a.k.a. The Amazonstation One (TAO)

http://www.geek.com/android/amazon-e...riday-1564940/

http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/09/ama...y-end-of-year/

They have hired great people, from Valve, Microsoft, etc.

And of course besides playing android games (?), will include Amazon Prime Instant Video, Music, etc.

My opinion: This needs to be a $49 console if they want to have any success this holiday season.

So is Android really an amazing game platform that everyone needs to release a box for it? Or is it just easy?

It's open source, so anybody can put out an Android console. You could build one yourself with a Raspberry Pi if you're so inclined.

Seems like a waste to me, but I didn't think much of the Ouya either and Android consoles. Even with Amazon backing I don't really see the demand for this.

You're saying that this would play Amazon Prime music/video, not that buying the console would entitle you to a lifetime sub, right? Of course that makes sense for them, but that means they would severely tie down the system (or at least try to) so that everything is done through their android store, and you wouldn't be able to easily setup competing services like Netflix, or even XBMC. Given the seeming lack of success for the Ouya so far (at least in my eyes... my console is still in the box, and won't come out until XBMC is easily compatible), and the next gen systems coming out in that timeframe, I'm not sure why Amazon would be in a rush to get this out.

Now if this came free with Prime sub, as one of the articles speculates, that's something else entirely.

Sounds like something they should give away to each new amazon prime subscriber.

The biggest problem I have with these consoles is that I don't want to occupy my tv set playing android games. I have never heard any of my gaming friends clamor for one of these and now it seems like there are several companies trying to put one out there.

But I have a 360 (with the Amazon video app) and a Kindle HD Fire. Yeah, I have no need for this thing, at all.

if they can figure a way to incorporate their services into the box (video/music), i can see people picking this up for cheap.

If it can play some of the stellar SNES emulators available on my Galaxy, I'm in.

Something tells me it won't be that different from essentially just being the Kindle Fire in a box for your TV.

Awesome, I'm off to the bakery!

I don't think I'd be remotely interested in this, but it could spell certain death for the OUYA.

I see this being just as successful as the Ouya (which is not very). Granted, the Kickstarter for the Ouya was great, but the actual product and all of the reviews have sucked, so it's bound to be dead 6 months from now.

I thought the Kindle Fire would bomb (especially after seeing the heavy, ugly, proprietary thing in person) and I was wrong about that. I've learned not to underestimate Amazon's ability to successfully market their own crap.

Right, before the Kindle Fire came out, there was doubt that Android Tablets could catch on. Now, there's doubt that an Android console could catch on. Amazon could prove everyone wrong yet again.

Amazon could easily market this as their answer to the AppleTV, i.e. as primarily a media consumption device, priced under $100. The difference being that it's also capable of playing Android Games.

The problem with the Ouya is the hardware sucks in order to make a profit off the hardware.

The advantage Amazon has, as seen with the Kindle line devices, they can take a hit on the hardware as they're the ones providing the services the end user will utilize. Amazon can use the same hardware that they use in the next-generation Kindle Fire devices (that we should see next month) and keep the unit under the $99 price point.

Just like Apple, Microsoft, and Sony; Amazon wants to dominate the living room.

They've been working on a KindleTV streaming box for a while. I wonder if this is a completely separate device or just an evolution of the original plans. Maybe they'll have different models like they do with the Kindle readers. A cheap basic version for streaming media and a higher priced console for gaming.

Hopefully they can get it to interact with the Kindle Fire. It would be cool to have Airplay-like features.

Are there really people that buy digital content on Amazon, though? Even the Prime streaming is more of an add-in to Prime for me, not something I'd pay for separately.

I've bought some at Amazon. But these days I mostly buy at Vudu.

I don't use it for major releases. But I'll buy an HD streaming version over a DVD-only release. And you can sometimes get TV shows cheaper on streaming. Right now I'm looking a getting Inspector Lewis and Endeavour. The disc releases are around $20-$35. The streaming versions are only $8-$11. Also, there are times when I just want a single episode from a TV Show, so I'll buy that instead of the entire season on disc.

It's really easy to compare prices. So if Amazon is the cheapest, I buy/rent the music/movie from them.

I think the Kindle Fire has caused a lot of people to focus on the Amazon digtal content, just like the Kindle original helped Amazon's eBooks take off.