Amazon announced today a major update to their Fire TV Cube device, which combines a Fire TV and Echo device all-in-one. The updated Fire TV Cube now sports a hexa-core processor — which according to Amazon is more than twice as fast as the original Fire TV Cube. The device can stream 4K UHD at 60 FPS, with support for HDR, HRD10+, Dolby Vision, as well as Dolby Atmos audio.
“Fire TV Cube was the first hands-free streaming media player powered by Alexa, and since launching last year we have gathered a wealth of feedback from customers about how they use voice in the living room,” said Marc Whitten, Vice President of Amazon Fire TV.
“Over the past year, we have continued to expand and advance the Fire TV Cube experience based on this feedback with dozens of new features including Multi-Room Music, Follow-Up Mode, and Alexa Communications. These key learnings carried over and guided the development of the second-generation Fire TV Cube, and we are excited to introduce this new-and-improved experience to customers around the world.”
Just like the original, the device let’s you control your entire TV setup with your voice. This means that you can control your TV, your soundbar, and even your cable or satellite box by voice. The device has a combination of HDMI-CEC support, but also an IR extender that can control those without.
The new Fire TV Cube has 8 microphones, which improves it’s ability to hear in a loud room, but also above the sound blaring from your television. In addition to the faster processor, the devices add on-device processing which will allow the Cube to process commands 4x the speed of the original.
The new device is available for $119.99, with pre-orders beginning today. The device is expected to begin shipping on October 10th in most markets.