Sony’s Android TVs may marry ayStation

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Published 5 Dec 2014

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The first Sony televisions with Android TV on board could start shipping in late February with some major perks for gamers.

Sony has already pledged to use Android TV in its entire HD 4K smart TV lineup, unnamed sources tell MobileGeeks that mass production could begin in nuary. ices will reportedly start at around $700 for a 43-inch television, range up to $4,000 for high-end 4K sets.

That may be on the pricey side, but Sony may compensate with some killer ayStation features. According to MobileGeeks, Sony’s TVs will include Remote ay, letting users access their ayStation 4 library over -Fi from anywhere in the house, will connect with existing ayStation 4 controllers over Bluetooth. The TVs may also run Sony’s aystation Now service, which streams ayStation 3 titles older games over the Internet. MobileGeeks says this service will be “linked to Games,” though it’s unclear what this means.

google io roid tv interface 3 games

The Android TV interface.

ile the gaming angle would be unique for Sony, the rest of the interface will reportedly be built entirely around Android TV, including live television from cable satellite providers. As we learned at IO, live TV will be treated like any other app, can even integrate with the recommendations bar at the top of the screen. For instance, users could see a recommendation when one of their favorite shows is on.

Otherwise, the TVs should function a lot like the $99 Nexus ayer, which includes the ay Store for music, video games, full Cast functionality.

y this matters: As a way to access both live TV streaming video, Android TV is much more promising than ’s previous effort, the overly-complicated TV. But the big question has always been whether major TV makers will embrace another third-party platform instead of building their own smart TV software. If MobileGeeks’ report is accurate, Sony may have found a way to differentiate through its killer aystation services, which may explain why the company made such a big commitment to Android TV in the first place.