By 
We’re barely a few days away from Google I/O and related or not, the ASUS-made Nexus player is now officially been marked down to $80 in the Google Store (that’s about $20 off from the original price). It’s not a bad deal, but still about $5 more expensive than the recent markdown on Amazon. Of course, the Nexus Player on the Google Store comes with free shipping, so that’s something you may want to factor into pricing. Not sure how long this will last (it very well could be permanent), but if you prefer to make your purchases with Google, have at it.
[Nexus Player $80 on Google Store]
But why buy this?
Because it can do a lot more than a Chromecast. Load Chrome browser, Plex, Kodi, ES File Explorer, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu Plus, Popcorn Time, games and lots more. Need Ethernet then get USB Ethernet adapter and OTG adapter. Add USB hub and read USB external storage.
Load RDP client and control your PC (not good enough for video streaming but you should use Plex instead for this).
Works great with a Synology NAS running Plex Server.
This is a very flexible and powerful media player.
Agree with all this but I want to see a real USB port too, along with Ethernet and 2GB ram then I’d buy one.
Lack of true ethernet is the only thing I don’t like about mine, though I put mine a few feet away from my router and it isn’t much of an issue at all (plus you can accomplish that with a micro USB to ethernet adaptor).
A little more RAM and internal storage would be nice too, but the device is solid if you want to use Android TV but don’t want to buy a new TV set. That’s the main sell for me since I don’t want a Smart TV of any sort.
Still doesn’t do as much as a decent Android Stick though. And those are cheaper for the most part, and game beautifully.
still 990 SEK in Sweden :/
Add DTS or DD pass through support and I’ll buy one. :)
As an entry-level media box, this is fine to compete with the current Apple TV, as it has more options. I suppose the game controller is “ok” for occasional gaming. However, it could be argued that nearly all iOS games caan be mirrored to an Apple TV, so Mum and Dad would probably find that more attrective for the kiddies.
For mid-hard-core gamers and power users, it’s a complete joke, of course, due to the limited memory (can’t sideload many media apps for custom uses, etc) and lack of ethernet (wifi might not be an option for some users).
I just hope that Shield Tv is easy to sideload to (without connection to a PC, just like existing phones, and even the dead Ouya manages to do).