Developer Google, Asus Release date November 3, 2014 Discontinued May 24, 2016 | Manufacturer Asus Introductory price USD $99
GBP £79 | |
Type Digital media player, set-top box, microconsole | ||
The Nexus Player is a digital media player co-developed by Google and Asus. It is the second media player in the Google Nexus family of consumer devices. Running the Android 7.0 ("Nougat") operating system, it is the first device to employ the Android TV platform. The Nexus player supports Google Cast, the feature for selecting and controlling media playback on a television that was first introduced by Chromecast. On May 24, 2016, Google discontinued the Nexus Player.
Contents
Release
The Nexus Player was unveiled on October 15, 2014, and made available for pre-order two days later on the Google Play Store for $99, and later made available for purchase at retail stores in the US.
Hardware
It is powered by a 1.8 GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3560 processor with 1 GB of LPDDR3 RAM and 8 GB of internal eMMC storage.
Remote control
The Nexus Player comes bundled with a Bluetooth remote control, with a direction pad & middle enter button, a back, home and play/pause button. It also features a button to activate the Google Search application to search for content by speaking through the remote's built-in microphone. The device can also be controlled by any Android smartphone with Google Play services. The app also features an Android Wear counterpart to allow remote input from compatible smartwatches.
Features
The Nexus Player and Android TV allows consumers to use an HDTV set to play music, watch video originating from Internet services or a local network, and play games (Emulators and Android Games). The primary interface is interacted with using a remote with a D-pad dial and 5 buttons. The remote also includes a microphone for voice search functions within supported apps and the main system interface. Android TV can be paired with Bluetooth gaming controllers to interact with the system interface / applications, as well as, playing games. Android TV also includes all features and streaming capabilities of the Chromecast device.
FCC difficulties
During its initial days on sale, Nexus Player was pulled from the Google Play Store because it had not passed FCC certification. Two days later, the device returned to the Play Store after receiving said certification.