The Asus built Nexus Player goes on-sale next week at JB Hifi and Dick Smith. While Google hasn’t mentioned whether the Android TV box will be available on Google Play, if you want a Nexus Player on day one, the time to order the unit is now. But do you want the Nexus Player?
Both JB Hifi and Dick Smith have added the Nexus Player to their websites offering pre-orders at $129. JB Hifi mentions that the pre-orders are available now online, with stock due in store from the 28th of April. While you can grab a Nexus Player from both sites, neither site makes mention of the $49 Nexus Player controller, which you’ll need to take advantage of the gaming capabilities of Android TV.
If you’re going to pre-order the Nexus Player you can jump over to either JB Hifi or Dick Smith’s websites and seal the deal now.
The specs on the Nexus Player are pretty decent, but it’s a bare bones release with no ethernet port, a slightly slower Intel based processor, but overall, it’s a pretty good package.
| Chipset | 1.8GHz Quad Core, Intel® Atom™ Imagination PowerVR Series 6 Graphics 2D/3D Engine |
| Memory | 1GB RAM 8GB storage* |
| Ports | 18W DC power HDMI out (1920 x 1080 @ 60Hz) Micro-USB 2.0 |
| Connectivity | 802.11ac 2×2 (MIMO) Bluetooth 4.1 |
| Weight | 235g |
| Size | 120mm x 120mm x 20mm |
| Remote | 2 AAA batteries (included in box) Bluetooth Smart 40g (excluding batteries) 37mm x 140mm x 16mm |
The Competition
If you’re not taken by the Nexus Player, what are the other options on the market? There’s a couple, starting with the Razer Forge, there’s the Shield Console, and very soon there’ll be Sony televisions with Android TV built right in. Let’s take a look at the choices.
Razer
The Razer Forge is coming soon, Razer has announced an official Australian release and it’s available to pre-order from EB Games and Harvey Norman. The Razer Forge sports higher end Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor, double the Nexus Players RAM and storage, as well as the coveted ethernet port which has been an oft requested feature for Android TV – but at a higher price :
Harvey Norman:
- Console – $158
- Console + Controller – $238
EB Games:
- Console – $159
- Console + Controller – $239.95
The Razer Forge TV offers a fairly high-end hardware specification, including :
- 2.5GHz Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 Krait 450 CPU with Adreno 420 GPU
- 2GB RAM
- 16GB Storage
- Bluetooth 4.1 + HS, Wifi 802.11 AC 2×2 + Gigabit Ethernet
- HDMI 1.4, USB 3.0 and DC in
- Android 5.0 (Lollipop)
- 105x105x17mm
Shield Console
The dark horse is the NVidia Shield Console which again has that ethernet port, as well as the latest Nvidia X1 processor and even more RAM at 3GB and a microSD Card slot to expand the 16GB storage. The downside is that there isn’t any guarantee that Nvidia is going to sell it in Australia – despite their claims to be attempting to bring it in. If NVidia don’t sell the Shield Console in Australia then you’ll have to jump through the old import hoops of shipping forwarders. But it’s an option.
Hardware wise, the Shield console is a beast:
- NVIDIA Tegra X1 processor
with 3 GB RAM - 256-core NVIDIA Maxwell™ GPU
- 3GB RAM
- 16GB on-board storage with microSD Card Slot
- 802.11ac 2×2 MIMO 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi
Bluetooth 4.1/BLE - Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI 2.0, Two USB 3.0 (Type A), Micro-USB 2.0, IR receiver (compatible with Logitech Harmony)
- Video:
- 4K Ultra-HD ready with 4K playback and capture up to 60 fps (VP9, H265, H264)
- Audio:
- 7.1 and 5.1 surround sound pass through over HDMI
- High-resolution audio up-sample to 24-bit/192 kHz over USB
- High-resolution audio playback up to 24-bit/192 kHz over HDMI and USB
- 130x210x25mm @ 645 grams
- Android TV™, Google Cast™ Ready
- Includes Plex pre-installed
- 40W power adapter
Pricing wise, there’s the issue of no availability here so there’s no AU price, but in the US you’ll pay US$199.95 + shipping to a shipping forwarder and then whatever price on top of that to get it to our fair shores.
Sony TVs
At CES this year, one of the biggest names in the TV world – Sony – announced their new line up of TV’s which would be powered by Android TV. The TV’s range from 2K to 4K resolution and come in a vast array of models. While buying a whole new TV set to get into Android TV is a big step, if you’re in need of a new TV then this will be a good option to consider as Sony make pretty good hardware and with Google doing the software it’s a pretty good match.
Pricing and availablity wise, Sony hasn’t announced plans for the Australian market, but we do know that they will be releasing Sony TV’s running Android TV in Australia this year. Sony recently announced pricing and availability for the US market, so while the pricing below is in US dollars, it does give you an idea of what to expect.
