[04.04.14] Amazon enters streaming race with ‘Fire TV’

Amazon

Yesterday, Amazon announced the upcoming release of their own game console, sort of. The Amazon “Fire TV” is really more of a set-top streaming box with gaming capabilities that competes with the likes of Apple TV or the Roku. However, this new device packs quite the punch behind it, giving it the possibility to match up against the gaming capabilities of the Roku 3 or, maybe, even the Ouya. According to Amazon’s press release, the Fire TV has “over 3x the processing power and 4x the memory of Apple TV, Chromecast, or Roku 3 for exceptional speed and fluidity”. It will utilize Amazon’s full catalog of videos, apps, and games, including a multitude of popular titles such as “Minecraft” or “NBA 2K14”. Currently, there are over 100 games available; some free and some paid.

ASAP

Everything about the Fire TV is intended to give you the fastest, most enjoyable experience of any set-top box. It comes pre-registered, meaning as soon as you plug it into your TV and connected to your wifi, you’re instantly ready to browse the entire catalog that Amazon has to offer. It will utilize Advance Streaming and Prediction, or ASAP, to help get you to what you want to watch, perhaps before you even realize you want to watch it. When you have something specific in mind, you won't have to scroll through a clunky menu using an awkward keyboard to find it, all you'll need to do is hold the Fire TV remote control up to your mouth and tell it what you want to watch.

Fire TV Services

Amazon doesn’t tote Fire TV as a gadget, but rather a “seamlessly integrated service”. It will take advantage of “Whisper Sync” so you can start watching a movie on your Kindle Fire on the way to office, continue the experience at your desk, and then pick of where you left off on your Fire TV at home in bed. The Fire TV will make it easy for you to stream from any of your favorite service, including Hulu, Netflix, Pandora, or iHeartRadio. If you prefer, you can also stream from your personal collection on your TV and even display slideshows on the TV.

Amazon

Obviously you’ll also have access to the full library of Prime videos and shows with your Amazon Prime subscription; however, Amazon is offering a new kids-only service with limitless access to thousands of movies and TV shows targeted specifically at those aged 3 to 8. There are also integrated parental controls which include time limits that can be tweaked to the time of day and even types of content. “FreeTime Unlimited” releases starting next month for a monthly fee of $2.99 per kid or $6.99 for unlimited family use.

Fire TV Controller

Amazon

If you really want to up your gaming capability with the Fire TV, Amazon actually designed a traditional gaming controller which somewhat resembles a hybrid of the Xbox One and Wii U Pro Controller and doubles the number of games you can play on your Fire TV. It’s completely wireless, runs off of 2 AA batteries, and claims to have a 55-hour battery life thanks to auto-sleep and instant-wake features built into the controller. In addition to the now-standard dual joystick layout, the controller features integrated and dedicated media buttons. Amazon has also developed its own universal game service called “GameCircle” which lets you track your progress and achievements across games and compare your scores with your friends or globally on leaderboards. The controller costs $39.99, however due to unexpected demand, it’s currently on back-order.

The Amazon Fire TV is currently available for $99.00 exclusively on Amazon.com.

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com and as one half of Grinning Moth Productions. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you

[03.27.12] MLB.TV makes the jump to Xbox, no signs of ESPN on PlayStation

MLB

MLB.TV has been on PlayStation Network for a couple years now, and today it’s finally made it to Xbox Live. What this means is anyone who has an MLB.TV Premium subscription and an Xbox Live Gold subscription will be able to stream all eligible games in HD straight to their Xbox. As with Netflix, Hulu Plus, or some of the other apps now available; this isn’t really much of an incentive for anyone to go out and buy an Xbox for that purpose. Instead, it only serves as a nice bonus to those who already have both. MLB.TV and the other apps require an Xbox Live Gold Subscription – that’s $59.99 a year – in order to work on the Xbox 360. This is, of course, on top of the subscription you’re already paying for MLB.TV, Last.FM, Verizon FiOS, or whatever it may be that you want to stream. Seeing as MLB.TV is a free service on the PlayStation 3, this looks only to hurt the Xbox 360 when someone is deciding which to buy.

Then again, the Xbox 360 certainly has its advantages when it comes to watching the games. The ESPN app has yet to even make it to the PS3, and MLB.TV will have some exclusive features that PlayStation 3’s version won’t and can’t have. As with the popular ESPN app, the MLB.TV app will feature full Kinect support and the Xbox Exclusive mini guide and split screen viewing, allowing you to watch multiple games at the same time. It’s also likely the alerts will be brought over, allowing you to instantly jump to another game when something exciting is going on. This can even be done with your voice via Kinect! Likewise, you can pause, rewind, and fully navigate the menus without even having to touch a controller.

PlayStation 3 users are upset over the lack of ESPN on PlayStation 3. Many hoped that with the release of MLB.TV on Xbox, there would be a swap and ESPN would finally make an appearance. Apparently, that’s not so, and whether there are any plans right now is not really known. In an email from ESPN Customer Care, a representative stated that:

…We have heard of no updates regarding a WatchESPN application for Playstation 3 systems. I would contact Sony to let them know you would like to see them become compatible with WatchESPN, but again, we haven't heard anything regarding WatchESPN on PS3.

This is a little surprising for some, as many expected the ball to be in ESPN’s court. Instead it seems as if they have little to do with their apps outside of promoting them, and of course providing content for them. With this in mind, contact was also made with Sony in regards to development of an ESPN app. In regular Sony fashion, they shed no light on the situation:

Sony Network Entertaiment International LLC (SNEI) has not released any details concerning the product, project, or development referenced in your email. SNEI and its affiliated companies are regularly engaged in extensive research and development in many areas of the computer entertainment industry. Hence, we cannot comment on future PlayStation® developments, projects, or products.

So maybe it is in development, or maybe they’re still trying to decide if it’s even worth their time. One thing that you can be sure of is you need to make your voice heard. If you really want some ESPN on your PlayStation 3, head over to the PlayStation Blog where you can voice your opinion and let them know. There, users can suggest ideas to improve the PlayStation 3 and then vote on the level of importance each of the potential upgrades are to them. So far, 90 ideas from the site have been implemented on the PlayStation 3, and there are over 5,600 more ideas to vote upon. Right now, the vote on WatchESPN doesn’t have very much weight behind it, so rally your friends and add some votes. Then, maybe someday soon, it will become the 91st ‘idea in action’.

Original Post – Comcast XFINITY TV, HBO GO and MLB.TV now available on Xbox LIVE

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he would love to hear from you