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RUMOR: Amazon’s Android console to launch this year priced below $300

Gestault

Member
If they don't overproduce and price with an appealing profit margin in place, this could be bomba-proof, as far as Amazon is concerned.
 

DietRob

i've been begging for over 5 years.
I'm a prime member have been since the service launched and I would seriously think about this if it had a library of free titles for prime members. I'm also very interested in what games Amazon could develop with all the new talent they scooped up last year. I'm in wait and see mode here. Honestly though amazon doesn't launch products that bomba. They have way too much sales data on way too many markets to release a turd. But I guess there is a first time for everything.
 

TheD

The Detective
Lets try a third time. It would be helpful this time if you read what I actually say, rather than the imaginary version in your head.



Except I didn't.

Yes, you did.

I said:
It is very dissimilar to SteamOS.

The whole userland is completely different on Android compared to GNU/Linux.


You said in response to that:

As it is in SteamOS.

That very much sounds like you are stating that the same thing (not being GNU/Linux) applies to SteamOS as it does to Android.

SteamOS might keep the GNU userspace, but it has been built on and customised in many other ways. Which was precisely my point - that just because you start from a basic core of Linux, or indeed a basic core of Android or any other OS, doesn't mean that these projects don't all built on it to their requirements anyway.

SteamOS is not that customized, the only things of note are booting into Steam BP by default and some changes to a window manager.

If you pull out the things that make Android different and yet hold it back (the whole Java thing) then you are going to end up close to GNU/Linux and thus starting from scratch would be a better idea.
 
If it has smartphone guts I'm not buying it regardless of price and games available. When I hook up a gaming system to my living room tv I expect grand visuals, grand audio along with great gameplay and story.
 

AJLma

Member
This will do better than the Ouya for sure, since its hardware has the potential to actually be viable as a multimedia machine.

We may not be playing 1080p AAA titles, but there's no reason that some of the really great indie games couldn't be played on this device.

The bigger thing I think here, is that Amazon will be putting a respectably powerful Android media device in a lot of living rooms.
 
Any TV-connected console has to have strong first party offerings. That's been an irrefutable law going back to late 70s and it has held true through vast changes in technology and media consumption habits. I am not saying it will ways be so, but it's been true so far.
 

scitek

Member
That's true, but if it's using an ARM/mobile processor, what will their studios even have to work with? That sounds like it would be incredibly underpowered to get any of the games that people buy dedicated gaming systems for. Are mobile processors even capable of matching a PS3, 360, out Wii U yet?

My guess is they'll treat it more like a computer or tablet device with annual upgrades instead of a console with fixed hardware. In a few years, they could well have plenty of power.
 

breadtruck

Member
I'm a prime member have been since the service launched and I would seriously think about this if it had a library of free titles for prime members. I'm also very interested in what games Amazon could develop with all the new talent they scooped up last year. I'm in wait and see mode here. Honestly though amazon doesn't launch products that bomba. They have way too much sales data on way too many markets to release a turd. But I guess there is a first time for everything.

Gotta agree, Im interested. Amazon has done a heck of a job so far
 

Bboy AJ

My dog was murdered by a 3.5mm audio port and I will not rest until the standard is dead
If they don't overproduce and price with an appealing profit margin in place, this could be bomba-proof, as far as Amazon is concerned.
Amazon doesn't sell hardware with much, if any, profit margins.
 

Xun

Member
After Amazon's purchase of Double Helix, I'm incredibly interested in seeing what comes from this.

I just wonder when we'll see it, and if Amazon would rather introduce it at their own event or at E3.
 

Meier

Member
They should be trying to compete with the Apple TV. That is a more comparable device. The problem is that so many TVs now offer streaming software built in that it doesn't even offer anything new in that regard.
 
They should be trying to compete with the Apple TV. That is a more comparable device. The problem is that so many TVs now offer streaming software built in that it doesn't even offer anything new in that regard.

This is true, especially considering the rumours that Apple is about to release an updated Apple TV with game (and perhaps App) support, which could be released as soon as March.
 
I think this will be bigger than Ouya. The key is exclusives. If it's a game I can play on my PC and or stream to my PC in the near future using Steam in home streaming, there's no reason at all for me to consider this.
 
