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Razer Android TV micro console to run Google's living-room software

At Google I/O, the first hardware to run Google's new Android TV software was announced, including a gaming-centric "micro console" from Razer.

David Katzmaier Editorial Director -- Personal Tech
David reviews TVs and leads the Personal Tech team at CNET, covering mobile, software, computing, streaming and home entertainment. We provide helpful, expert reviews, advice and videos on what gadget or service to buy and how to get the most out of it.
Expertise A 20-year CNET veteran, David has been reviewing TVs since the days of CRT, rear-projection and plasma. Prior to CNET he worked at Sound & Vision magazine and eTown.com. He is known to two people on Twitter as the Cormac McCarthy of consumer electronics. Credentials
  • Although still awaiting his Oscar for Best Picture Reviewer, David does hold certifications from the Imaging Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology on display calibration and evaluation.
David Katzmaier
2 min read

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Razer

Count Razer among the cutting-edge hardware partners to get a slice of Android TV , Google's latest stab at living-room software, announced Wednesday at Google I/O.

The Razer device comes in the form of a set-top "micro console." Details on the as-yet-unnamed box, coming this fall along with similar devices from other partners, are still scarce, but here's what we know.

Like other Android TV devices, it will stream content for living-room entertainment, competing against products like the Roku, Apple TV, and Kindle Fire, not to mention Google's own Chromecast. Razer says it "will be affordable and target a wide range of consumers, with a focus on gaming." It will be navigable via a dedicated Android tablet and phone app.

Google I/O (pictures)

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An Android TV demo at Google I/O included streaming games from a tablet to the television, and then playing a connected video game using a controller. It seems likely the Razer box will offer at least the option of a dedicated gaming controller, much like the Amazon Fire TV does.

Pricing, availability, and other details on Razer's device, or any other Android TV devices, have not yet been announced.

Razer is one of the best-known purveyors of specialized PC gaming hardware like the Blade laptops and Edge tablets , and even more eccentric fare like the Nabu fitness band /smartwatch and the Project Christine modular PC concept.

For more, follow CNET's Google I/O live blog and see all of today's Google I/O news.

In the meantime, feel free to use the comments to guess at the device's name. Project Sergey? Razer Shank? Occam's Box?