Amazon to Launch Streaming Video Device on April 2nd

Amazon’s long-delayed streaming video device will finally see the light of day, as the company is planning on unveiling it at a press event in New York City on April 2nd. Members of the press ha...
Amazon to Launch Streaming Video Device on April 2nd
Written by Josh Wolford
  • Amazon’s long-delayed streaming video device will finally see the light of day, as the company is planning on unveiling it at a press event in New York City on April 2nd.

    Members of the press have received an invite to the event, which features a few pieces of popcorn atop an orange couch with the text “Please join us for an update on our video business.”

    Last week, reports indicated that Amazon would unveil their streaming device in April, and Re/Code’s Peter Kafka confirms that people familiar with the plans say that’s what the big event is all about. For a while, we thought we would be getting a set-top box reminiscent of Apple TV or the traditional Roku, but recent reports quote sources that say we’ll actually be getting a dongle, which will put the new device in direct competition with Google’s popular Chromecast.

    Amazon’s streaming device has been in the works for years, and was at one point scheduled to be released before the holidays last year. Alas, Amazon was forced to delay the big reveal for unknown reasons.

    We do know that when it launches, it’ll sport a variety of third-party apps like Netflix and Hulu-not just Amazon Prime Instant Video and such.

    Earlier this month, the Brazilian equivalent of the FCC posted photos of what is supposedly the game controller for the new Amazon streaming device. It looks like an Xbox 360 controller, and it would most surely be an add-on as a more traditional remote would probably ship alongside the dongle. The streaming device will have a gaming component, but the details on that are not so clear. TechCrunch recently suggested that it’ll “have support for streaming full PC game titles.”

    I guess we’ll find out next week. In order to be competitive, Amazon will need to price the device somewhere in the ballpark of competing devices, for instance the $35 Chromecast or the $50 Roku Stick.

    Image via Thinkstock

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