According to Game Informer, online retail giant Amazon is poised to release a video game console later this year. Billed as an Android-based device in the same vein as the Ouya, the rumoured platform may even hit the market in time for Black Friday – itself only three months away. While brief, sources claimed to have spoken to the development team behind the supposed piece of hardware; which is said to include a dedicated controller and have the ability to access the company’s online library of gaming apps.
For a long time we’ve heard rumours surrounding Apple’s potential skirmish into the video games market, not to mention Google’s ongoing development in the field, but it seems these companies may have been surprisingly undercut by a left-field competitor. Certainly Amazon has the clout and industry presence to produce a console of its own. For one, the company has its own in-house developer in the form of Amazon Games – which has produced titles such as Air Patriots for Kindle and other Android devices.
Adding credence to the current speculation is the fact that Superannuation recently highlighted the company’s suspicious activity; specifically relating to Amazon’s hiring of experienced game producers. Perhaps this ‘new, unannounced consumer device’ may prove to a video game console after all.
In saying that, the appeal of Android-based devices is currently unsteady; what with the Ouya struggling to grasp a foothold in the current market. Plus, with novel platforms such as the Game Stick and Nvidia Shield entering the fray, it would seem Amazon’s hearsay device may run into some problems of its own should it enter development.
We’ll keep you updated of any further information regarding this story as the news materialises.
What do you think, though? Is there space on the console market for another new platform? Or would you be interested to see Amazon’s gaming output? Let us know your thoughts below.
Published: Aug 9, 2013 05:50 am