As expected, Amazon has launched its set-top box, dubbed the Amazon Fire TV. It sells for $100 and is available now.
What does it do? It streams video and yup, plays games. I went on record as doubting Amazon would push games in a big way but I was wrong. They're selling a $40 game controller (which comes with $10 worth of Amazon Coins to let you buy games, plus a free copy of the $7 Sev Zero title) to help you get the most out of your games.
So what makes the Fire TV stand out from the Apple TV or Roku? Not a lot, honestly. The Fire is more powerful, with a quad-core Snapdragon processor and 2 GB of memory. This is important for gaming but only 'nice to have' for streaming. I can't say I've ever thought "this needs more power!" when using an Apple TV or Roku.
Beyond that, it's another streamer. You can of course watch Amazon content on it, as well as Netflix, Hulu and the rest of the usual suspects. HBO Go is coming but not available yet. With the debut of this season of Game of Thrones this Sunday, it's unfortunate that HBO Go isn't ready yet.
If you already own a streamer like the Roku or the Apple TV, I see no reason to switch to Fire TV unless for some reason you want to play Android games on your TV. If you've yet to purchase a streaming solution though, the Fire TV might be a good choice. Of course you can't access iTunes content on it; if you already have a collection of iTunes music and video you might want to stick to Apple TV. And though Fire TV has a microphone in the remote, Roku has a headphone jack in its remote, which is great for late-night movie watching when you don't want to disturb the family or neighbors.
courtesy: itworld
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