As expected, Amazon has announced the Fire TV, their entry in the set-top box sweepstakes. The new box features voice search, (via its remote), gaming support (with a controller available for extra cost), and some impressive specs.
Amazon’s Fire TV, which will compete with the likes of the Apple TV, Google’s Chromecast, and Roku’s numerous streaming boxes, boasts such impressive specs as a quad-core processor, with dedicated graphics processor, 2GB of RAM, 1080p video output, and a dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi radio with MIMO for faster downloads.
The device will stream content from Amazon’s Prime Instant Video service, in addition to content from other providers, including, Red Bull TV, Crackle, Showtime, Bloomberg, Netflix, Hulu, and many others.
The Fire TV will also support gaming with support for an optional $39 Fire gaming controller. Gaming studios supporting the Fire TV include Sega, EA, Disney, Ubisoft, and many more. Amazon is also launching their own development studio to produce games. The third-person tower defense game Sev Zero is the first official release from the studio, and is included free with the purchase of the optional game controller.
Music services, including Pandora, iHeartRadio, and others will debut on the device starting next month.
Amazon will also offer the family-friendly FreeTime service for $2.99 per month, which allows parents to control daily viewing time limits, and what content is available to their children via the Fire TV. FreeTime also offers a kid-friendly interface, and unlimited access to content from Nickelodeon, Sesame Street, PBS Kids, and others.
The Fire TV is shipping today, and is available at Amazon.com for $99.00. [DIRECT LINK]
The Amazon Fire Game Controller is also available for $39.99. [DIRECT LINK]
MacTrast has ordered both the Fire TV and its gaming controller, and we expect delivery of both on Friday. We’ll be sure to give you our initial impressions of the device as soon as we get familiar with it.
