April Fool’s Day was a hot bed of false tech rumors and games announcements so it’s only fitting that Amazon waited until the day after to announce their own semi-nutty gadget. They’ve just unveiled the Fire TV, their answer to both Apple TV and the Ouya.
This digital media player does everything you expect out of something of its ilk. It streams Netflix, plays movie files and syncs with photos and music. The Fire TV is also a fairly capable games console, running on a modified Android platform. The specs aren’t gonna light the world on fire, but it’ll let you play any of your favorite phone games on the big screen, and the company seems to be throwing their considerable weight into creating some exclusive titles. It launched with an original title called “Sev Zero,” which looks to be some kind of third person shooter/tower defense hybrid.
Taking a cue from Apple, the Fire TV can be purchased right now and only costs $100, which seems pretty reasonable for all that you get. We’ll post a review and some impressions as soon as we get our hands on one.
Follow Lawrence Bonk on Twitter @sidescrollers
