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RUMOR: Amazons Android console to launch this year priced below $300
- Thread starter chadskin
- Start date
Oh I understand it. I just think Amazon has no idea what they are getting themselves into. Like I said on page one, this thing is unlikely to do much of anything at all. At best, Kindle Fire status, where its slightly well enough for them to keep bombarding their sites with ads for it, but not successful enough that they would dream of actually giving FIGURES on how many sold.
And if they do, it will fail. There is no bandwagon here. Im prepared to eat crow, but Im confident that this is all just a joke. These things aren't going to be successful like the mainstream PS4/ONE
I don't even see what Android has to do with it really. Its an Operating system, if they decide to develop AAA games, they can do so. Theres no inherent ceiling on what can be achieved just because iOS/Android/Wp8 are mobile operating systems. If they want to build games for it, they can. And Im convinced they will.
And they will be crushed and ignored by Sony/MS and the hardcore gamers anyway.
aspiegamer
Member
We're all probably thinking about this way too hard. This is likely some sort of a "KindleTV" (as has been mentioned). An Amazon set-top device for media of a billion formats to compete with everyone else they way the jumped into tablets with the Kindle Fire. The thing will have "a" processor in it and thus can surely play "some" games. It'd surely be limited the same way things are on the godawful store for Windows RT and run only things on an Amazon pre-approved app/game list modified for their forked Android OS.
Technically something that can play games but nothing anyone would ever think of unless specifically mentioned. A "console" only as one of its list of features like Netflix, DVR, etc. It'd have the standard Amazon quirks-- cheap, incentives for Prime (free games), digital distribution. I just have no idea how they could ever be willing to invest hundreds of millions into new hardware and software of a "true" console into what's generally considered to be a shrinking home console marketplace. It'd take years to earn that money back, if at all. It would have to survive for some time solely on moneyhatting and entirely-from-scratch in-house content which would just drives costs up further.
I'm interested to see what plays out this year but my expectations are easy to beat when I'm setting the bar in the dirt to start out. The same goes for Google or anyone else trying to make a console/device that can play games of any sort. The Kindle Fire immediate hit a spot in the market that people wanted filled. There is no such space in gaming. It sounds like such a fool's errand without an obscene amount of money risked and even with unlimited budgets on all sides it's still be an uphill battle.
Technically something that can play games but nothing anyone would ever think of unless specifically mentioned. A "console" only as one of its list of features like Netflix, DVR, etc. It'd have the standard Amazon quirks-- cheap, incentives for Prime (free games), digital distribution. I just have no idea how they could ever be willing to invest hundreds of millions into new hardware and software of a "true" console into what's generally considered to be a shrinking home console marketplace. It'd take years to earn that money back, if at all. It would have to survive for some time solely on moneyhatting and entirely-from-scratch in-house content which would just drives costs up further.
I'm interested to see what plays out this year but my expectations are easy to beat when I'm setting the bar in the dirt to start out. The same goes for Google or anyone else trying to make a console/device that can play games of any sort. The Kindle Fire immediate hit a spot in the market that people wanted filled. There is no such space in gaming. It sounds like such a fool's errand without an obscene amount of money risked and even with unlimited budgets on all sides it's still be an uphill battle.
Polishin8r
Member
its gonna come with Amazon Prime for life boom
Caayn
Member
I live under a rock but what exactly is Amazon Prime?
You can not just dismiss pointing out problems as "elitism"!
The fact is that Android's program environment is based around a pseudo java virtual machine (and thus programs are mostly written in java), that means it is a fair bit slower than native code and has to deal with GC.
The few advantages that java (and Android) have (like being able to run programs across CPU architectures as long as their is a compatible VM and APIs) do not apply to a game console (not unless they want it to run phone and tablet games).
statham
Member
netflix like service, free 2 day shipping, digital library of books to borrow . for $79 a year.
If you don't have netflix and order a decent amount for amazon, its a fantastic value.
