6th April 2014, 12:54 AM
So, this is Amazon's new streaming box / low-end console, much like the Ouya but from a much bigger company, and more powerful. I doubt that I'm interested, but Amazon has done something different from the rest of the things in this category, like the Apple TV or Roku (two devices I know little about): they're putting focus into games. Amazon has actually bought up some developers, including the studio that made Killer Instinct (2013) and Strider (2014) and some other potentially good people, and will have first-party titles on the system, so this is a bit more serious effort than the other streaming boxes. It isn't a full current-gen console, but it's not just a streaming box either. Interesting; we'll see if it takes off. Amazon's size and marketing power should get this thing a lot more sales than the Ouya's getting, at least, for sure!
As for the controller, it's sold separately, which is kind of annoying for buyers -- the box is only $100, but then add $40 for each controller and $100/year for Amazon Prime, which they'll certainly try to push on you if you have one of these, and it gets pricier. The remote that comes with the box has a microphone built in, for instance, but not all third-party apps support voice search... if any do. Still though, voice search definitely could be handy, for a system without a keyboard, so that is a nice feature to have. As for the controller, it's basically another X306 knockoff design.
First-party game "sizzle reel" trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU_s3MI4onM The graphics aren't nearly as good as full consoles, but it does look better than Ouya graphics.
On the note of the Ouya, Game Informer's April issue's April Fools section had some funny stuff in it... including one kind of cruel article "by Ouya's CEO" trying to convince people to buy Ouyas, because no one wants one. Ouch... but kind of true, I think. But this should do better. How much better? We'll see. But it's Amazon, so it could do alright.
The big downside, of course, is that these streaming boxes are entirely designed for the Internet-based, "you don't really own anything anymore" future. That future may be coming, but it has so many huge downsides that there are at more bad things about that than good, I think!
As for the controller, it's sold separately, which is kind of annoying for buyers -- the box is only $100, but then add $40 for each controller and $100/year for Amazon Prime, which they'll certainly try to push on you if you have one of these, and it gets pricier. The remote that comes with the box has a microphone built in, for instance, but not all third-party apps support voice search... if any do. Still though, voice search definitely could be handy, for a system without a keyboard, so that is a nice feature to have. As for the controller, it's basically another X306 knockoff design.
First-party game "sizzle reel" trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU_s3MI4onM The graphics aren't nearly as good as full consoles, but it does look better than Ouya graphics.
On the note of the Ouya, Game Informer's April issue's April Fools section had some funny stuff in it... including one kind of cruel article "by Ouya's CEO" trying to convince people to buy Ouyas, because no one wants one. Ouch... but kind of true, I think. But this should do better. How much better? We'll see. But it's Amazon, so it could do alright.
The big downside, of course, is that these streaming boxes are entirely designed for the Internet-based, "you don't really own anything anymore" future. That future may be coming, but it has so many huge downsides that there are at more bad things about that than good, I think!