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Alongside announcements for the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 this morning (as well as confirmation that Android 5.0 will be Lollipop) was a revelation of a new device we hadn’t heard of. It’s called the Nexus Player, and it’s the first consumer-ready Android TV set-top box available with Google’s latest big screen platform. Android TV can be seen as a new platform, of sorts — it’s pretty much Google TV done right. As such, the idea of this set-top box isn’t new but the execution of it is fresh and exciting.
As you’d expect, its primary uses are streaming video, music and photos through apps and Casting, and Google’s also putting a pretty nice emphasis on games. It’s an ASUS made unit that looks to be built quite well at first glance. The internals aren’t anything to sneeze at by a set-top box’s standards, either.
The Nexus Player features a 1.8GHz quad-core Intel Atom chipset, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, HDMI-out at up to 1080p, microUSB 2.0, 802.11 ac WiFi with 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 4.1 and more. It comes in at about 235g and its diameter is 120mm with depth of about 20mm. In other words, this thing certainly won’t be taking up much space on your home entertainment stand.
Other points of emphasis for Google are seamless transitions (so you can pause on the big screen and pick back up on your phone or tablet) and effortless search (pressing a microphone button and simply speaking your content into existence). It sounds like everything you’d expect from a Nexus device — nothing outrageous, but does what it’s intended to do very well.
The Nexus Player will be available starting November 3rd, though you can pre-order one starting October 17th (that’s this Friday if you haven’t been keeping up). No pricing information just yet, but we will be keeping you updated on everything we can dig up throughout the day!
[Update]: Looks like Google is targeting a $99 price tag for this thing, which is about par for the course for a set-top box these days. The $35 Chromecast might seem like a better option for folks who don’t need the extra oomph the Nexus Player provides, but this certainly deserves a look at $99.
[via Google]
How is this better than a cheaper chrome cast?
It’s not just casting from your phone? Plus its Android TV. They are separate anyway.
You can play Android games and use all Android apps.
Which means you don’t need a tablet/phone/PC with a cast-capable app, you just need an Android App and can play directly.
You can run kodi as a standalone app. And that is all you’ll need.
No wired ethernet. no passthrough HDMI. Those were 2 things that last gen Google TV had that I miss on Chromecast. Disappointing.
Cord cutters don’t need HDMI pass-through.
But I do. :) There is no doubt that they were not targeting me with this device. That’s fine. I just wish it suited my needs better..
hdmi passthough means it’s ready to go 24/7, no buttons, no input changes, hit search and it comes up over your current tv, launch it anytime… what’s not to LOVE about that?
The part where you say ‘over your current TV.’
Cord cutters don’t have ‘current TV.’ I’m going to buy this and plug it into the HDMI in for my Xbox One. I’ll have one HDMI cable going into the back of my TV with Xbox Games, Blu-ray, and Android TV all ready to go.
If you also have cable/satellite, then you’re not a cord cutter. :P
So really it’s not that you don’t need it because you are a cord cutter; you don’t need it because the other of the 2 devices you want to use on your TV all the time already supports it.
Xbox/blu-ray is one device. :P
I don’t think anyone was suggesting that it was two :) I was referring to the nexus player and the XBox. You said that you were going to plug the nexus player into your XBox.
If your a cord cutter, then simply DONT USE THE HDMI IN. Have and not use is better then want but dont have. More choice = better.
oh gotcha, for us reg folk passthrough is key lol
Hopefully it’s only $100. At least I’ll have 2 gaming controllers from my ADT-1’s, since they are identical w/ exception to 2 button pictures.
Engadget confirms $99 selling price
I’ll wait for more info, but right now I’m pretty happy with my Ouya/XBMC setup, don’t see any advantage to this device. Android gaming on TV is pretty weak anyway imo, I only use this as a home theatre system.
Yea I picked up an OUYA for $89 to mess with builds on it along with XBMC and Emulators. Sadly the input lag makes emulators not great on it. Kinda a failed project, do like the PS3 controller support though.
Except this has the power to emulate the larger systems like ps1, dreamcast, gamecube, n64 with no lag or slow down and can run xbmc with a massive database with no slowdown.
Don’t know about games, never got slow down streaming media though
Wait..can I play all my games I’ve purchased from PlayStore and play it on the TV.. With the controller?
This, sadly, is as redundant as my Ouya with the Shield Tablet. Except that it’s 1/4th the cost of the Shield Tab at $99…
Yes you can!
At first glance I thought the pieces in the back were antennas for picking up OTA HD signals. That would be awesome.
what I loved about Google TV was the HMDI pass through and the controlling of my cable box and new way to search what was on. I really wish, Google just went back and fixed the issues that plagued their first attempt.
I so agree. Nothing better out there then Logitech Revue. Wish they updated the hardware and fixed some of the issues as you had pointed out
“asus made”… I’ll pass. There’s no forgiving the absolutely terrible treatment of customers who owned the TF101’s and were screwed over by ASUS when their devices stopped working as expected following a firmware update.
I had to send mine back 3 times before they acknowledged my problem actually existed after the ICS update.
