Back when I was predicting the OUYA’s failure, this was one of the things I predicted would hasten its demise. I didn’t know if Amazon would go with a set top box at the time but you could already buy cables to plug a Fire HD into the TV… so it was really only a matter of time.
I may get one. If I do then I’ll see if JME runs on it. I suspect for $100 that the specs aren’t great… but I also haven’t looked.
Apparently “only available in the US for the foreseeable future”. 
imo anything outside of a real game console is never going to get any real traction in the living room. The cost of this item isnt just the 100 dollars, theres also the overhead of plugging it in dealing with the remote (and/or trying to integrate the remote into your universal), just generally having something else plugged in to your living room, any sign in information to the device etc etc.
really only technically engaged people would really even be in the true market for such a device. and these technically engaged people mostly already own a playstation or a xbox.
im not a market expert, but thats just how i see things
@icamefromspace said: imo anything outside of a real game console is never going to get any real traction in the living room. The cost of this item isnt just the 100 dollars, theres also the overhead of plugging it in dealing with the remote (and/or trying to integrate the remote into your universal), just generally having something else plugged in to your living room, any sign in information to the device etc etc.really only technically engaged people would really even be in the true market for such a device. and these technically engaged people mostly already own a playstation or a xbox.
im not a market expert, but thats just how i see things
Given that, it’s hard to explain the success of things like the Roku or even Tivo.
I bought one. I only have one TV that doesn’t already have something like a Roku on it. This makes sense for anyone who is an Amazon Prime customer and doesn’t already have (or have a decent) streaming service on their TV. I spent $60 on my Roku box and would have gladly payed more for a more powerful device like this. I may even replace my Roku if I end up liking this… the form factor is 1000x better for my situation.
This device is not for gamers… it’s for streaming. It’s not a console replacement at all. The fact that it will end up in a bunch of peoples’ houses and also plays games is just a bonus for us. The hardware also looks decent enough.
Your arguments are great for why the OUYA was doomed but it doesn’t hold up as well when we are talking about an interface to a major content provider like Amazon. This is why Amazon can move 45 million units or so and OUYA only sells (essentially) to indie developers.
When mine comes on Friday and if I get a chance to play with it, I’ll try to post back with some impressions.
I have 6 Kindle Fires (of various pedigree) already so I may not be the most unbiased reviewer. 
I drank the Amazon Prime kool-aid years ago.
Bolstering their own studio even…
This could be interesting.
interested to see what kind of games they are going to produce,
@netsky08 said: interested to see what kind of games they are going to produce,
Me too. I guess many of the Android games that were already on the Kindle Fire are already available for Fire TV:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_n_2?rh=n%3A2350149011%2Cn%3A!2445993011%2Cn%3A7031433011%2Cp_n_feature_six_browse-bin%3A8947258011%2Cn%3A2478844011&bbn=7031433011&ie=UTF8&qid=1396471626&rnid=2350150011
The game that comes free with the controller is called Sev Zero. Looks like pretty standard shooter:
http://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Game-Studios-Sev-Zero/dp/B00E0SZZIA/ref=sr_1_1?s=mobile-apps&ie=UTF8&qid=1396471778&sr=1-1&keywords=sev+zero
Some feedback from developers:
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/214583/Developers_react_Amazon_launches_Fire_TV_Android_microconsole.php?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GamasutraNews+(Gamasutra+News)
One part I found interesting:
"You don't need to buy 8 Fire TV controllers to play [our] big multiplayer game," Heinrich told Gamasutra. "The unique challenge for us is the dividing line between what is controllable by the Fire TV remote or controller - such as menus, pausing, etc. - and what is controlled by the phones/tablets that people are playing with."
Apparently mobile devices can be used as input to the games. That could be interesting for many types of games.
I had a package on my door step at lunch time.
Thought it would be funny to do an “unboxing”… for those who like that sort of thing. 
Here is the game controller:
It is considerably more “solid” than it looked from the pictures and has a nice weight to it. I’m already looking at it distrustfully though because I can’t stand the offset analog sticks like on an xbox controller. I can feel my thumb cramping up already. Otherwise, an adequate feel without having actually played anything. I’m so spoiled by the truly awesome PS4 controllers that everything else feels like an elementary school mother’s day clay pot project. Weird lumps here, odd bumps there.
As an aside, Amazon packaging is always kind of fun to open. I always imagine Apple products must be similar. Designers clearly had their say here. It’s hard to see but there is a tab in front of the batteries. When pulled it reveals a flip-fold card stack with the controller instructions. You’ll see them unfolded behind the controller in the next pics.
The game controller is actually bigger than the Fire TV.
Cute little box though:
That entire shiny edge is covered with a single long piece of protective film. For those who like peeling that stuff… sooo good.
And finally the remote:
More solid than my Roku remote but that’s not saying much. The Roku remotes feel like something that comes out of a bubblegum machine. This Fire TV remote is nothing like the heft of a Tivo remote but it’s also a more basic device.
On imgur galleries they have what they call an “imgur tax” where people post a last pic of a cat. In that spirit, here is my tax… a pic of a Chihuahua my daughter drew on her Kindle Fire HDX:
I’ll post some impressions when I actually plug the thing in. One small (expected) disappointment: no hdmi cable included. More disappointed that Amazon didn’t try to upsell me one at checkout… but I have plenty of them around anyway.
Haha, it’s like watching a child on x-mas 
@Empire Phoenix said: Haha, it's like watching a child on x-mas :P
Heheh… yeah. I usually find the unboxing thing silly when I see it… but it was kind of fun to do. Just another way of killing time over lunch. 
First impressions are good. Amazon is really good at this sort of thing. It was already setup with my account information when I took it out of the box… they’d even already paired the game controller with it.
The game that came with the controller “Sev Zero” looks interesting but didn’t suck me in. It does allow a form of multiplayer if people on tablets have the “air support” client installed. We didn’t try that yet but it is interesting how many games will allow input from other devices.
I did grab Terraria and lost a couple hours of my life before handing it over to my son. The controller doesn’t seem to bother me much and I stopped thinking about it after a while. It seems like a pretty standard blue tooth controller. I may see if my PS4 controller will work with it at some point.
The actual remote for the Fire TV has a little microphone in it where you can use voice search. I haven’t tried it yet.
…as it stands, if I want to try JME on this then I may have to buy a second one. I don’t think I’m going to be able to get back on it until the kids go to bed. The hardware seems pretty decent so far, though.
Oh, point of interest… the game controller also works with the Kindle Fire HDX Tablets.
So, does java / jme work on it out of the box?
@Empire Phoenix said: So, does java / jme work on it out of the box?
I haven’t tried it yet… but it’s just an Android device so one would hope there is some path to getting it to work.
Spent 7 hours or so playing Terraria with the kids. Them on their tablets, me on the Fire TV, playing the same world. Good family fun… but not much else happened.