're two different games. Minecraft pocket edition is pretty gimped compared to the console version, isn't it?
I'm honestly not sure why Minecraft on mobile devices is still just "pocket edition" when the devices that play it are capable of playing the entire game, at least the console version of it.
edit - crap, thought I was quoting something from this page, not from 8 pages ago...
Brainiac 8
Member
Hmmm...this might be worth having as a cheap media box for the bedroom.
BlockheadBrown
Member
$9.99 on Nintendo eShop for Wii U - Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HH7LIFA/?tag=neogaf0e-20
$2.49 for Fire TV - Link: http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/dvmmgEx_7SPAeZ5Odo6Wa0-i-8cutF9M
$2.49 for Fire TV - Link: http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/dvmmgEx_7SPAeZ5Odo6Wa0-i-8cutF9M
CrashPrime
Member
So does this do mirroring ala Twonky beam on Roku, Chromecast, or miracast?
meanspartan
Member
So this is the much-rumored console from Amazon? Meh.
NullPointer
Member
Yep. I thought it was supposed to directly compete with the Xbox and PS4 for core games.
Mack Suckerburg could still buy it for 2 billion dollars heh.
It's Miracast but it's unclear if it's a specific variant for the HDX.
TheCanisDirus
Member
Yes. XBMC would have been an instant buy.
Karsticles
Member
I am really surprised Amazon bought studios for this thing.
baphomet
Member
I don't know how anyone would have had an idea like that. This was always going to be a kindle fire as a set top box.
ZombiePlatypus
Member
If this thing manages to be a haven for mid-tier console games then it'd be awesome. I've been missing those since the PS2 days.
If it's just gonna blow up current cellphone games on TV though, then I'll pass.
If it's just gonna blow up current cellphone games on TV though, then I'll pass.
AstroNut325
Member
This. As a hardcore gamer... I have no interest in this. I like the UI better than the Roku I have but that's not enough for me to spend money.
It seems everyone wants to chase the uber casual gamer crowd with the exception of Sony at the moment.
meanspartan
Member
Oh I know, my bad for giving the impression I expected some substantive modern console. What I meant though is that the rumors lately kinda did make it sound like it was going for something slightly more than this, especially since they hired people to make games for it.
But no, they really did just go with OuyaFire. Okie doke.
Really? I don't think anyone else thought this. It had always been hinted as a set top box with mobile gaming.
Well, it's much more capable than the Ouya, but power-wise it's already been eclipsed by modern smartphones. By early next year it'll be about as powerful as an Ouya, relatively.
Still, I think this thing will sell huge. I can already imagine how useful it'd be, especially with the cost of entry being so low for the tablet and box.
You can get this, a Kindle Fire and a game controller for under $250.
Still, I think this thing will sell huge. I can already imagine how useful it'd be, especially with the cost of entry being so low for the tablet and box.
You can get this, a Kindle Fire and a game controller for under $250.
If Vita TV has good TV apps then its a good alternative.
At this point Sony should just port the Android layer (devlin?) to Vita TV. Sony will never get enough devs to port android apps to Vita TV on their own.
Delusibeta
Banned
As a media device, Amazon's got the marketing grunt and the initial support to kill the Roku stone dead. The only notable omission from the launch line-up in the US is HBOGo, and apparently that's in the works.
As a gaming device, it'll kill the Ouya (not that it needed any help in dying) but I don't think it'll make much of a dent in the console market (other than potentially capsizing Microsoft's efforts in promoting the Xbone as a media device). I have no idea why Amazon is building up their own game development group.
As a gaming device, it'll kill the Ouya (not that it needed any help in dying) but I don't think it'll make much of a dent in the console market (other than potentially capsizing Microsoft's efforts in promoting the Xbone as a media device). I have no idea why Amazon is building up their own game development group.
I don't think Amazon is chasing an uber casual gamer crowd. I think they are going a good thing by providing additional content for their own platform. Like any platform owner should. Cheaper, more casual focused games are a part of this box and a part they can support. It's a good move.
It's also a market Sony is extremely weak in and its something they should think about beefing up. In general anyway. It helps in broadening the appeal of your product.
All this said, Amazon is not targeting consoles with this box. They are aiming higher.
NullPointer
Member
(oops. double posted below)
Yes, yes it is... Quality retro gaming
Is that Sega Rally?
ZombiePlatypus
Member
With the exception of cellphone games and power level, it seems to fall in the same realm or area as the WiiU. (Although, I'm sure Amazon won't criminally fuck up marketing the way Nintendo did.)
