Amazon reportedly prepping Web TV product for March
The retail giant is setting itself up to compete with Apple TV and Roku, sources tell Recode.
An Amazon Web TV product has purportedly been in the works for a while. That device could finally hit the market next month, Recode reported Friday.
Citing information from industry sources and Amazon partners, Recode's Peter Kafka said Amazon's set-top box would compete with Apple TV and Roku to pipe online content to your television. Amazon already offers TV shows and movies through its Prime service and is more aggressively producing its own shows. So a Web TV product would be a natural fit.
The box reportedly would be outfitted with Android, an obvious choice since Amazon's Kindle tablets already use a customized version of Google's operating system.
Would games be part of the lineup as well? That remains a question mark for now. But some signs point to a potential gaming tie-in.
Amazon has posted recent job ads for game developers, Recode reported Thursday. Earlier this month, Amazon scooped up game studio Double Helix Games. And last month, a report from gaming news and reviews site VG247.com claimed that Amazon will launch an Android-based gaming console this year, similar to products designed by Ouya, Valve, and others.
Amazon declined Recode's request to comment on the report. CNET contacted Amazon as well and will update the story with any further details.