Caayn
Member
Thanks.
Rogue_Ledr
Banned
I really don't understand why Amazon is doing this.
Why not just go into game publishing and put content out for all systems? Why create your own console and limit your brand?
Dumb idea!
Why not just go into game publishing and put content out for all systems? Why create your own console and limit your brand?
Dumb idea!
WHY ON EARTH are people assuming that because the OS is based on Android that it's going to be a mobile-games console? Xbox One's OS is Windows-based. Does that mean it plays PC games? NO. It's using Android as the foundation for the OS. It makes sense. They aren't going to design an OS from the ground up. This means NOTHING of the types of games that will be on it.
Nobody knows what type of console they're going for here. It could be a pretty core-centric device.
Nobody knows what type of console they're going for here. It could be a pretty core-centric device.
statham
Member
we don't know yet, it hasn't been unveiled.
KojiKnight
Member
Do you know why Nintendo doesn't get out of the console business? It's because if you play your cards right, you can make a lot more money controlling your entire ecosystem than trying to compete on others.
This is why Amazon wants their own console. It's why they built their own android tablets that don't use google's store. They want to own their ecosystem and they have the money to do it if they get the right strategy.
While I understand the opinion that Microsoft has a lackluster first-party, in a market where third-party content drives sales, their first-party shortcomings aren't as detrimental to the Xbox brand due to the very strong third-party support that the XB1 receives. The only other platform that matches (and as of late, surpasses) their third-party support is the PS4. In other words, when someone is at the store trying to decide on a next-gen console that will serve as their Madden box, the XB1 is not left out of the conversation. It might not be the first option for many, but it's certainly a candidate for playing the next Madden/COD/GTA/Assassins Creed game.
Nintendo, on the other hand, does not have a console that can satisfy the demand for Madden/COD/GTA/Assassins Creed. When a person is shopping for a console for third-party content, the Wii U does not 'hang' with the other two. This is the reason why a company like Amazon could displace the Wii U. If they offer an affordable console (let's put the price at $249.99 for now) and they spend a lot of money on establishing developer relations (buying studios, funding ports etc.), they will without a doubt be the third-option for a Madden/COD/GTA/Assassins Creed shopper. Keep in mind this does not mean they will 'win' any war - all it means is that when October/November/December rolls around, much like the Kindle tablet, their product will be a candidate for the money in your pocket.
If you're starting at 4th place, your immediate move is to get to 3rd place. Amazon might only care about 3rd place this gen, because while 2nd place would be an excellent outcome, it is not a likely outcome given the competitiveness of both the PS4 and XB1. If they're seriously going to enter the console market, they're going to be gunning for Nintendo's position. The same applies to any other company that is releasing boxes/living room machines this gen.
Furthermore, if Microsoft drops the price of the XB1, it will be due to the threat of the PS4 - not a new entrant. Unless something really miraculous happens, by this time next year, the PS4 will be in first, the XB1 will be in second, and the Wii U will be in third. Microsoft aren't going to cut prices in fear of the third-place console making a comeback, rather, they will do so because they understand the consequences of having the highest priced console for two consecutive holiday seasons.
From a strategy perspective, Microsoft can successfully fend off a new entrant because they have the support in place. Nintendo doesn't, which means they will need to spend a lot of money in order to remain a key player in the console space. Given their inability to do so thus far, they suffer the greatest risk of being 'booted' from the console space. Whether it's Amazon that does it or it's another company, that remains to be seen.
They wanna be a licensee I guess. Cash in on their own marketplace.
Hey, I'm all for Amazon making a console, as long as they do it right and it's not just a bunch of shovel ware.
I've had pretty much every major gaming console from the NES to the PS4, including gaming on the PC. One more won't hurt, especially if it has some quality titles. And as long as I've been using Amazon and their services, from shopping to entertainment to their cloud/storage offerings, quality is one area they are definitely not lacking in. For the most part, when Amazon does something, they do it right.
