Thanks
to some leaked images from the Brazilian equivalent of the FCC, it
appears that Amazon’s long-awaited set-top box/game console is finally
coming to market. The leaked images show a gamepad that is strongly
reminiscent of the Xbox 360 gamepad, with some additional buttons in the
middle, and some media playback buttons on the bottom edge. The buttons
in the middle of the controller all but confirm that Amazon’s new game
console/media streamer/<insert some other vague class of living room
electronics> will run Android, too.
The first thing you’ll
notice about the Amazon gamepad is that, well… it’s a bit of a beast. It
looks like someone took an Xbox 360 gamepad and then intentionally made
the nicely rounded, ergonomic edges square. At first glance, the Amazon
gamepad looks like it would be incredibly uncomfortable — but really,
when it comes to ergonomics, we really shouldn’t judge something by some
leaked photos. It actually looks quite a lot like the OnLive gamepad
(pictured below), which was generally well received, ergonomics-wise.
The
Amazon gamepad’s specs are as follows: Two concave analog sticks, four
buttons (A/B/X/Y), a d-pad, two triggers, two shoulder buttons, four
buttons in the middle of the pad, three media playback buttons on the
bottom edge, and six LED lights. According to the Brazilian FCC docs,
the gamepad connects via Bluetooth. The gamepad is powered by two AA
batteries. The block of four LEDs are probably used to signify battery
level and (in a multiplayer setup) which gamepad you’re holding. We’re
not sure what the two left-hand LEDs will be used for.
The three
buttons in the middle of the gamepad, which resemble the same buttons
that you’d find on an Android device, are probably for interacting with
Android-style apps on Amazon’s set-top box. There’s also the possibility
that the Amazon gamepad will work with the Kindle Fire tablets; and
there, it would obviously help to have those Android buttons. The fourth
button on the front of the controller, which kind of looks like a beach
ball or nuclear hazard symbol, is probably the main start/select/menu
button.
The OnLive gamepad: Look familiar?
With the controller
out of the bag, our attention turns to the set-top box itself, which we
still know very little hard data about. The usual industry sources say
that it’s basically going to be an Androidy box that provides some mix of games playing and media streaming –
think Apple TV, but with access to Amazon’s rather large selection of
Android games. Another more recent leak suggests that the Amazon console
won’t come with the gamepad as standard, either; it’ll be an add-on
that you have to buy.
Following the rather lackluster showing put in by Ouya
and other Android game consoles, we can’t say that we’re particularly
optimistic about Amazon’s offering. Still, at the very least, the Amazon
set-top box will be great for people who have bought into the Amazon
ecosystem — much like the Apple TV is a no-brainer if you have an Apple
household.