Hasta La Gadget!

Amazon is working on a games console, according to rumors from Game Informer and backed up by rumblings we’ve heard at TechCrunch as well. Game Informer says we’ll see the device by end of year, possibly in time for holiday shopping season, and that it will have its own dedicated controller and offer access to digital games sold online by Amazon.com.

We’ve heard from a reliable source that the hardware Amazon is building could be powered by a Qualcomm MPQ chip, which is the Snapdragon processor line the chipmaking company builds specifically for smart TV and set-top box devices. That, combined with earlier rumours that have emerged suggesting Amazon is working on a set-top device as reported by the Wall Street Journal, combine to suggest that while gaming may be part of this potential new hardware, it won’t be the sole focus. Nor does it make sense for Amazon to focus only on games; it has a huge vested interest in pushing digital music and movies, so why not do a device that combines all three?

Our source also informs us that the Amazon box is being worked on at Lab126, the Cupertino-based experimental hardware division that first created the Kindle. That’s been reported earlier this year by Bloomberg and other sources, but our informant says those plans are still on track and that this is the gaming device being discussed now as well.

We’ve also heard from separate sources reports of developers being approached by Amazon regarding developing games for their hardware, which means it could be more than just a media center PC designed to play the digital downloads it already offers. Amazon might be looking more at competing with devices like the OUYA and the upcoming BlueStacks GamePop and GamePop Mini, if it’s securing original content from small developers.

Webush Securities analyst Michael Pachter previously suggested that Amazon could even give away its hardware to Amazon Prime subscribers, similar to the model that BlueStacks is promising GamePop Mini buyers in exchange for subscription to their all-you-can-play mobile console gaming subscription. We haven’t heard anything specific regarding that possibility, but Amazon’s interests would definitely lie in making more money from content, not in hardware margins.

We reached out to both Amazon and Qualcomm for more information, and Amazon responded saying that it doesn’t comment on “rumors or speculation,” while Qualcomm hasn’t responded as of press time. The fact that these rumors are floating up for a second time definitely suggests that Amazon’s living hardware plans are a key area to watch, for both consumers and competitors.

Rumors have been popping up recently about what to expect in the next-generation Kindle Fire tablet series, and full specs for the next-gen entry-level Kindle Fire have been leaked, but it’s nothing too special, other than that the new entry-level Kindle Fire will have the same internal guts as the current entry-level Kindle Fire HD. […]

This seems almost out of left field and very sudden, but it’s said that Amazon is working on an Android-powered gaming console, similar to the OUYA, that will see a launch by the end of this year, possibly in time for the holiday shopping season. Details are obviously scarce at this point, but it seems […]

Android-powered gaming consoles are definitely not new, with Kickstarter success OUYA probably being one of the more high profiled and well-known ones, and if the rumors are to be believed, it seems that Amazon is interested in getting in on the action as well. This rumor comes from a Game Informer report in which they claiming that according to their sources, it was revealed to them that Amazon is working on the device at the moment and could be set for a launch later this year. According to them, the console will feature a dedicated controller of its own, and will rely on Amazon’s library of game titles from which gamers will be able to purchase games from.

It even went as far as saying that the console could see a release by Black Friday, which means that if it were true, we can expect to see an announcement pretty soon! This joins a rumor we heard back in June where it was suggested that Google could be looking to create a gaming console of their own. We guess if this were true it wouldn’t be a complete shocker, after all Amazon had dived into the Android world by releasing their own Android tablet alongside their own lineup for Kindle e-readers, so a gaming console might not be the most outrageous idea.

In any case take it with a grain of salt for now, but like we said with a rumored release by Black Friday, we expect an announcement should be taking place in the near future.

Amazon Rumored To Be Making Android Gaming Console Of Their Own original content from Ubergizmo.

The Amazon Appstore is no longer just for native Android apps — starting now, the retailer will also take HTML5-based web apps. Developers can build content using any off-the-shelf tools; Amazon wraps whatever they create in a format that’s friendly to those using the Kindle Fire or other Android devices. Publishers who want to integrate more closely with Amazon can also integrate the retailer’s in-app purchasing through JavaScript code. Only a handful of web apps are available at launch, including TreSensa’s Happy Tree Friends: Run & Bun, an IGN video game news app and Spil Games’ Dream Pet Link, but web app developers who want to bolster Amazon’s catalog can visit the source link.

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Via: Amazon Mobile App Distribution Blog

Source: Amazon