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Amazon's set top box said to be akin to Chromecast dongle

by Mark Tyson on 18 March 2014, 13:16

Tags: Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN)

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Reports have emerged that Amazon's upcoming set-top box, currently being developed by Amazon's Cupertino-based Lab126 subsidiary, will likely to take shape of a dongle or HDMI stick similar to Google's Chromecast rather than in a traditional set top form factor.

Similar form factor but not exactly like Google's Chromecast

According to "multiple sources" quoted by TechCrunch, in addition to the capability of streaming online channels, movies and TV series, the device is said to support leading PC game title OnLive-style streaming. Thus Amazon's upcoming STB may rise to compete head-on with games consoles such as the Xbox and PlayStation.

The recent rebranding of LoveFilm Instant through Amazon Prime is very likely to come into the picture regarding its movies and TV streaming facilities. The 'top tier' PC games are said to be streamed via Amazon's cloud servers at approximately 30fps performance. Last week's leaked images and reports covering Amazon's new gaming controller show a likely optional extra to the set top box if game streaming is indeed featured.

By offering PC game streaming, Amazon will have great advantage coming into the set-top box market over rivals, especially if the company is considering combining the device with its Prime membership benefits, boosting incentives to gather more users to sign up for the premium service. The device is expected to arrive on store shelves next month, according to the Wall Street Journal and if rumours are true, we are looking forward to see the company producing a platform that could bring blockbuster PC games (rather than Android titles) to the living room TV at a keen price.

We will be sure to update you on what exactly will be featured in the device once it's been officially announced. Also some solid pricing info would be good as the "sub $300" Amazon Console rumours from earlier this year sounds pretty steep.



HEXUS Forums :: 6 Comments

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I suddenly feel like I don't have enough HDMI ports on my telly!



Not sure I agree with content providers bringing out their own hardware for their own digital stores.
As its increasingly becoming easier to pirate content on one device instead of pay for content on a whole range of hardware devices that are invading peoples living spaces and duplicating functionality.
Id be interested in the controller if it plays nice with android phones.
wyte_w0lf
Id be interested in the controller if it plays nice with android phones.

Depending on the phone, but with the likes of the Note 2 , you can plug a USB joypad into them using a Micro usb adaptor.
“By offering PC game streaming, Amazon will have great advantage coming into the set-top box market over rivals, especially if the company is considering combining the device with its Prime membership benefits, boosting incentives to gather more users to sign up for the premium service.”

I wonder how many people have cancelled amazon prime since the £30 price hike to £79. I'd far rather pay less to pick and choose services that interest me than pay an ever increasing fee to get more services I may or may not want… I'm kind of assuming others will too.
cheesemp
I wonder how many people have cancelled amazon prime since the £30 price hike to £79. I'd far rather pay less to pick and choose services that interest me than pay an ever increasing fee to get more services I may or may not want… I'm kind of assuming others will too.

I'm with you on this one. I could justify the £49 a year for free next day postage as I used it a fair bit especially around Christmas time. But I have no interest in “LoveFilm” or “Amazon Family” so a price hike just priced me out of their service.

Shame.