That being said, I’ve had no issues whatsoever with either of my Nexus 7’s.
I know they make good products (most of the time), I’ll just continue to boycott them out of principal as it gives me an excuse to dig up the nightmare that was the TF101 – they kept mine in repair for MONTHS and each time they’d send it back, it would be damaged or not working in some other way with the original problems not being fixed! When the warranty expired, they basically stopped offering support. What a shame too – that was one of my favorite devices.
I want to know if it will have standard usb ports. My (crappy) Asus Cube has two of them. I use these to run a nice 4tb hard drive setup to watch all my movies.
Please, please, please have usb!
Micro-USB 2.0
Source: http://www.google.com/intl/all/nexus/player/
Chromacsat is enough for me. I have ps for games.
Dual Band Hoorah! If it can run XBMC/kodi, which I use from my movies saved on my NAS this might be a good Christmas present.
check youtube skystream x4
No HDMI in = no screen overlay and changing channels to use it… 100% deal breaker for me
Nice but I am getting the Plastation TV.
They’re cheap enough to get both!
What would I need with both? I have an Xbox one, a ps4 and 2 smart tv . I only need one to play my ps4 when wifey is hogging the 4k tv. Plus the ps tv streams movies and AAA games.
PsTV won’t do Google stuff. Xbone and ps4 won’t play old games.
Different people like different things.
Personally, I’ve got my movies and music from the Apple Store and don’t have much need for anything Microsoft, Sony, or Google, except for games.
The PS TV will stream play PS1, PS2, PS3, vita, and PS4 games. These are way better titles than anything in the mobile industry of course. It also plays movies so I think it gives me better value. MY Samsung Curved 65″ UHD (4K) 9000 series has all the google stuff like voice command, internet search (I can use google search), motion control (utilizing the front facing camera), and all the movies apps (Vudu, Hulu, Netflix, ect ect.).
This does not mean I am trying to dictate how you spend your money. I simply commented, “Nice but I am getting the Playstation TV”. If this makes you happy then fine. I have too many smart devices and this would simply be a waste of money for me. When I pick up my Note 4 Friday I could simply mirror my phone to my 4k Samung tv for any “Google stuff” on the big screen.
Actually, if this would have launch earlier before all of my other geeky purchases, it would be a win for me, but it too late in the game as far as I am concerned. Money is not an issue for me. Sorry, wasn’t trying to cause conflict. Just stating my opinion like everyone else on this site.
Your white PS4 is very conspicuous on that rack-o-shiny-black stuff.
LOL! Don’t be judgemental;)
I’m also considering PSTV…for my library of PS1 classics…. And Vita games….I may get both!!!
I am also digging the Nexus 9 for 399. That seems awesome!!
So they’ve copied Amazon???? Wow!
I guess it’s like the Fire TV, but Google’s store has a lot more games in it. Also, emulators. This is a worthy (superior, really) successor to the Ouya.
I love that every set top box costs less than $100.
Its not copying if they are doing it better…. Just saying…
Who copied OUYA, who copied AppleTV, who copied Roku, etc? At least this will officially support the Play Store. Although if it’s Atom based I’d expect some comparability issues.
This was in the works before Amazon unveiled Fire TV.
Google TV was the forerunner of any other brand out there. They did not copy Amazon. Besides, Amazon marries you to their offerings, and so with that “I am out”. I have tried most and with the fire TV I tried it and didn’t like it much. Sent it back for a refund. Been using GTV from Logitech their Revue and hard to give up. Android TV has potential as it is now run on an Intel Chip. Faster then Atom.
too bad Amazon already got me. Google should have really announced they were planning to make this. I would have waited.
Where you been. It’s been published and on Googles radar since spring, though all the details have not been published but for today.
I get a majority of my Google news from this site. I don’t recall an article mentioning this but maybe I just don’t remember.
There hasn’t been many that I’ve seen either. I was just wondering about what happened to Android TV a few days ago because I hadn’t seen any news on it.
Intel Atom? So Android is running on x86-64 now? I know it shouldn’t be hard since it’s Linux-based but still…
Wow the Google Blog has the Nexus and Android 5.0 Lollipop too?! I missed that.
Android 5.0 officially supports x86-64 and 64-bit ARM.
a huge mistake it is not AMD with much better GPU! Intel is an obvious fail (like Xbox and PS4 is AMD based because they know what’s better)
Will this natively support moga controllers or is a guy expected to buy yet another controller?
game controller is sold separately it seems
Controller is extra. $39.99 MSR.
I hope so. Android L is supposed to have some native bluetooth controller support. Not sure how that works though?
hope every Android phone will be a lagless controller
and NO INTEL!
AMD is always better choice because of more useful and much better GPU, Google!
Im interested in this but im leery on ASUS devices since my ASUS Cube doesnt detect any TV info from my FIOS cable box. Its probably a minor concern, considering its not really the primary purpose of Android TV, that being streaming and other media options and the pleasure of having an internet browser on a big screen TV. Ill have to do more research.
I’m in if it has an optional remote with a full QWERTY and trackpad like the Sony Google TV, among others.