Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Amazon

Amazon announces Fire TV, its set-top streaming box and gaming device

Amazon Fire TV will allow users to watch shows on Instant Video and Netflix and will include games like Minecraft, The Walking Dead and NBA2K14.

AMAZON HAS REVEALED its Android-powered set-top box Amazon Fire TV today, which also doubles up as a gaming system.

The device, which will cost $99 and will ship in the US today, is powered by a quad-core processor, and has 2GB of RAM. Amazon claim it has three times as powerful as its competitors, Apple TV, Roku and Chromecast.

Announcing the device at an event in New York, the device will allow you to watch shows and videos from Hulu, YouTube, Vimeo, ESPN, and other web apps and stations.

Some of the features include ASAP which predicts which shows you want to watch, and queues up episodes so they start instantly.

It’s also a gaming device, which can be played with your remote, an app or a specialised controller. The controller will cost $39.99 and will come with 1,000 Amazon coins to buy games through its service like Minecraft, The Walking Dead, and NBA14.

The company promises to have thousands of games on the service by next month, and has developers such as Disney, Gameloft, SEGA, EA and Double Fine on board.

The company is also developing its own games through Amazon Game Studios, and demoed a number such as first-person shooter and tower defense game, Sev Zero.

sev-zero Businesswire Businesswire

Other features that come with the service include X-ray, which provides details on actors and movies as you’re watching them and provides lyrics for music are included.

Amazon had been competing against similar services like Netflix by producing its own shows and securing the rights to shows. Yesterday, it the show 24 will be available exclusively on Amazon Prime Instant Video.

Read: Amazon gain patent allowing it to ship goods before you order them >

Read: Netflix pulled off the greatest April Fools’ prank >

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
16 Comments
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.
    JournalTv
    News in 60 seconds