The Nexus Q, Google’s take on a standalone media streamer, never really took off. While many raved over its interesting design, it never really took off. The obvious culprit was its $300 price tag. Even if a steaming device is made in the USA, it needs a little more functionality to deserve such a bloated price tag.
Since Google’s new streaming service isn’t supported by the Nexus Q many people believe that Google simply gave up on the project. Recent test documents from the FCC reveal that while the old Q may be abandoned, Google might just have a new device up their sleeves.
Identified in testing documents as the H840 Device and rocking a model number of H2G2-42, details of the report indicate that this is indeed a new streamer. It “functions as a media player” and requires an external power source. The power source rules out any sort of wireless battery-powered device, indicating this is, in fact, designed to stay put. In addition the new gadget was tested on a 24 inch dell monitor, indicating that it’s designed to output to an external display. Oddly enough the two were connected via USB.
The original Nexus Q was a cool idea. Being able to stream music and video to your TV, all while controlling it with your smartphone, would’ve been fun. Unfortunately for Google, the Q was pitted against all kinds of cheaper, android powered set-top boxes. Those boxes could not only play video and music, they could run actual applications. While they may not have been nearly as pretty, it was hard to justify the purchase of a Q.
If Google is really making a Q replacement there are a few things I hoped the learned. Hopefully they can keep the stunning design. As sad as it is, the form factor of the Q was its best-selling point and it would suck if they couldn’t bring it back. They need some sort of gaming support. The OUYA’s massive success shows that people still are looking for a good Android based gaming system. The Q would have a huge advantage over the OUYA if Google baked in Google Play Games Service support. Most importantly of all, Google needs to get their price point lower. No one was willing to pay $300 for the first Q, and it won’t be any different this time around.