Amazon joins the console Wars [$99 box, $40 controller]

[Eric]

FireTV: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CX5P8FC/ref ... d_i=507846
FireTV Controller: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DU0ZI8Q

Info:
-$99 system
-$40 controller (comes with $10 in Amazon credit to spend on games and a free copy of Sev Zero)
-Runs Amazon's version of Android
-It's like a Roku or Apple TV but it also plays games, so think the Ouya as a basic concept here
-Publishers like EA, 2K, Ubisoft, Gameloft, Disney, Double Fine, and Telltale are on board (with their mobile games presumably)
-Minecraft and Asphalt were demoed
-Thousands of apps/games available soon
-If you've ever said "this mobile/tablet game would be great, but I want physical controls and tv output" then this device is for you
-If you were hoping for a PS4 competitor, this device isn't for you

Hardware:
-SOC Platform: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8064
-Processor: Qualcomm Krait 300, quad-core to 1.7 Ghz
-GPU: Qualcomm Adreno 320
-Storage: 8 GB internal
-RAM: 2 GB LPDDR2 @ 533 MHZ

First Party Game Trailers:
Montage (6+ Games): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlVLhqj1weY
Sev Zero (Launch Title): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXI898kyBgM
There's a separate thread here for the games if you prefer: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=795140

Pictures:

[kali o.]

I'm not particularly interested in the product itself, but I do find the additional player in the console space...interesting.

Last gen for traditional consoles?

[Eric]

I don't think handhelds are going to survive another cycle.

As for traditional consoles, I'm not sure, it really depends on if AAA development, that's the thing that requires new boxes to put a fuckton of tech into them for more and more realistic and amazing graphics. If AAA development stays a strong compelling point that people want to spend $$$ on, I could see another cycle. The XboxOne & PS4 have a ton of side-tech inside of them to begin with, but the price points are still pretty damn high. Amazon decided to go with a box that's significantly weaker then the current consoles, and even significantly weaker then last gen consoles, but is a top tier media center, it might be weaker then the Wii, but it does HD gaming/streaming!

That said I might have jumped the gun about them "entering the war", they're not marketing it as a console at all, despite having 3rd party games support, it's just a media center to them and not meant to compete with the PS4/X-One

[Zeus]

I don't think handhelds are going to survive another cycle.

Yes, because handhelds are doing so poorly right now...

http://www.gengame.net/2013/01/iwata-3d ... stem-ever/

[Shrinweck]

Yeah I think they're fine. People need a device that has handheld video games that's somewhat closed off so you don't have to worry about your 6 year old having a phone and being exposed to traumatic images/whatever. Also has the benefit of not killing the batteries on your phone.

[Eric]

I don't think handhelds are going to survive another cycle.

Yes, because handhelds are doing so poorly right now...

http://www.gengame.net/2013/01/iwata-3d ... stem-ever/

That market has nowhere to go but down, and the title of your article is misleading, it's second fastest selling system ever...in Japan, where consoles are dead.

[Julius Seeker]

I do think handheld gaming platforms are going to evolve in the next generation to become much more casual friendly without sacrificing the interface required for traditional genres. We may even see phone based technology incorporated.

If you look at the technology used in the PS Vita and the Wii U gamepad - in 2-5 years, it is not hard to visualize a much greater relationship between home consoles and handheld consoles.

I think there are some excellent paths that handheld gaming hardware can take.

[Zeus]

I don't think handhelds are going to survive another cycle.

Yes, because handhelds are doing so poorly right now...

http://www.gengame.net/2013/01/iwata-3d ... stem-ever/

That market has nowhere to go but down, and the title of your article is misleading, it's second fastest selling system ever...in Japan, where consoles are dead.

Well, this is the closest thing I can find. And it shows the 3DS is right around track of both the DS and GBA worldwide as of the end of 2012. Market ain't slowin' down, the first two years haven't shown that

[Flip]

I feel like I need to let the dust settle before jumping on board with any particular media center. I like them, its great to have video apps, and TV over Wi-Fi is definitely where we are headed, but there is just too much competition right now and no clear winner yet.

[Eric]

Well, this is the closest thing I can find. And it shows the 3DS is right around track of both the DS and GBA worldwide as of the end of 2012. Market ain't slowin' down, the first two years haven't shown that

Except that the PS Vita, which is the PSP's successor and sold about 76.3 million has only gone on to sell like 4 million? It's part of the handheld market, the market as a whole has shrunk as a result, IE the market has gone down. You don't think it's a bit alarming that the fact that Nintendo has no competition in that sector when it went on to have the best selling handheld or for that matter video game console of all time AGAINST the PSP is struggling to simply meet expectations now?

[Zeus]

Well, this is the closest thing I can find. And it shows the 3DS is right around track of both the DS and GBA worldwide as of the end of 2012. Market ain't slowin' down, the first two years haven't shown that

Except that the PS Vita, which is the PSP's successor and sold about 76.3 million has only gone on to sell like 4 million? It's part of the handheld market, the market as a whole has shrunk as a result, IE the market has gone down. You don't think it's a bit alarming that the fact that Nintendo has no competition in that sector when it went on to have the best selling handheld or for that matter video game console of all time AGAINST the PSP is struggling to simply meet expectations now?

The Vita died because there's nothing for it. It's been out for 2 years with no games to play. No Monster Hunter to boost sales like crazy. Nintendo, on the other hand, is performing just as well. The DS is the best selling system of all time, no one "expects" the 3DS to do the same numbers, that's madness. You hope, but you don't expect. The fact its doing almost as well with all the "competition" in the market (neither the DS or PSP had to really deal with phones) shows that there is a strong demand for the system even in the wake of increased competition and changing consumer needs and desires.

So is the market down? Sure, because Sony's system is dead in the water. But it sure as hell ain't signalling the end of the handheld market. Handhelds simply deliver a different experience than cellphones and there is still a strong market for that as the sales of the 3DS are proving. Did the market reach its peak? Likely. But it is not a dying market by any stretch of the imagination as you were alluding to.