Back in April, Amazon tipped the arrival of a new media streaming device called Fire TV Cube, and now we finally have more details about this Fire TV and Echo hybrid.
Priced at $119.99, the "first hands-free streaming media player with Alexa," is available for pre-order now and slated to be released on June 21. Today and tomorrow, Prime members can pre-order Fire TV Cube for the discounted price of $89.99; Amazon is also offering a Fire TV Cube and Cloud Cam bundle for $199.98.
According to the Amazon listing, Fire TV Cube lets you control your TV as well as compatible soundbars, cable and satellite boxes, and A/V receivers completely hands-free using voice commands like "Alexa, turn on the TV," "Alexa, open Netflix," "Alexa, switch to cable," and "Alexa, turn up the volume."
"With far-field voice recognition, eight microphones, and beamforming technology, Fire TV Cube hears you from any direction"—even if you're across the room, Amazon said. You won't find that same far-field voice control feature on Amazon's cheaper Fire TV ($0.00 at Amazon) or Fire TV Stick ($14.99 at Best Buy) . Like those other streamers, Fire TV Cube comes with the Alexa Voice Remote, just in case you don't really feel like talking.
It supports 4K Ultra HD streaming at up to 60fps, as well as HDR and Dolby Atmos audio for "true-to-life" picture and sound.
Fire TV Cube also features a built-in speaker—another feature Amazon's other streamers lack—so you can check the weather and news even when the TV is off. If you ask Alexa to play music, the Fire TV Cube will turn on your TV and start pumping the beat while showing album art on the screen. You can also use Fire TV Cube to control your smart home gadgets—everything from security cameras and baby monitors to lighting, thermostats, and more.
Amazon says that "most features" available on its Echo ($0.00 at Amazon) speaker are also available on Fire TV Cube, with a few exceptions. At this point, Fire TV Cube does not support Alexa calling and messaging, Bluetooth sync, or multi-room music and there's no word as to whether those features might be added in the future. Amazon does plan to add to add sleep timer support "later this year." Plus, unlike Echo devices, Fire TV Cube needs to be connected to an HDMI input.
If you're thinking about buying the Fire TV Cube, check out this page, which offers more information about supported devices.
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