Hey, you know how all those Android-powered game consoles are just doing gangbusters? Apparently Amazon noticed, and they’ll be making one of their very own. And if the controller is any indication, it’ll be hideous.
I’m not a great fan of Amazon’s clumsy attempts to drag players into its ecosystem. The site is great for streaming video and buying music, but its high-end Kindle line stubbornly refuses to live up to its potential, largely thanks to the software.
Nonetheless, the site is barreling full on into the gaming industry. And the controller just leaked, according to the Verge:
It’s suggested that the unnamed box will run a fork of the Android OS, just like Amazon’s Kindle Fire line of tablets. Those tablets act very much as a storefront for Amazon, offering a wide selection of games, movies, and books. It’s likely that Amazon will attempt to leverage its large content offerings with the launch of a set-top box.
So basically, it’ll be a Roku with a controller attached? Great.
To be fair, Amazon has invested a lot of money into gaming; they recently bought Double Helix, developer of the ill-considered Killer Instinct reboot, to improve their games. The main problem Amazon is going to have is that, well, you can already buy a game system that plays back video, and it’ll probably have way better games.
Part of the problem is that Android games are largely mobile games, and the best mobile games are decidedly different from console games. Why would you play Blackbar or Rymdkapsel with a controller? They’re not built to be played that way.
We wish Amazon luck. But really, guys… couldn’t you have just bought out Ouya?