Amazon Launches Vegas OS, Its Android Replacement For Fire TV With No Sideloading (9to5google.com)
- Reference: 0179606914
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/09/30/2225237/amazon-launches-vegas-os-its-android-replacement-for-fire-tv-with-no-sideloading
- Source link: https://9to5google.com/2025/09/30/amazon-fire-tv-android-vega-os-switch/
> The company hasn't fully detailed all of the ins and outs of Vega, but Amazon hints that this is a move in the interest of performance. In [2]a post , Amazon touches on Vega being "remarkably fast" despite the low-end hardware of its new Fire TV Stick 4K Select: "Our newest Fire TV Stick, the 4K Select, helps you maximize every pixel of your 4K TVs at an incredible value. It delivers vibrant 4K picture quality with HDR10+ support and apps that launch remarkably fast. The performance comes from our new operating system, Vega, which is responsive and highly efficient. Everything you need is right in the box -- it works with your favorite streaming services, and will soon support Xbox Gaming, Luna, and Alexa+."
>
> As pointed out by AFTVNews, the Fire TV 4K Select offers a mere 1GB of RAM, which is half as much as prior generations. So, in a way, that does speak to how lightweight this new platform is. But the bigger question is around apps. Amazon says that "your favorite streaming services" still work with Vega, and that Xbox, Luna, and Alexa+ will be coming "soon" (though they're already supported on existing Android-based Fire TV devices).
[1] https://9to5google.com/2025/09/30/amazon-fire-tv-android-vega-os-switch/
[2] https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/devices/amazon-fire-tv-alexa-plus-fire-tv-stick
Meh, who cares? (Score:2)
The Android Fire TV had become so enshitified it was useless and all that hardware has been retired here. So they are offering a pre-enshitified product. Based on Amazon's track record with Fire TV anyone who buys it deserves what they will receive.
Re: (Score:2)
Amazon cares, apparently. But without sideloading, and with apologies to the typo in the headline here... what happens on Vega, stays in Vega.
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if its just Linux then people will just figure out how to install apps on it.
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looked it up it can be side loaded. it has a dev mode. but sense there all web apps now they will need to be written for it.
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My money is on Kodi not being able to run on it. 1GB sounds pretty light on memory these days when working with video.
Tax 'em (Score:2)
For the new piles of ewaste they're generating. It's kind of funny how Google gets hauled into court for all their anti-trust hijinks but yet to fail to see Amazon on the radar!
My only question is ... (Score:2)
Who is going to buy these products?
Some people will buy anything, even a TV that constantly shows ads, so I have no doubt that someone will. But I'd think most people, given the choice of Apple, Roku, real Android, or weak Amazon "Vegas" Android, are not going to want the last option.
Re:My only question is ... (Score:5, Informative)
The majority of people don't care what operating system an appliance runs, just that it does what it says on the box.
It's a $40 device. If it lasts a few years, most people will just buy a new one if something goes wrong with it.
There's people out there who spend more on an HDMI cable than the cost of this HDMI device.
Re: (Score:2)
Even good audiophool speaker cables cost more than this -- but you can't really put a price on silver-plated cryogenically treated 101% pure copper wires that have been braided by the hands of virgins under a blue moon whist facing directly East into a 5 knot wind at 37.5 percent humidity precisely located over a suitable warp in the magnetic field of the earth.
And yes, you can definitely hear the difference, especially when using 128kbps MP3 files!
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vagas isnt android its Linux. basically chrome os before it was any good.
Amazon Launches Vegas OS? (Score:2)
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas? No sideloading? Who's your daddy?
So, the good news is that... (Score:2)
You can no longer easily install unsupported 3rd party applications on the new Fire sticks, but the even better news is that they also decreased the memory on them, insuring that they'll continue to be a somewhat useless device even someone jailbreaks it later? Fantastic, where can I sign up?
I love streaming devices where advertising takes up half of the home screen and it reports my viewing habits to a trillion dollar mega-corporation!
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kinda doesn't matter now that they got a working web browser.
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unlikely it will be good for much with less than 1GB memory available. Should be a good reminder that true personal computers are still available and at only a modest cost premium.
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very true
Getting away from Android Lag (Score:3)
If you’ve ever used android on a lower speed chip, you’d know it’s still as laggy as the day it was first announced to have touch capabilities, essentially bolted on a blackberry clone to mimic iPhone OS’s capabilities. It takes a lot of effort for OEMs to hide the lag even on high end chips and you can still see it on frequently used phones inside stores.
Anything that gets away from such an old out of date architecture is ideal IMO. I remember windows phone 8 could scroll smooth as butter even on heavy websites despite running on single core in order ARM CPUs. But that died out and now we’re left with android and iOS, which has grown more bloated with each update.
Re: Getting away from Android Lag (Score:2)
Itâ(TM)s funny. Windows Phone 8 was about to pull me out of the iphone-and probably even apple-ecosystem. i was just fixing to pull the trigger when they cancelled the project. Not that a conversion of 1 matters, but I bet I was not alone.
iâ(TM)m not fully understanding the enshittification of our time. Itâ(TM)s more than just money or twisted entertainment for fat cats. A mutual aid organization (friends, not business) I am associated with recently changed their perfectly simple and function
Re: (Score:1)
It's Satanism.
looked it up side loading is a thing (Score:1)
Sideloading apps is highly restricted. While a Developer Mode exists and allows sideloading through a command-line interface via a USB connection to a computer. in short its all web apps on top of linux. so it will need to be written for the new fire stick to work.
Isn't Google killing side loading? (Score:2)
They're going to start requiring signatures to install apps the last I heard. I guess in theory you could get a signature for the app from Google and then sideload it but I think it's safe to say if they're starting along that path they're going to lock the platform down.
We traded and he trusts law enforcement and a stable capitalist economy for moral panics. I guess some people think it was worth it.
Meanwhile (Score:2)
You can just get a Chromecast w/ Google TV which functions leaps and bounds better than Fire TV. I don't know why anyone ever bought a Fire TV instead of a Chromecast. It never made any sense.
Pixel values matter (Score:2)
Each and every one of them on my 4K screen have incredible value!
They can be red, blue, green, white or anything in between and can even decide not to emit any color at all!
Amazing values!
Re: (Score:2)
Enough yammering about your woke screen! Only the red, white, and blue pixels should matter!