Faster Amazon Fire TV Stick now comes with an Alexa remote control
Remote controls are usually smaller than the devices they control, not the other way around. But whatever.
Amazon just refreshed its $39.99 Fire TV Stick that plugs into an HDMI port on your TV or computer monitor and streams videos, music and games. The new Fire TV Stick is up to 30 percent faster thanks to a new quad-core processor. And it now comes with an Alexa Voice Remote control.
The inclusion of a remote control, one with Alexa voice commands, makes the Fire TV Stick more attractive than Roku's Streaming Stick, which sells for $49.99 and makes the $35 Google Chromecast look vastly under-featured.
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The new Fire TV Stick has access to over 300,000 movies and TV shows via apps and, of course, Amazon's own Instant Video library. Video streams at a maximum resolution of 1080p full HD.
With the Alexa Voice Remote, you can now play games like Pac-Man 256 and Crossy Road. Additionally, you'll be able to press the Alexa button on the remote and command her to launch apps, search for content, and use many of the "skills" that Alexa knows on the Echo (except the smart home device feature ones).
Pre-orders for the new Fire TV Stick start today with shipping beginning Oct. 20. Moreover, Amazon's sweetening the deal for users who buy and activate the device by Oct. 31 with a month of free Sling TV, two months of Hulu and $10 credit for Amazon Video (a total of value worth $65).
Here's how the new little stick fits into Amazon's streaming device family:
Raymond Wong is Mashable's Senior Tech Correspondent. He reviews gadgets and tech toys and analyzes the tech industry. Raymond's also a bit of a camera geek, gamer, and fine chocolate lover. Before arriving at Mashable, he was the Deputy Editor of NBC Universal's tech publication DVICE. His writing has appeared on G4TV, BGR, Yahoo and Ubergizmo, to name a few. You can follow Raymond on Twitter @raywongy or Instagram @sourlemons.
