That fateful day last fall when the trio of new Nexus devices was unveiled to the world was a day of much rejoicing, because the new platform of Android TV had its first hardware showcase: the Nexus Player. And after some weeks passed last fall, the three Nexus devices became available to buy, or at least they did for the United States, with each device’s variants seeing different delays and the like. One thing that every non-U.S. person should feel right to dislike is, even though Google has great products and services, not everyone globally can access them when Google wants them to. This is the story of the Nexus Player, and every other delayed hardware, program, or feature. Luckily, specifically for you folks over in the United Kingdom, the Nexus Player is peeking over the horizon to make sure you’re still paying attention.
Yes, the day is finally looming when folks in the United Kingdom can buy the Nexus Player from the lovely folks at Amazon UK. The Nexus Player, having been available for some months to us here in the States, is still a rather nice piece of hardware but let’s hit the point we all know that we’ve been waiting for: March 26. That’s the day, according to (and listed on) Amazon UK’s pre-order page for the Nexus Player, that the device will begin shipping and become available to actually buy.
Let’s do a quick rundown of what you’ll get out of the Nexus Player in case all that time spent waiting made you forget. The Player has got an Intel Atom processor running at 1.8 Ghz across its four cores, backed by a gigabyte of RAM, as well as 8 gigabytes of storage. It’s also got a PowerVR Series 6 inside for graphics, since this is meant to offer both watching and playing to users. You’ll get Bluetooth 4.1 connectivity, especially helpful for the optional, and separately sold gamepad, as well as a MIMO (multiple-input, multiple-output)-enabled Wi-Fi modem which is 802.11ac-compatible. For ports, there’s an HDMI, good for 1080p output at 60 hertz, as well as a USB 2.0 port. And all of that, as well as the remote control, is yours for, according to Amazon, only £80. That sounds like a pretty sweet price, and it still really is.
Android TV, which is the platform for the Nexus Player, just got the bump to Android 5.1 (with factory images available as of a few days ago) so you’ll be up-to-date, as well as sitting back to enjoy your new Nexus. Have you tried out Android TV or the Nexus Player yet? What did you think? Most importantly, if you’re in the U.K., will you be picking up a Nexus Player once it goes up for sale this week?