Amazon could release Android-based game system by year's end

In the world of Android-based game systems, we already have the Ouya and the Nvidia Shield, and the GameStick is just around the corner. Even Google is thinking about entering into the fray with its own console. But if sources for Game Informer (via 9 to 5 Google) are correct, Amazon may also be making moves to release an Android-powered video game console by the end of this year.

Not many details are known about the console yet, but Game Informer reports that Amazon will likely release the system “by Black Friday.” Amazon’s console is also expected to pack in its own controller, much like the recently-released Ouya.

While the Ouya hasn’t seen a whole lot of success thus far, that product was born of a Kickstarter and built by a company that didn’t have a whole lot of money to throw at it. Amazon is an enormous retailer, has a lot of money and already has experience with Android thanks to the custom fork it runs on its Kindle Fire tablets. Add the fact that Amazon already has its own Appstore in place (and success luring developers into that store) and you have a recipe for an Android game console that could do very well.

It’s very possible to argue against Amazon’s potential success in this market, too. By the time Amazon’s rumored console hits shelves, there will be at least one more Android game system out there, and there could be other products that are, as of yet, unannounced. News that Google is also working on its own system is cause for concern, especially since Google develops Android and could build support or special features into its mobile OS that work with its system. Unforked Android has a wide reach across the smartphone and tablet universe, and its one area that Amazon can’t match Google in regardless of how much money it spends.

Regardless of who gets into the home console game, whether its Amazon or Google or both, we still don’t have definitive proof that an Android-based system is something that consumers want — at least, a system that sports smartphone and tablet-quality games. The Xboxes, PlayStations and Wiis of the world already cater to the gamers who want to play high-quality titles with multi-million dollar budgets. With those eating up the lion’s share of home gaming time already, it’ll be interesting to see where these Android-based systems fits into the picture, if at all.

Have some thoughts on Amazon’s potential entry into the home console market? Leave us a comment below and tell us what you think.