4K Ultra HD TV series
| Model | Price | Sizes |
| X830C | $1,299.99, $1,599.99 | 43” class (42.5” diag),49” class (48.5” diag) |
| X850C | $2,199.99, $3,499.99, $4,999.99 | 55” class (54.6” diag) , 65” class (64.5” diag), 75” class (74.5” diag) |
| X900C | TBA | 55” class (54.6” diag) , 65” class (64.5” diag) |
| X910C | TBA | 75” class (74.5” diag) |
| X930C | $4,499.99 | 65” class (64.5” diag) |
| X940C | $7,999.99 | 75” class (74.5” diag) |
2K HD TV series
| Model | Price | Sizes |
| R510C | $479.99, $529.99 | 40” diag.48” class (47.6” diag.) |
| W800C | $999.99, $1,299.99 | 50” diag.,55” class (54.6” diag)** 55” class pre-sale begins in June |
| W850C | $1,899.99, $2,999.99 | 65” class (64.5” diag), 75” class (74.5” diag) |
Software
Android TV is still fairly new, but thanks to being available in the US for a while there’s some apps out there. There’s not been a massive take-up for it from game manufacturers, though big name app developers have come on board pretty quickly. To help you look at what content is available, Google has made two focuses for Android TV Games and Apps on Google Play which will let you peruse your options before purchasing.
Note that found out this week, that there has been almost no interest so far from Australian broadcasters for the Nexus Player or Android TV. But as a new platform, it’s going to be a wait and see – if there’s massive sales, you can bet that broadcasters will change their tune.
Poll
So. The big question is – Will you buy a Nexus Player on Tuesday?
Feel Free to discuss in the comments – but let’s keep it nice ;).
I pre-ordered one with a DSE discount. Though its just to play around with till I see a more advanced/powerful one that’s more in line with features I want (or Apple drops a new AppleTV thats got a full app store etc).
if its on the play store ill get it
2 week return 🙂
Not for me, Chromecast does everything I need. Netflix is great on the Chromecast, and for gaming, I have a console. I don’t really see the appeal of Android games blown up on a telly.
If I decide to pull the trigger on this, it’ll be the Razer
Nope. I’ve used Media Centre PCs for 7 years. There’s very little they can’t do. Nothing else has come close to that functionality yet. Although I do like how little power these media players use. My other concern is the 1GB of RAM. Android needs 2GB to breathe properly in my experience. But maybe the Nexus Player is different – I’ll leave that to those who have used it to comment. Anyway, I won’t go on… It’s a no from me.
The only upside to the TV form factor wrt 1GB RAM is that its multitasking that kills android. That doesn’t seem as important for a set-top-box.
You make a fair point I think. Backgrounding too, would use some extra RAM, I suspect. I imagine an game running at hi res would also use a fair bit of RAM.
Where is the already have one but I might buy another to replace the other chromecasts in the house
No 4K support doesnt make it very future proof or appealing. Hopefully SHIELD is released here.
I won’t be taking the Sony smart TV route after seeing that they won’t upgrade some of their 3~3 year old Youtube TV apps
Well I guess I’m sort of yes because I already have one but I am interested in the 4K ability of the Shield Console or Nexus Player 2 if and when it gets released.
Razer Forge on eb games, prices are not final, date is saying TBC 2016.
Given that they are almost identical to the HN Prices, I’d say they’re pretty solid. Besides that basic logical leap, I`m going to go with the guy writing the story who actually knows what he’s talking about.
In the article, there are no links to searches on the Razer Forge items at Hardly Normal’s, only eb games.
On the eb games page linked to in the article, all the prices on the Razer Forge gear are listed as:
(Placeholder Price)
On the eb games page for each Razer Forge item, the available date lists as
Release date: TBC 2016
With gaming in mind – which would be my main focus for devices like these – the Razor Forge bundle looks far more compelling to me than the Nexus player. Already have a Chromecast.
P.S.: where on the Play Store can I find these Focus categories?
Agreed, kft.
What is annoying is that the Forge is being released, sometime, maybe this year, maybe next.
So by the time it is released, it’ll be trying to gain traction against the GNP. “Why buy a Forge if you already have a GNP? “, will be the question tossed at such prospective purchasers.
Makes no real sense.
8GB of storage and the lack of a games controller in the price means it’s not a games console.
As far as watching TV, a chromecast is cheaper, and has a better UI than mucking about with a few button remote.
Give us the Chromecast 2 at the same price as the original (with 5Ghz, a better processor, and 4K capability) and you could be away with something that would work AND be able to play games.
Oh, and the flat AndroidTV UI stinks – even Samsung looks better.
What about a ‘Maybe’ option? I won’t be buying one on Tuesday, but I might buy one soon. I just want to wait and see.