Only problem to me is the ever growing amount of F2P games in the store. Streaming would be nice, and the size (rumored) seems to make for an easy travel companion. IMO the games on Android, save a select few, are just shovelware crap.
 
I'm actually really excited for this. Amazon has to have something more besides some more powerful Ouya mixed with an Apple TV.
 
This thing has "day one jailbreak emulator box" written all over it. Android is swimming with emulators and they could run very nicely on something with a bit of GPU firepower.

Not condoning. Just sayin'.
 
It seems like there is too much elitism against Android.

It is a decent multipurpose operating system with a lot of support and is useful. And is perhaps the biggest competitor to Windows.
 

DESTROYA

Member
Amazon at E3, that just sounds really weird. Hopefully it has some decent specs and not just mobile phone parts in console form.
 

rrs

Member
Android wasn't the reason why the OUYA failed: it was a bad controller, hardware just more powerful than a 2012 Nexus, and being kinda closed software wise. I'd think Amazon took notes, and won't repeat that.
 

yurinka

Member
I'm pretty sure it's going to be an Ouya on steroids, so won't compete directly with XBO and PS4 even if will sell a lot. If it's Android based, it's going to mean good news for indies and phone gaming developers.
 

Artex

Banned
I don't think these will ever sell well. Everyone and their mother all have a smartphone; that's where these games are played. If I'm in my living room I'm not going to sit down and boot up a mobile game.
 

DESTROYA

Member
I don't think it's going to be another ouya/mojo clone but something a bit more powerful, they didn't just buy up a game publisher just to make mobile games.
 

Xun

Member
I don't think these will ever sell well. Everyone and their mother all have a smartphone; that's where these games are played. If I'm in my living room I'm not going to sit down and boot up a mobile game.
They didn't buy Double Helix to get them to work on mobile games.

They're after the big three, I'm sure of it.
 

Oddduck

Member
Android wasn't the reason why the OUYA failed: it was a bad controller, hardware just more powerful than a 2012 Nexus, and being kinda closed software wise. I'd think Amazon took notes, and won't repeat that.

I don't think it's going to be another ouya/mojo clone but something a bit more powerful, they didn't just buy up a game publisher just to make mobile games.

They didn't buy Double Helix to get them to work on mobile games.

They're after the big three, I'm sure of it.

It's good to see that some people actually understand what is going on.
 
If this played downloaded games such as The Witcher, Call of Duty, League of Legends, then I might have looked in its direction. Amazon is the only company capable of maintaining a digital marketplace while selling the box through retail. But this isn't a competitor to Sony and Microsoft in a direct sense, so I'm once again, not interested.

Might keep an eye on it for the future.
 

CoG

Member
My guess is this will be 1/2 of what the Xbone tried to do but is floundering on because they tried to make The Homer rather than focus on TV or games exclusively.

If you look at the Kindle Fire, it's an all-on-one media device. It does books, TV, movies, music, photos video, apps and games. This will be an extension of that on your TV. Replace books with games and there you have it. I really doubt you are going to see the next Call of Duty ship on the PS4, Xbone, and Amazon console, rather the next Flappy Bird phenomena is likely to end up on this device.

Think Roku++ rather than Xbox--.
 

low-G

Member
When I hear 'Android' I think utter failure, but if they can tightly regulate the marketplace and fund high quality casual games they may get somewhere. If it's a dump like Android marketplaces usually are this will fail nearly as hard as Ouya.
 
If they only offer android games with controller support the thing will fail harder than the OUYA.

If they only offer android content and additional high quality exclusives the will fail harder than the WiiU but not as hard as the OUYA.


If they want the thing to succeed alonside Ps4 and XboxOne, they need full 3rd party support(EA, Activision, Take2, Warner etc.), comparable specs, competetive pricepoint, a good online infrastructure and kick ass exclusives.
But even if the make it, they won't be as successful as Ps4 and Xbox because they don't have a established userbase like Sony and MS.
 

GetemMa

Member
I hope it's $200 below, or it's not going to sell well at all.

man I was thinking more like $100 or below.

I don't need or want any more stuff hooked up to my TV, least of all a "console" that plays the same games I have on my phone.
 
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