Rumour: Amazon's Android Console Will Come in Dongle Form and Stream PC ...
Reputable tech blog Tech Crunch is reporting that the long-rumoured set top box/games console from Amazon is said to a HDMI dongle device, citing anonymous sources that describe a form factor similar to that seen in several recent smart TV devices such as Google's Chromecast and the Roku Streaming Stick.
Such a diminutive form factor means that the device is all but certain to have less processing power than traditional games console, and even the OUYA Android console, but Techcrunch notes that Amazon is supposedly preparing a PC game streaming service on the device -- presumably similar to that attempted by OnLive and PlayStation Now (formerly Gaikai) where the game itself is run on remote Internet servers and streamed as video footage to the local device.
Amazon does already have a huge amount of global server infrastructure to operate such a service on, including a datacentre in Sydney, so perhaps unlike OnLive and Gaikai, an Amazon cloud streaming game service might even be made available to Australian customers.
That said, the online streaming games experience has left much to be desired, as input-lag is prevalent on even the most optimal Internet connections and framerates have generally topped out at 30FPS due to bandwidth constraints.
The device has been largely expected to serve as a mediacentre for Amazon's streaming music and video services, however the company's recent acquisition of console game developer Double Helix seemed to signal an intention to venture into the core-gaming market.
The news follows leaked images of an Amazon wireless bluetooth game controller that although expected to be sold separately is also presumed to interface with this HDMI dongle device.
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