Amazon’s $39 Fire TV Stick takes on Google Chromecast

Fire TV Stick is available to pre-order now. Photo: Amazon

Fire TV Stick is available to pre-order now. Photo: Amazon

Amazon is looking to build upon the success of Fire TV with a new $39 Fire TV Stick that is taking on the Google Chromecast. It’s more powerful than rival devices, and it supports a vast selection of streaming services — including Amazon’s own Prime Instant Video. And for two days only, Prime subscribers can get there’s for just $19.

Amazon found a winning formula for the Fire TV. It made a set-top box that’s not only good for streaming media, but powerful enough to play console-quality games. As a result, the device has become the best-selling streaming media box on Amazon since it launched less than 7 months ago.

The company now hopes to bring the same experience to the even more affordable Fire TV Stick. With a dual-core processor, twice the internal storage of the Chromecast (8GB), dual-band Wi-Fi, and exclusive features like ASAP for instant streaming, the device lets you enjoy all the movies, music, and TV shows you can watch, as well as play your favorite games.

“Fire TV Stick is the most powerful streaming media stick available,” said Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos. “The team has packed an unbelievable amount of power and selection into an incredible price point.”

Fire TV Stick is just $39, but Prime subscribers can get theirs for just $19 for the next two days only. The device supports services like Netflix, Hulu Plus, WatchESPN, and Spotify — as well as access to over 200,000 movies and TV episodes from Amazon Instant Video.

Unlike Chromecast, Fire TV Stick ships with a remote control, though users can also use their smartphones to control the device and access Voice Search. The device also offers ASAP (Advanced Streaming and Prediction), a feature that “predicts which movies and TV episodes you’ll want to watch and buffers them for playback before you even hit play so videos start instantly.”

You can pre-order your Fire TV Stick from Amazon.com today if you live in the U.S., and it will ship on November 19.