All eyes are on Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) this week as the Seattle-based company is preparing to release its Q4 numbers. It’s expected that the online retailer will report a profit increase of over 225% from Q4 2012.
What is this gaming platform?
At the same time that stockholders are exited for those results, there is a buzz around the Internet that the company is also getting set to announce its first gaming platform.
Multiple sources have told VG247 that Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) is preparing a device with a price point under $300 that will provide for the streaming and download of games, music, movies and TV content. The console could provide direct competition to both Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Sony Corporation (NYSE:SNE) (TYO:6758).
As well as competition for the aforementioned console makers, the system will take on microconsoles like the Ouya or Gamestick that have struggled to find a market outside of hobbyists. The glaring difference there being the fact that Amazon boasts a customer base of over 200 million people.
The invitation?
Earlier this month Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) sent out an invitation that promises to show “a new revolutionary V1 [Version 1] product that will allow us to deliver Digital Media to customers in new ways and disrupt the current marketplace.”
The invitation also added in a bold statement: “We believe this new product will be even bigger than (the) Kindle!”
VG247 also reports that the Android console was due to launch last year but was delayed at the last minute and is now expected this year.
VG24/7 claims that Amazon has already shown senior publishing executives a prototype of the device that is meant to be “grey in colour, oblong in shape and with sharp edges.” While that may be subject to a major overhaul before release, one could easily be led to believe that it will at least resemble the prototype if Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) is truly planning a launch this year.
For a Roku-like device that runs Android’s operating system, $300 seems like a lot of money for a console game that doesn’t compete with the Xbox One or Playstation 4. This has led many to believe that Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) has secured some very powerful gaming partners and may even come ready to stream 4K video.
