Amazon's streaming and gaming "box" has been a hot topic lately, as we recently heard that it's likely not a box at all, and saw pictures of its controller. The supposedly Chromecast-like device (a USB stick) is seemingly meant to stream media from the Amazon Prime library and play Android-based games or stream them from your PC. Now, reports tell us that it may be arriving as soon as next month, despite any official details.
The Wall Street Journal says that the device is going to be available on Amazon's site in "early April", as well as some retail stores like BestBuy and Staples. It has been in development for a while now and was originally planned to come out for the past holiday season, but saw delays.
The small streaming device is meant to be Amazon's answer to Roku, Chromecast, Apple TV, and other similar products. It will draw on the Amazon Prime media library as well as third-party content like Netflix and Hulu.
Before we knew the latest details, I wrote about the device and questioned who exactly would buy one. Most people who have media to stream on their TV likely have one of the other devices or connect their laptops with an HDMI cable, so Amazon is a bit late in the market. Even its own Amazon Prime customers likely have a method for watching by now, but some (and new users) may be looking for a simple solution still. I didn't think the gaming aspect would draw many people in, but if the ability to stream games from your PC is real, that might open it up to another audience.
The sooner the device is out the better, I imagine, as Amazon can start eating up some streaming market share. If it's out next month at an affordable price, they can probably succeed in moving a large number of units.
Source: The Verge