The Nexus Player is the latest Google product to be discontinued and nixxed from the Play Store. It was the first Android TV flagship device to be a part of the nexus lineup released in 2014, but failed to gain any traction whatsoever.
The Nexus Player was developed by Google in partnership with Asus, to define that Android was more than just a mobile operating system. It was the first device to join the likes of Nexus 6P and 5X to receive a Marshmallow update out of the box. Google had been iterating the product to provide more features via Android TV installed on it, but I guess it just wasn’t enough.
The Nexus Player packed an Intel Atom quad-core chip paired with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage, making the tiny box more than capable of handling your everyday entertainment needs. The box also came with a voice controlled Nexus Remote and a game controller to play games on your Android-powered TV.
Even after Google’s backing, the Nexus Player couldn’t amass as much fame as the small circular TV-box, the Chromecast. Google had introduced the Nexus Player to compete with other market players like Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and other Android TV devices.
Google has now silently removed the Nexus Player listing from the Play Store and its website, indicating that the device has run its course. The tech giant however isn’t giving up on the Android TV platform, Google I/O 2016 saw the release of an upgraded 4K Android TV device launched by Xiaomi – the Mi Box. And the most notable of all is the Nvidia Shield which is also a 4K Android TV offering launched last year. Other OEM’s like Sony have gone as far as to use Android TV to power their smart televisions.
If the consumers are still open to buying a Nexus Player, then you could go to your nearest Target or Best Buy to get one, as Google isn’t recalling any devices that are currently in-stock with the retailers.
