Amazon adds new Fire TV Blaster to boost Fire TV home theater control

Do you have a Fire TV Stick and want to have Alexa control your home theater set up? She'll soon be able to. On Tuesday Amazon announced a new Fire TV Blaster, infrared (IR) transmitter that can be used to control your TV, cable box and speaker with Alexa instead of traditional remote controls. 

Not a standalone device, the Blaster requires an Echo smart speaker or display and either a Fire TV Stick 4K , third-gen Fire TV or Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote in order to control your TV. 

For those that have a smart speaker and one of the aforementioned Fire TVs , Amazon says that by adding the Blaster you'll gain "hands-free voice control to your existing TV, soundbar , cable or satellite box, and receiver" continuing to add that it'll even allow you to "control power, volume, and playback and switch between inputs" using just your voice. 

If your Fire TV Stick came with an Alexa remote, adding the Fire TV Blaster will allow you to control your devices without having to press the microphone button. There are no microphones built into the Blaster, however, which is why you have to pair it with an Echo.

Amazon has incorporated IR control into some of its products in the past, including the Fire TV Cube , but it has not previously added the functionality into its Fire TV Sticks. The Fire TV Blaster won't work with Amazon's own Fire TV Edition televisions or soundbars.

Available for preorder now, the Blaster will be released on Dec 11 and retail for $35.