#NEXUS PLAYR TV#
And while you can certainly play some of them with the regular ol' TV remote, it's much easier to execute killer combo kicks or maneuver hairpin turns on a racetrack with an actual game controller. The Nexus Player is more than just a streaming box you can also use it to play games. I installed it on a Samsung Galaxy S5 and was able to navigate through the menus just like I did with the physical remote.
#NEXUS PLAYR ANDROID#
If you'd prefer to use your Android phone as a remote instead, no problem: There's also a handy Android TV Remote Control app in the Play store. The remote's overall build quality is a little chintzy, but the buttons have great travel and a nice "clicky" feel when pressed. Instead of going with the traditional Android navigation controls, the only other keys are a Back button, a Home button (it's the one with the circle on it) and one for play/pause.
There's a voice search button right at the top and a large, circular directional pad underneath. Since the Fire TV is also based on Android OS, it's no surprise that the button layout is similar.
And, just like the Fire TV's remote, it has a slight groove on the underside for your finger as well. It's curved on the sides, so it nestles comfortably in your palm. The Nexus Player has a dead-simple remote control that's slim, lightweight and home to just a few buttons. That isn't a whole lot of space, which means you'll need to be careful not to load too many games on here. It has 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage, though the actual capacity might be less. Navigating through the menus certainly feels zippy enough, and I experienced no noticeable lag when launching apps or playing games.
#NEXUS PLAYR PLUS#
On the inside, there's a 1.8GHz quad-core Intel Atom processor plus an Imagination PowerVR Series 6 Graphics 2D/3D Engine, which makes it more powerful than most, if not all, other streaming devices on the market. You could get a micro-USB-to-Ethernet adapter, but that's an additional cost you would have to factor in. That might not be a big deal for some, but I would've really liked the option streaming videos over wired connections is typically faster and more reliable than wireless. And no, there's no Ethernet port: The Nexus Player is WiFi-only by default. From there, setup is as easy as going through the on-screen instructions: You'll pair your remote, choose your WiFi network and sign in with your Google account.
#NEXUS PLAYR BLUETOOTH#
If you decide to get a gamepad (which I'll get to shortly), there's also a button underneath the Player that you can press to initiate the Bluetooth pairing process with the accessory. There's also a micro-USB port located on the rear, which Google tells us is for developers to use to create and debug apps. Simply plug the player into a power outlet, connect it to your TV with an HDMI cable (which is sadly not included) and you're done. That, combined with the fact that the remote works over Bluetooth and not IR, means you could tuck it out of sight and never have to deal with it once it's hooked up. Indeed, the only indication that it's powered on is a small LED positioned underneath the unit. Sure, its slightly unusual circular design might stand out amidst your home theater setup, but its small footprint and compact form factor - it's barely the size of my hand - means you probably won't notice it most of the time. Yet, unlike the spherical Nexus Q, the Player is quite inconspicuous. It's a flat, disc-shaped device with the Nexus logo proudly inscribed on top. The ASUS-made Nexus Player could essentially be described as a large hockey puck. Unlike the Chromecast, the Nexus Player (and the Android TV ecosystem in general) is squarely going up against the likes of Roku and is also positioned to take on the Amazon Fire TV with its Android-based gaming chops. Fittingly, the first Android TV device out of the gate is Google's own Nexus Player, a set-top box made in partnership with ASUS.
So, Google is taking yet another stab at home entertainment with Android TV, a version of the Android OS rejiggered for the living room.
0 kommentar(er)
