Google wants to invade your living room with the Nexus Player

Aside from the Nexus 6 and the Nexus 9, the other big thing Google revealed earlier today was, arguably, the most interesting. It’s the Nexus Player and it is the first device running Google’s new Android TV platform.

Essentially, think of the Nexus Player like a media player but instead of running on Android that’s designed for smartphones and tablets, the Nexus Player gets a dedicated OS that promises to deliver a more customised TV-viewing experience. Developed by ASUS together with Google, the Nexus Player allows you to stream content — stream music, movies, and TV shows — and play Android games on it. You can also mirror your Android smartphone display with the Nexus Player which makes it a real multi-talented media player.

Accompanying the Nexus Player is a minimalist remote with a built-in microphone for voice search. Google says, you can also play casual Android game with the remote. There’s also a gamepad that goes along with the Nexus Player but this is sold separately and is probably reserved for the more serious gamer. It also looks like there’s an option to link up to four controllers to the player. We’re not sure if you can link other controllers — a PS4 gamepad for example — to the Nexus Player but it would be good if you could because that would mean you’re not tied to the one dedicated gamepad for the Nexus Player.

The Nexus Player includes 8GB of internal storage and there’s support for the latest 802.11ac WiFi standard. If you want one, you’ll have to get a friend in the US to get one for you. The Nexus Player is only available via Google Play Store and sells from US$99 (about RM326). The game controller will set you back US$39 (about RM128). The Nexus Player will be available to preorder on Friday through the Google Play Store. Full details here.

So what do you think? Better than an Apple TV?