I've definitely had my favorites over the years as far as consoles go, but that is more so based on the titles it had rather than the specific hardware, the console doing something cool was just an added bonus. At the end of the day, they're only a means to an end: I go where the games are.
I've had pretty much every major gaming console from the NES to the PS4, including gaming on the PC. One more won't hurt, especially if it has some quality titles. And as long as I've been using Amazon and their services, from shopping to entertainment to their cloud/storage offerings, quality is one area they are definitely not lacking in. For the most part, when Amazon does something, they do it right.
I've definitely had my favorites over the years as far as consoles go, but that is more so based on the titles it had rather than the specific hardware, the console doing something cool was just an added bonus. At the end of the day, they're only a means to an end: I go where the games are.
Dr. Benton Quest
Banned
The way I see it, Amazon pitches this as a "Media Device". A box that you can watch your Amazon Prime through that will also play Candy Crush and Angry Birds. They could push this hard through their website and I have no doubt it would sell just fine. They have a ton of reach.
The interesting thing will be what they do after that. Obviously they are snapping up high level talent for core game development. After the install base grows, we could actually see some pretty diverse games with great production value that appeals to the more "traditional" gamer.
My main point is that this is Amazon. They can pretty much do whatever they put their minds to.
The interesting thing will be what they do after that. Obviously they are snapping up high level talent for core game development. After the install base grows, we could actually see some pretty diverse games with great production value that appeals to the more "traditional" gamer.
My main point is that this is Amazon. They can pretty much do whatever they put their minds to.
How so? Dedicated servers available for everyone on X1 already seems like pretty much the best bonus you can give to software, on top of the X1's superior tracking of achievements and stuff.
Because those are the only reasons to use Android!
The main feature that Android brings to the party is it's pseudo java virtual machine and APIs (and thus compatibility with most Android programs written for phones)!
If you are not going to be using that, it is just going to cost you performance!
Latvian Hitman
Member
Dedicated servers are "available" on every console.
I was talking about a hypothetical situation in which the Amazon device matched the other consoles in terms of 3rd party support but at a $300 price point and I'm saying that they are the bigger threat to Microsoft's market share. Amazon would be in a better situation than Nintendo, but to me it seems like it would be harder/take a longer time for them to leave than it would for Microsoft who could just focus on other product or do something completely different in the case that the Xbox doesn't end up like they want it to.
What I hope happens is that if/when Amazon and Apple and whoever else start making these media boxes with full-blown app stores, mobile developers will start evolving the kinds of games they make for a living room setting. Hopefully longer, or at least more family-oriented games, will get popular and somehow raise the bar for mobile game development. Really, I'm just hoping mobile game design matures just as traditional game design did. I mean, look at console games in the 80's and console games today.
infiniteheteroskdasticity
Member
While I like Amazon and consider prime to be free money (I buy a lot on Amazon and some of my shows are on Instant Video), I'm struggling to come up with a scenario where a full on attempt at building their own dedicated console to go directly against the PS4/X1 makes sense from any perspective (finanical/reputational). I don't see any mobile APU based hardware being able to compete in terms of performance and I don't expect third parties to fall over themselves to support a console that's likely comparable in performance to the Xbox 360 or the PS3 on a completely different architecture than the current gen. The most I can see Amazon doing is putting out a set top box/Apple TV/Roku competitor that just happens to be a little better at playing games than a tablet/mobile phone. A true Xbox/PS4 rival. Not a chance.
Killroyskbg
Member
My thoughts exactly.
KojiKnight
Member
The cost of developing an OS from scratch and the associated APIs/libraries would be very expensive. That said, there is no reason why a system couldn't be android compatible while still having stronger harder and a lower abstraction layer. Nothing from one precludes the other.
At anywhere near $300, it isn't. It has to be about $100 or it's of course completely DOA.
