Apple TV Competitor Amazon FireTV Launches for $99

Amazon FireTV

As the Amazon invite has already suggested, the online retail giant has just reignited competition in the living room by launching its own video streaming device: the Amazon fireTV. The device aims to compete with established players such as Roku, Apple TV, and Google Chromecast (via The Verge).

The Amazon FireTV measures 4.5″ x 4.5″ x 0.7″ (115 mm x 115 mm x 17.5 mm), and has a Qualcomm Krait 300, quad-core to 1.7 Ghz under the hood, 8 GB of internal storage, and 2 GB LPDDR2 RAM @ 533 MHZ.

The quad-core processor and 2 GB of RAM inside the Amazon fireTV aim for a great user experience, with Amazon claiming that it’s three times faster than the set-top-boxes from Roku and Apple. It supports 1080 p, and Dolby Digital Surround out via HDMI or optical. It looks like a set-top-box with a remote that supports voice search “that actually works”, said Larsen.

Amazon FireTV gaming

But what’s more important is that it has a “ton of content”, Amazon’s Peter Larsen highlighted. Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, Vimeo, MLB.tv, and the NBA will be available on FireTV.

In line with previous rumours, the fireTV will also double as a gaming console, launching with games such as Minecraft. The company also announced the Amazon Fire Game Controller, sold separately for $39.99, and comes with 1,000 Amazon coins to buy games. The online retail giant promises thousands of titles by May, with the average price of a games said to be $1.85.

Also, besides the above, the Amazon fireTV comes with second-screen integration: it supports Amazon’s X-Ray feature for movies and TV, and users can view that information on their tablet while watching the movie on TV.

The Amazon FireTV costs $99 and it is available today in the US. Of course, no love for Canada–yet.

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