Google's Nexus Player sees retirement as Google Cast & Android TV see adoption

The Nexus Player, Google's most recent budget premium TV device, is no longer for sale.

The glorious little puck. So dashing.
Google Nexus Player (2014), without remote.

Over the past few days, people noticed that the Player has been out of stock or has disappeared from stores altogether. When pressed for response, Google says the device has been retired, with no more devices being made. The Player is no longer visible on Google's online storefront. Once the current stock is sold out, that's it.

ADVERTISEMENT

First seen in November 2014, the Asus-produced Nexus Player sported internals similar to a budget smartphone. This included a quad-core Intel processor, 1 GB of RAM, and 8 GB of storage paired with 802.11ac (for streaming) & Bluetooth (for the remote control and other input devices). The Nexus Player has seen every Android upgrade since its introduction, adding features and fixing bugs along the way. One update gave the Nexus Player access to directly-attached external storage via its micro USB port & allowed it to connect audio devices over Bluetooth, making it more competitive against other media players.

Google introduced the Nexus Player to show off Android TV on modest hardware, positioning it as a cheap living room entertainment system with support for games. The ecosystem implements support for the Google Cast (née Chromecast) standard. Being a branch of Android, it also supports (lightly/heavily modified) Android applications. As such, services like Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and Showtime made the leap to the platform with native apps, along with media players like Kodi, Plex, and VLC.

As a Google device, the Player also shows off Google's search prowess. The included Bluetooth remote has a microphone and a dedicated search button, providing voice search across the OS & in almost any application. The connection to Google means that subscriptions, playback history, and more automatically sync with the Nexus Player, further highlighting Google's slow march towards ease of use & simplicity.

ADVERTISEMENT

Google hasn't indicated whether there will be a second generation of the device. Given that Android TV is well supported, the Nexus Player should receive updates like any other Nexus device. It leaves behind the NVIDIA Shield TV as its closest replacement. Google likely isn't concerned with replacing the device right away, as more television manufacturers build Android TV into their products. Google Cast is also seeing strong support from 3rd party manufacturers.

Still, the Nexus Player will be missed. Probably.

No posts to display