It's good to see that some people actually understand what is going on.
The Verge reported that Google is making its own Android high-end (!) gamin
Agreed; Android's more popular than iOS, even.
I live under a rock but what exactly is Amazon Prime?its gonna come with Amazon Prime for life boom
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.
I live under a rock but what exactly is Amazon Prime?
Thanks.
Who is this for?
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!
In this scenario I actually think MS would be booted first since there would be no reason to buy there platform over the Amazon(which would be $200) one outside of Halo and if they start going on a downward trend and start losing money I could see them getting out or trying to copy the Amazon console. With an Amazon console they would have even less marketshare and have to drop the price to money losing levels. All Nintendo has is gaming and I think it would take a long time for them to go for a 3rd party approach.
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!
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.360 vs. PS3 this was true. X1 vs. PS4 makes your statement false if not totally opposite now.
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.
Amazon should consider a steam machine besides their Android console.. Or a hybrid
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.
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.
Still trying to wrap my head around why anyone would want to sit down in front of their TV and play games that are designed to be played in short bursts.
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.
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!
This is competing against the Apple TV—it's a STB with significant gaming capabilities.
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.
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.
netflix like service, free 2 day shipping, digital library of books to borrow . for $79 a year.
Hasn't been a problem since Jelly Bean released, even on mid range hardware.
In the U.S.
Amazon's offerings maybe and are different elsewhere.
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.
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.
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.
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.