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Amazon unveils TV stick, challenging Chromecast
 by Staff Writers
 New York (AFP) Oct 27, 2014


Xbox One price cut in US for holiday season
San Francisco (AFP) Oct 27, 2014 - Microsoft on Monday announced it is temporarily trimming the price of its Xbox One video game consoles in the United States in a move aimed at boosting holiday season sales.

Beginning on November 2 and continuing through the end of this year, the price of Xbox One consoles will be cut $50 at US retail outlets, according to Microsoft.

In what amounts to the second price reduction since the new-generation consoles were launched a year ago, Xbox One will be available starting at $349.

"We're offering our best price yet," Microsoft corporate vice president Yusuf Mehdi said in a blog post.

"We're gearing up for one of our biggest holidays ever."

The move comes with Microsoft locked in a tough battle with Sony, which has been leading the game console market with PlayStation 4, its newest device.

PS4 hit the market at a price lower than Xbox One, but the holiday-season reduction makes the Microsoft console a more affordable option for buyers.

The cut eats into potential for Microsoft to make profit on the hardware but could help bolster ranks of users who wind up paying for the US company's games and Xbox Live online service for play and digital content.

Microsoft in June began selling a reduced-price version of its Xbox One console without the Kinect motion detection system.

The Xbox One without Kinect was sold for $399, the same price as the PS4, but will begin selling $50 less in the US next week.

Amazon on Monday unveiled a new media stick allowing users to stream content to television sets, challenging Google's Chromecast device released last year.

The plug-in Fire TV Stick, a device the size of a pack of gum, provides access to Amazon Instant Video as well as other services including Netflix, Hulu Plus, WatchESPN and NBA Game Time.

The dongle is being sold in the US market for $39, or $19 for customers who subscribe to Amazon Prime, which gives customers free shipping and access to music, videos and other online content.

The new stick appeared to be a challenge to Chromecast, which has sold in the millions since Google unveiled it a year ago.

Amazon said the Fire TV Stick "has 50 percent more processing power and twice the memory of Chromecast," adding it also has six times the power of the Roku Streaming Stick, and as a result delivers faster video.

The new device includes Amazon's "Advanced Streaming and Prediction," which anticipates which movies and TV episodes viewers want to watch and buffers them for faster playback.

Like the other devices, Fire TV Stick can "mirror" content on a tablet or smartphone to stream for viewing on a TV set.

"Fire TV Stick is not a gadget -- it's a seamlessly integrated service that brings together the features customers expect from Amazon," a statement said.

Microsoft earlier this year introduced its Wireless Display Adaptor, a similar thumb-drive-size gizmo that plugs into HDMI and USB ports in televisions, and then wirelessly connects with tablets, computers or smartphones running Miracast software.

Several companies already make Miracast plug-in devices for televisions.

Amazon this year launched a $99 Fire TV streaming media box, which offers some additional features for gaming and other services.

soe-rl/jv

AMAZON.COM


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