Amazon's Fire TV: Is It Worth Game Developers' Time? 88
Nerval's Lobster (2598977) writes "Amazon is serious about conquering the living room: the online retailer has launched Fire TV, a set-top box that not only allows viewers to stream content, but also play games. That streaming-and-gaming capability makes Amazon a threat to Apple, which rumors suggest is hard at work on an Apple TV capable of doing the same things. In addition, Fire TV puts the screws to other streaming hardware, including Roku and Google's Chromecast, as well as smaller game consoles such as Ouya (a $99, Android-based device). Much of Amazon's competitive muscle comes from its willingness to sell hardware for cheap (the Fire TV retails for $99) on the expectation that owners will use it to stream and download digital content from Amazon, including television shows and apps. Those developers who've developed Android games have an advantage when it comes to migrating software to Amazon's new platform. "Porting You Don't Know Jack was really like developing for Android, with the exception of the store and the new controller library," Jackbox Games Designer/Director Steve Heinrich told Gamasutra after the Fire TV announcement. "The store itself is the same as the Kindle version, which we've used many times now, and the way the controller works is very close to what we did for Ouya." While Fire TV could represent yet another opportunity for game developers looking to make a buck, it also raises a pressing question: with so many platforms out there (iOS, PC, etc.), how's an indie developer or smaller firm supposed to allocate time and resources to best advantage?"
Depends on your games revenue model... (Score:4, Insightful)
If it's ad based, then getting in front of more eyeballs via Android and derivatives is the way to go.
If it's depending upon purchases or in-app purchases then iOS is the platform to concentrate on first.
Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Answer... (Score:5, Insightful)
I think it's true that Amazon does have deep pockets for an initial development push, much more so than Ouya. But even Amazon's pockets only go so deep. I wasn't exactly impressed with the launch title they showed. And if the games don't improve significantly and this thing doesn't take off, you can bet Amazon will shift that development money elsewhere eventually. Bezos maybe be a dreamer, but he's not crazy.
Re:Answer... (Score:5, Insightful)
The majority of consumers don't read Slashdot.