Amazon today rolled out the Fire TV Cube, an Alexa-powered streaming device that provides voice control for the TV, cable or satellite box, sound bar and receiver.
The company says the box can handle commands like powering the TV on and off, changing the volume, switching to different inputs, and changing the cable channel.
“We believe voice makes it easier for customers to control their entertainment systems and watch the TV and movies they care about,” said Marc Whitten, vice president of Fire TV, in a statement. “And, it’s just the beginning. Amazon Fire TV Cube will only get better over time with the Alexa service always getting smarter.”
The Fire TV Cube is built to be hands-free but the device still comes with a remote control.
RELATED: Editor’s Corner—How far can Amazon reach into pay TV?
The Cube can handle 4K UHD content and offers voice control for apps including Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, ESPN, Fox Now, Showtime, STARZ, PlayStation Vue, CBS All Access and NBC. The cable/satellite controls work with Comcast, Dish Network and DirecTV service; Amazon said the Cube covers more than 90% of pay TV households.
Amazon said the device uses far-field voice recognition with eight microphones and beamforming to make Alexa hear commands better even when it’s noisy.
Preorders for the Fire TV Cube started Thursday for $119.99, and the device ships with an IR extender cable and Ethernet adapter beginning on June 21. Prime members can preorder Fire TV Cube on June 7 and 8 for $89.99.