Amazon has defied gravity so many times I would never discount anything they get into (except maybe delivery drones).
Kindle has not only been a great learning experience for them but also a tremendous success, so a game console from them is entirely plausible.
What if it's just an Amazon Box?
Wont it just be one of their tablets with some buttons on the side? Nintendo have showed tablet makers how to put controls on it, just make the sticks flat sliders.
I think they'd be more interested in setting something up like Steam or Origin through their well-known Amazon interface. They're a service company, not a hardware company. In the case of the Kindle they released it to be able to sell content. With games, there are enough platforms as is.
gamingeek said:Wont it just be one of their tablets with some buttons on the side? Nintendo have showed tablet makers how to put controls on it, just make the sticks flat sliders.
No one really knows what it will be yet, but that is the popular theory. It's being pretty heavily promoted as an Android console so that would mean, lots of phone and tablet games. I can't see anyone playing those without a touchscreen. But then again, who knows? The Wii U didn't exactly set the world on fire, and has gotten so much negative press I know I wouldn't want to make a product that looked like a clone of it you know?
SupremeAC said:I think they'd be more interested in setting something up like Steam or Origin through their well-known Amazon interface. They're a service company, not a hardware company. In the case of the Kindle they released it to be able to sell content. With games, there are enough platforms as is.
I agree we don't really need a forth console. History has shown us that the market won't support 4. But I think Amazon is trying to take the Microsoft approach and own your home's entertainment gateway, and I don't think they could achieve that with a service like Steam. And MS wasn't a hardware company once upon a time either. Right now I'd say it's a gamble they're in a good position to take.
Is this anything else then speculation, or am I missing something?
Anyhow, I don't use Amazon, so I don't know how diverse their offering is, but what's wrong with a service like Steam? If they're after the living room, it's either something like that, licensed to hardware manufacturors, or something that is indeed just a multimedia hub, but also happens to play games.
People won't pay money for something that plays games and then some unless it's a full on home console, and that is not a path I see Amazon taking. Which leaves phones, shoddy gaming tablets, and something that isn't a primary gaming platform at all. I'd bet my chips on the latter. If you want market penetration, a gaming device won't cut it, unless it's up there with Nintendo, Sony and MS.
1. Amazon is designing a home console that runs Android and will plug into a TV.
2. It will have first/second party exclusive games.
3. It has been shown off to gaming publishers.
Everything else is speculation, but the rumors from "reliable sources" also point to:
1. Console will be under $300.
2. It will be shown and probably released in 2014.
Thanks for filling in the great blank unknown for me.
Personally, I don't see why corporations think an android console is a good idea. Android games are crap, or at least most are. The notion of exclusives on an Android based platform, too, is crap. Why anyone would pay good money for a seperate device that plays android games is beyond me. Of course, that is, unless it's not primarily a games console, but it just happens to play them as an added boon.
And I do agree I don't really see the benefit of having a dedicated Android console. Ouya already soured those waters. And Wii U showed there's not tons of interest in a tablet controller. Still I have to believe Amazon has something up their sleeve for a unique selling point.
Then again every big company also is entitled to a grand misfire. Zune anyone?
robio said:Oh and one last fact. It won't be able to run the Witcher 3.
Don't misjudge the power of the cloud 
Foolz said:What if it's just an Amazon Box?
With a cell phone inside.
SupremeAC said:Thanks for filling in the great blank unknown for me.
Personally, I don't see why corporations think an android console is a good idea. ...
It may not be a recognizable form of Android. Their Kindles aren't -- they use it as a base.
I am doubtful on a proper console-space competitor, because there has only been one serious attempt at that since 3DO (a massive failure) and the company that did, Microsoft, lost $7 billion doing it. Trying to break into the big 3 gaming console business is a terrible idea for just about anyone and I don't think Amazon is that stupid.
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Tell me to get back to rewriting this site so it's not horrible on mobileYodariquo said:
I am doubtful on a proper console-space competitor, because there has only been one serious attempt at that since 3DO (a massive failure) and the company that did, Microsoft, lost $7 billion doing it. Trying to break into the big 3 gaming console business is a terrible idea for just about anyone and I don't think Amazon is that stupid.
I saw someone mention a rumour or speculate or both about Amazon purchasing the Xbox brand. I'm scared. 
Archangel3371 said:I saw someone mention a rumour or speculate or both about Amazon purchasing the Xbox brand. I'm scared.
Right now that is fantasy but if the new MS CEO wants to get rid of Xbox I could see Amazon pick it right up. I would think they maybe handle it better than MS did.
Dvader said:Right now that is fantasy but if the new MS CEO wants to get rid of Xbox I could see Amazon pick it right up. I would think they maybe handle it better than MS did.
Yeah that's pretty much what others were saying about it. I'm still scared though.
Has anyone else been following this at all? I think everyone had pretty much dismissed it as just another Ouya or dongle device at first, but now that they've bought Double Helix, Amazon is starting to show their hand. Granted Double Helix is at best an average developer in terms of quality, but it still shows that they're really going to try to make a new gaming platform. Obviously it won't be gaming exclusive by any means, but it's also not an after thought either. There's still tons of questions about it, but I think it's got a real shot.
Amazon has an edge that no other manufacturer has. Free advertising all day long. All they have to do is put a picture of their new console on the front page of Amazon.com and it'll get seen by millions of people a day. Pricepoint and support are going to play pretty big rolls here. If this is just another Android console that's going for $200 to $300 it's doomed, but if they can provide some compelling exclusives, I think this thing has a serious chance to carve out its own niche.
At any rate I'm going to try to keep whatever information they release about the console here, minus the rumors. And so far that's pretty much all we have.