The rumors were true, and it’s finally here: Amazon HAS been developing its own streaming box, to compete with Roku, AppleTV and Chromecast. The Amazon Fire TV streaming box just went on sale today, and it’s priced at $99: the same as the current retail price for the Roku 3, and a bit lower than the current retail price of the Apple TV 3.
One major way Amazon Fire TV distinguishes itself from those, and other competitors, is through its seamless integration of Amazon Cloud Player and lots of other apps. There’s even a special, console gaming -type controller available for separate purchase, for those who intend to do a lot of gaming on their Amazon Fire TV.
Click here to view all the apps you can run on the Amazon Fire TV.
Click here to learn more about the Amazon Fire TV gaming controller remote. The controller is currently priced at $39.99, and it currently comes bundled with a limited-time, free promotional package of 1,000 Amazon Coins and a free copy of the game app SevZero – a $16.99 total value. This special bundle offer ends on May 2, 2014.
From Amazon’s press release:
Today, Amazon is excited to unveil its newest innovation—Fire TV, a tiny box that plugs into your HDTV for easy and instant access to Netflix, Prime Instant Video, Hulu Plus, WatchESPN, SHOWTIME, low-cost video rentals, and much more. Fire TV also brings photos, music, and games to the living room. Meet Amazon Fire TV [here].
“Tiny box, huge specs, tons of content, incredible price—people are going to love Fire TV,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO. “Voice search that actually works means no more typing on an alphabet grid. Our exclusive new ASAP feature predicts the shows you’ll want to watch and gets them ready to stream instantly. And our open approach gives you not just Amazon Instant Video and Prime Instant Video, but also Netflix, Hulu Plus, and more. On Fire TV you can watch Alpha House and House of Cards.”
Check out this handy comparison chart from Amazon (click or tap on image to view an enlarged version in a new window or tab):
Amazon Fire TV features:
– Voice search that actually works—simply speak the name of a movie, TV show, actor, director, or genre into the remote, and you’re done.
– Instant access to Netflix, Prime Instant Video, Hulu Plus, WatchESPN, YouTube, and more… Plus, listen to music with Amazon MP3, Pandora, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and more.
– Powerful performance in a tiny form factor—quad-core processor with over 3x the processing power of Apple TV, Chromecast, or Roku 3, a dedicated GPU, plus 4x the memory of Apple TV, Chromecast, or Roku 3 for exceptional speed and fluidity. Delivers stunning 1080p HD video and immersive Dolby Digital Plus surround sound.
– Simple and easy to use—arrives pre-registered so you can start watching immediately out of the box.
– An exclusive new feature called ASAP (Advanced Streaming and Prediction) predicts which movies and TV episodes you’ll want to watch and buffers them for playback before you even hit play—instant start.
– High-quality, low-cost gaming—games like Minecraft, Monsters University, The Game of Life, The Walking Dead, NBA2K14, Asphalt 8, Riptide GP2, Despicable Me: Minion Rush, and more. The average price of paid games on Fire TV is $1.85. Play using your Fire TV remote, the Fire TV app for smartphones and tablets, or the optional Fire game controller.
– Amazon FreeTime revolutionizes parental controls—parents can choose what their kids see and set time limits for types of content and times of day…
– X-Ray for movies, TV shows, and music—see information about cast and crew, trivia, goofs, and synchronized [song] lyrics.
– See all of your photos and personal videos come alive on your big-screen TV—seamless integration with Amazon’s Cloud Drive.
Amazon Fire TV: check it out!