Amazon has released their newest entry into the world of hardware in the form of a TV set-top box simply named “Amazon Fire TV.”
Without any clear market leader in the increasingly relevant set-top market, an entry into the world of television is a given for Amazon. Â Now, Amazon can leverage both the existing-but-dwindling market effect of Kindle tablets with an impressive array of apps that comes from being powered by Android.
The new device features a quad-core processor, 2GB of memory, 1080p playback powered by a dedicated GPU, and even features Dolby Digital Plus. Â Arguably, the most impressive feature of the new set-top box is that it can be voice-controlled. Â Voice control isn't common in standard set-tops and traditionally is only available on high-end gaming consoles and smart TVs. Â Amazon's device sports impressive specs for a basic set-top box looking to compete with the likes of Apple TV, Google Chromecast, and Roku.
The Amazon Fire TV device even plays select games and had an optional game controller that works exclusively with the Amazon device.  In addition, the gaming-style controller also functions as a media playback controller, much like you’d see on a high-end gaming console like the Xbox One.  Of course, the power of Amazon Fire TV is nowhere near what a gaming console can offer, but should easily handle casual games and ports of Android mobile games, if developers jump on board.
If you’d like to geek out and get one of these devices, you’re in luck.  They’re already shipping.  The Amazon Fire TV set-top box costs $99.99, but does not include any type of subscription to Amazon Prime (however, a subscription isn’t required).  The game controllers should begin shipping on 24 April, and they will cost $39.99 each, with a maximum of four controllers able to connect at any given time.
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