I would be really interested in this for emulation if the Shield didn't exist. I was even close to buying an Ouya when they first came out, before I heard the controller was shit and decided to wait for Ouya 2 (and then picked up a Shield instead). As far as I know, the Shield is the best emulator device out there right now, except for PC. The hardware isn't perfect, but it's good enough for me to have completed several games last month on the Shield. With the Shield's console mode, I really don't know why I would want Amazon's device. Perhaps FireTV has a better controller than the shitty BT controller Nvidia recommends you use with the Shield in console mode, but surely it's only a matter of time until DS4 support is patched or hacked in.
Edit: I would buy these for my kids though. They have Roku 2s in their rooms now, but slapping these in there and giving them the option to play retro games, in addition to the streaming options, is pretty cool. But two $100 FireTVs and 2 or 3 $40 controllers is a lot to swallow.
Edit: I would buy these for my kids though. They have Roku 2s in their rooms now, but slapping these in there and giving them the option to play retro games, in addition to the streaming options, is pretty cool. But two $100 FireTVs and 2 or 3 $40 controllers is a lot to swallow.
Graphics Horse
Member
NullPointer
Member
I got that idea from reading GAF. I don't know how that site isn't on the banned list here by now.
Rumor: Amazon's new game console is core oriented, Amazon snapping up game devs
RUMOR: Amazons Android console to launch this year priced below $300
Just the first two I found from a quick search - I'm sure there are more.
Saucycarpdog
Member
I'm pretty sure the gaming side of this is a long term goal people. I didn't expect the gaming part to be anything big anyways. Knowing amazon they'll improve on it over time.
Seems like a decent device for a Apple TV/Roku competitor, but why didn't Amazon design their remote to be similar to the Wii's? I mean it should not be that difficult to make it like a NES Controller but with motion sensing inside it.
Speaking of digital video services, how is Vudu anyway?
Speaking of digital video services, how is Vudu anyway?
Willy Wanka
my god this avatar owns
The majority of my Android apps are Google Play store purchases so if they aren't supported on this, I probably wouldn't buy one for playing games. Having said that, if the UK price is under £100 and the media capabilities are as good as advertised then I could be tempted to get one for streaming media.
As possibly the first Android console actually worth a damn, I think at most it (or future devices like it from Google and Apple) could begin to suck the casual audience away from PlayStation, Xbox, and especially Nintendo (if Nintendo even has that audience anymore).
I could imagine someone in the future wondering whether they should buy NBA 2K14 on this thing for $8 or buy it for $60 on PS4. A lot of that casual audience won't give a shit about the difference between the two versions.
I guess it depends on whether it get's any follow-through with developers both big and small though. We gotta see if the likes of EA, Ubisoft, SEGA, and Square Enix actually keep at it (imagine playing Final Fantasy Tactics in HD on this thing). If this thing actually does take off, I think it's possible some mobile devs could start developing games for it more oriented towards the living room. If that happened, all it would take is one family gaming killer app to really change thing.
I'm sure Google Play is locked off.
Until someone figures out how to root it at least. I give it a week, lol.
For every non gaming app 1080p matters a lot. Gaming wise every Vita game is 544p or less which can look very ugly.
The specs here are nothing spectacular, but for the most part better than the Vita being much newer. It seems to be the same SoC that the HTC One M7 and GS4 had if it is max 1.7Ghz. The quad core S4 (seen in the Nexus 4) had a max clock speed of 1.5Ghz.
oh man, that's lame. I'm waiting for a device that will allow Android OS games to operate on a TV. There are a few games I've missed and want to play including FF4: After Years 3D remake and FF: Dimensions, among others. I guess I'll have to keep waiting.
Again, virtually no one wants in to that market. There's a lot of companies entering in to other gaming segments (Apple, Google, Facebook, now Amazon, among others), but literally no one has made a serious move to enter the traditional console market for 15 years, and you could make the argument that at least one competitor (Nintendo) has tried to escape it, even though they helped create the market in the first place.
This isn't coincidence; the traditional console market is not growing and isn't very profitable. Smart companies aren't looking to enter the space, and Amazon is a smart company.
jhmtehgamr20xx
Banned
So is it more powerful than Wii U?
Also this is not quite what I was hoping for.
Also this is not quite what I was hoping for.
NullPointer
Member
Oh I agree. Its not something I ever even wanted, but I thought that was going to be the real story here, not a Ouya/Roku competitor.