After the news leaked out earlier this week, Google has now launched its Asus-built Nexus Player in the UK. You can buy it, of all places, from Argos for £79.99.
The specs include a quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. The Nexus Player is also the first stand-alone device to run Google's Android TV platform. This is an evolution of every other streaming product that Google has released and should offer the best media and gaming experience of all Google's TV products so far.
For those who find the specs of the Chromecast a little too modest, the great news about the Nexus Player is that it supports 1080p video at up to 60hz. Another of the criticisms that were leveled at the Chromecast was its less than impressive Wi-Fi. The Nexus Player offers 802.11ac, which should provide better speeds on modern routers.
Like Chromecast though, and of the apps you currently use to stream to Google's cheap stick can also stream to the Nexus Player. Its support for 1080p means you should see significantly better quality though, and the faster Wi-Fi should make the whole experience much quicker.
Accessories are expensive
As with Amazon's Fire TV, the small box can be paired with a game controller to take advantage of the wide-range of games for Android. Like the Amazon controller, the optional device is £34.99, which is an absurd amount of money to spend as an accessory for something that costs 80 quid.
If you're not interested in gaming then the included remote control will suit you well, and has voice control too, so you can search for anything as you would do on your phone. This is far better than Amazon's search, as it can be used as a way to get more information and search Google. Amazon's, on the other hand, is more restricted, although we understand improvements are on the way for Fire TV too.
We've already reviewed the Nexus Player thanks to our American team, so if you want to know how it performs, take a look. We'll take a look at how the device performs in the UK too, as soon as our review sample arrives.