No one said that they would have to make an OS from scratch, there is a plenty of other options.
polyh3dron
Banned
I just wish these companies would stop using Android for their gaming consoles.. The GUI portion of Android is fucking horrible, and makes GUIs have bad input lag, choppy scrolling and just bad frame rate in general.. Compare it to the silky smooth iOS and you can see.
Why don't they use like Linux or something.
Why don't they use like Linux or something.
CNCOMICS
Member
Honestly, this is the only Android-based console I believe will be successful; and that's all because of Amazon's ecosystem.
When you're securing timed exclusives before the Google Play Store, you're doing something right
When you're securing timed exclusives before the Google Play Store, you're doing something right
or you just got more money to spend than your competition.
Schnozberry
Member
Hasn't been a problem since Jelly Bean released, even on mid range hardware.
Just Android consumes 512MB RAM.
https://source.android.com/devices/low-ram.html
They need kernel with zswap etc. Any time there is extra memory, kernel and other modules will suck them up. It is lot easier to develop games when resources are fixed.
Karsticles
Member
Honestly, I just don't want to have to think about buying another goddamn game system to play games. I only needed one DVD player to watch every show back in the day, I only need one computer to play every PC game, and I wish I had one console for all of the world's games. I hope Amazon is never able to tempt me to get yet another system.
arhra
Member
Yeah, if they're hoping to sell it as a media-streaming STB leveraging Amazon Prime, it's DOA here in the UK, since we don't get Instant Video (they bought out a UK netflix competitor, LoveFilm, a few years ago, but it still requires a separate subscription).
NotMyRealName
Banned
Why is noone trying for a moderately priced Android handheld? A touchscreenless version of Android on a flipscreen device with buttons. Tell me why a console would be more appealing.
Man this post is an eye roller.
This is Fire OS not Android. Amazon gutted parts of Android, the APKs are mostly compatible but the UI is pretty ground up and has extra optimization.
Android is Linux based. Linux isn't a GUI.
You're also about a year and a half out of date on performance.
Schnozberry
Member
I don't know what Amazon has in mind. I don't think they would launch a console without getting past those types of development concerns. Amazon doesn't seem like they would shut out input from partners on design decisions, especially in a field they are just breaking into. All of this assumes of course that this isn't vaporware or some kind of media first device that also plays smartphone games.
soxinthebox
Member
I'm cautiously optimistic and am confused why so many people are so outright against it. There was a time where Sony was the new kid on the block and same with Microsoft - it's not as if it's unprecedented for a new company to step up and deliver.
strikeselect
You like me, you really really like me!
Love to see more competition in the industry. I hope Amazon has compelling offerings for hardcore gamers.
meanspartan
Member
Well best of luck, and Amazon is probably much smarter collectively than I am given how successful that company is.
But I just fail to see how an Android-Console can work. Casual gamers have their phones to play their crap mobile games.
More involved gamers have their consoles and PCs.
Really not sure who this is for. Maybe hardcore gamers who want an emulator box?
But I just fail to see how an Android-Console can work. Casual gamers have their phones to play their crap mobile games.
More involved gamers have their consoles and PCs.
Really not sure who this is for. Maybe hardcore gamers who want an emulator box?
As much as I want to see more competition in this industry, I think entering a saturated mature market segment, meaning its an established sector, doesn't work wonders anymore. MS bled alot of money for a toehold in this industry and has yet to turn an overall profit. I don't see how Amazon console won't be considered another Ouya. I think the Big N is realizinf way ahead of MS and Sony that this industry is getting smaller returns every year and now its better to expand in other market segments that don't have to do with gaming in general
I'd be much more receptive if this wasn't actually a console priced a $300 playing mobile games as the rumours seem to imply.
Even if Amazon has been building a studio, I don't see how one studio can sustain a quick enough output to justify an entire console. No single studio can do that.
metalslimer
Member
There are a lot of assumptions here.
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