Amazon Android Console Release Date Set for 2014, Price Under $300

Since Amazon announced in 2013 that they would be attempting to break into the video game console market with an Android powered console, no other details have emerged concerning the new platform—until now. According to a new report, Amazon is preparing their unnamed console for launch sometime in 2014, far sooner than some may have predicted given the scant amount of details that have been released about the console. 

As VG24/7 reports, the device is described as around the size as the redesigned PlayStation One, and despite claims that the console will use Android as the operating system, iOS games have apparently also been used to demo the console. Lab 126, a subsidiary of Amazon that designed all of the Kindle devices, is the manufacturer of the prototype consoles.

Amazon is reportedly targeting a price below $300 for the console, placing the new system around the middle of the pack when it comes to pricing for modern consoles. To put the $300 price point in perspective, the OUYA android-based console is sold for $99, and the Nintendo handheld system the 3DS is sold for $170. The Wii U is available for $300, and the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 both have different bundles that put those consoles in the $200 to $300 range. The PlayStation 4 is sold for $400, and the Xbox One is available at retailers for $500. This would put the Amazon console in the middle of the road in terms of price, which could help the console stand out while not labeling it as cheap or low tech.

While it may seem strange that the online retailer would try to enter the console gaming landscape, Amazon is actually primed and ready to create their own machine. For one thing, the company could use Amazon as the digital distribution platform for the system and allow users to purchase games right from Amazon to download on the console. In addition, Amazon has a variety of media apps that could deliver television shows, music, and movies to its console like other video game platforms. If Amazon is able to make their console succeed where other Android home consoles have failed, then 2014 could be the year that the big three — Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft — get their biggest challenge yet.