Amazon Fire TV, a microconsole that can stream movies and play certain Android games, will launch in the UK before the end of September.
First introduced in the US in April, the Fire TV features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.7Ghz processor, along with 2GB of memory and 8GB of storage.
The unit costs about $100, with an extra $40 required for the controller. Prices are somewhat similar in the UK--the microconsole costs £80 and the controller add-on is sold for around £35.
Amazon has been careful to avoid pitching the Fire TV as a standalone games console, instead emphasising that it is a multimedia device that happens to play games too.
But behind the scenes the corporation appears to be seriously investing in games, having set up its own games division headed up by well-known game developers Kim Swift and Clint Hocking. The company has also acquired Killer Instinct developer Double Helix.
Although the Fire TV's operating system is based on Android, customers are not able to access the Google Play store with the device, locking out thousands of games.
Nevertheless, the Fire TV has its own range of games to play, such as a new third-person shooter/tower defense hybrid called Sev Zero, along with Minecraft: Pocket Edition, Asphalt 8, and Deus Ex: The Fall.
Rival micro-consoles include the Ouya, along with Sony's upcoming PlayStation TV, which launches in the US in October and across Europe in November.
| Rob Crossley is GameSpot's UK News Editor - you can follow him on Twitter here |
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