Amazon shows off new 4K Fire TV cube

If you watch TV at all, chances are you have at least one “box” connected to the thing. It might be the cable or satellite receiver. It might be the Blu-ray player. It might be a streaming device like one of those from Roku or an Apple TV. And if you’re like a lot of people, you might have all of those gadgets, and more, taking up space on your TV console.

Well, Amazon wants you to make room for one more box, and this one looks like it could be Amazon’s most direct effort to claim the living room entertainment activities of the average consumer.

Earlier this week, Amazon unveiled the Amazon Fire TV Cube, a 4K, Ultra HD voice-activated media player that uses the company’s Alexa technology to allow users to turn on and operate their TV. Unlike other voicecommand entertainment options such as Comcast’s Xfinity X1 platform and Apple TV, which require you to speak directly into a remote control to change channels or search for specific programs, your voice is the only device needed to turn on and activate the Fire TV Cube.

Amazon said the Cube gives a person the ability to handle typical TV commands; go to, search and watch apps such as Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and Hulu; and can switch between audio outputs to control different devices such as a cable box, a sound bar and an audio-video receiver. So that a person doesn’t have to be right on top of the Cube to make it work, the device has eight microphones installed to pick up commands from around a living room, or other rooms nearby.

Amazon said the Fire TV Cube will cost $119.99 and is available for pre-orders starting Thursday. It will go on sale June 21. However, subscribers to Amazon’s Prime service can get the Cube for $90 if they place their orders on Thursday or Friday.