Amazon is set to launch its own Chromecast-style dongle next month in the US, according to various reports.
Multiple sources familiar with the device – once rumoured to be a set-top-box – told the tech news site, TechCrunch, that the dongle will plug into the back of a TV via the HDMI port, but will also include support for streaming full PC game titles, meaning it could compete with consoles including the Xbox and PlayStation.
Chromecast, Google’s own thumb-sized media streaming device, launched in the UK earlier this week and allows users to watch a range of content from a phone, tablet or laptop on the TV screen whilst using the linked device as a remote control.
Apps, including BBC iPlayer, YouTube and Netflix are set to roll-out on to the device, with developers free to launch new apps in future.
If Amazon is entering the market with its own streaming device, it will be looking for a native home for its Prime Instant Video, a rebrand of LoveFilm.
Earlier this month Amazon announced it is to launch the “UK’s most complete digital video service”, rebranding LoveFilm Instant to Prime Instant Video, giving members exclusive access to hundreds of films and television shows such as The Hangover Part II, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Walking Dead and Vikings Season 2.
TechCrunch said the the stick form factor “is not a surprise, given that Roku has just launched its own device using the same design, and Chromecast has done so well in terms of attracting buyers.”
However, the interesting component “could be the way the gadget approaches gaming” – with streamed PC titles “in keeping with some of what we’ve heard before in whispers around Amazon’s efforts, and makes sense given that the company sells digital download titles for PC and Mac direct from its ecommerce website.”
TechCrunch said offering gaming would provide a “huge competitive advantage over its rivals in the set top box space, both large and small.”
