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The keynote speech may have finished at Google I/O, but that doesn’t mean that the flow of news has slowed one bit. Many of us are excited with the announcement of Google’s Android TV initiative, and even more so with the news that Razer are planning to bring an Android TV powered micro-console to market.
Details are scarce, with Razer merely stating that the micro-console will be able to “stream movies, music and other apps for large-screen entertainment with an emphasis on gaming”. It pretty much sounds like every other console out there, being a jack-of-all-trades device although Razer are promising that gamers will experience “hard-core gaming” on the console. As for details regarding price, hardware specifications or even how much internal storage will be included, Razer would only say that ” in keeping with the spirit of Google I/O, we will not be discussing specific product details at this time”.
Basically, what we can glean from the meagre amount of details offered is that Razer are going to develop an Android TV powered micro-console, and it will be able to run games as well as stream media, and presumably it will be navigated via voice and a controller of some sort. I say voice because of its integration with Android L and Android Auto, it just makes sense, and there will probably be a microphone either in the console itself or in the actual controller.
Now you would be correct in saying that there have been other Android powered gaming consoles that haven’t truly taken off in the way that their makers had hoped. Ouya might have had a record breaking KickStarter campaign last year, but the reviews have been unkind and there’s no news of a real successor as yet. MadCatz produced the higher powered M.O.J.O. console, but while it received decent reviews, it was way overpriced for its target audience. And the less said about Bluestacks GamePop device the better, it has been in pre-order status for almost a year. Amazon’s Fire TV is much better, with the only real downside being locked into Amazon’s ecosystem and being at their mercy.
But Android TV? Call it a hunch, but I have a good feeling about it, and I’m expecting big things from it. If Razer can get the price point right, they could well be onto a winner. Naturally there is no time frame for when Razers Android TV powered console will be launched, so its a case of wait and see. Are you excited about the news? Let us know in the comment below or at our Google Plus page.
