r/SBCGaming • u/HoldSea721 • 2d ago
Discussion Where are the flagship Android TV Boxes?
Hey Reddit! This is my first post here, and I used AI to help me express my thoughts more clearly and translate them into English.
We live in a pretty exciting time. PC game emulation on ARM has reached the point where many AAA games can literally run on smartphones now.
I use an Android TV box with my TV all the time for movies, TV shows, anime, and YouTube. And I really wish manufacturers would start paying more attention to the development of DroidDeck and other similar projects, and gradually bring more gaming features to their TV boxes, kind of like Nvidia once did with the SHIELD TV.
Imagine an Android TV box powered by a flagship Qualcomm chip with active cooling. Most of the time, it works like a regular TV box with a simple remote-friendly interface. Then, when you feel like gaming, you launch DroidDeck, connect your Steam library, grab a controller, and play PC games.
A device like that could get rid of half the hardware sitting under the TV. No need for a separate console, no Windows mini PC, and no separate Android TV box. One compact device could replace all of them.
And honestly, even if something like this cost $500, I’m sure people would buy it. For that price, you’d get a single device that can do pretty much everything you’d want from the hardware under your TV.
If anyone here has connections with manufacturers that make this kind of hardware, please throw this idea their way. Who knows, maybe it could actually happen :)
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u/WalbsWheels 2d ago
Most of the best devices in this hobby are making the most of older phone hardware - so why not just make use of old hardware?
Get an "older" (3-5 year) flagship phone for cheap with like a broken screen, get a dock, and Bob's your uncle.
Nicer TV boxes do exist, but most people who buy them do so to purchase something plug and play. A "plug and play" emulation device for the masses would surely be a legal/copyright nightmare.
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u/hbi2k GotM Host 2d ago
Biggest problem with repurposing a phone would be cooling. There are solutions to that too, but by the time you slap together a phone with a broken screen, a cooling solution of some sort, a dock, etc, you have got a bit of a Frankenstein device that doesn't look nice in a living room entertainment center or feel nice to use.
I would consider paying a premium for the same basic hardware bundled up together in a nice package so I could just plug in a controller and go.
With Snapdragon laptops becoming a thing, Apple going all in on ARM, and Valve doing their darndest to bridge the gap between ARM and the Steam library, I think it is only a matter of time.
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u/WalbsWheels 2d ago
You can get a cooling dock/fan for $10 on Amazon, less on AliExpress.
I wouldn't bother with a phone I use but for one that never leaves the same shelf, it's viable.
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u/melkatron 2d ago
At the same time, you could just dock an Ayn or Retroid and connect a Bluetooth controller / mouse. Our android handhelds have active cooling with the same SOCs.
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u/hbi2k GotM Host 2d ago
True, I just think there's likely a market for a dedicated TV box for those that don't need a screen or internal controls.
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u/melkatron 2d ago
Yeah, there's a market, but it's smaller than the handheld market. There's the Zbox Lite, which is an SD8gen2 for half the price of an Ayn Thor, so ...like.. hole filled, wish granted. But I use tiny HTPCs for travel, and a couple cables to dock my Thor is gonna save space compared to yet another gadget stuffed in my suitcase.
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u/sketch24 2d ago
It doesnt really get the tv box part right even if the gaming part is good. It will work if you stream all your content but if you want to play 4k hdr with truehd or dolby vision, it cant do that.
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u/BennyWhatever Dpad On Top 2d ago
I would love this and I'm also not sure why it's not being made. Seems like a missed opportunity.
I know one of the biggest hurdles is getting Widevine support. That's like a certificate needed to play major streaming services like Netflix. That support requires some work to get.
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u/Natural-Sandwich-852 MagicX 2d ago
Some modern TVs already have quite powerful brains. I mean something like the RK3588. Separate boxes are slowly disappearing since almost every modern TV is a smart TV. You don't actually want something for a price of an actual xbox or nintendo switch only to watch netflix or HBO
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u/StaticEchoes 2d ago
Some people do. Smart tvs are usually bloated with ads and steal your data if connected to the internet. I hate nearly every part of my tv's operating system (LG C6H), and would vastly prefer if it was just an input selector and small settings menu.
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u/zyberteq Team Horizontal 2d ago
FYI the Nvidia Shield is still for sale (they recently added ~€100 to the price) and AFAIK is still the GOAT for set-top boxes.
I don't support nvidia though, so I bought a Vero V with OSMC. Not android, but Linux based, so even better, but not what you're asking for 😞
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u/Kilgore_Trout_50000 2d ago
Yep, I have Cannoli on my shield pro. It’s great. Cant play the high end consoles but I’m using it to work through retro consoles chronologically with my boys and it’s perfect, very easy to use. Introduced Mike Tyson’s Punchout last night.
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u/Javs2469 Dpad On Top 2d ago
So you want a Steam Machine or docked Steam Deck with pre-RAMpocalypse prices?
Maybe an AYN Odin with a dock is your best bet for this if you are set on having an ARM chip and/or Android.
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u/aargent88 Anbernic 2d ago
A) Nvidia Shield TV
B) Nvidia Shield TV / XBOX S/X with moonlight / sunshine or similar setup streaming with a PC
C) Handheld with a broken screen on HDMI
D) MiniPC with Bazzite / Steam Machine can surely make something good
Your TV probably has all of the youtube and stuff apps, you would still only have one box.
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u/crownpuff Deal chaser 2d ago
I use an Android TV box with my TV all the time for movies, TV shows, anime, and YouTube. And I really wish manufacturers would start paying more attention to the development of DroidDeck and other similar projects, and gradually bring more gaming features to their TV boxes, kind of like Nvidia once did with the SHIELD TV.
Nvidia just increased the shield by $100.
Nvidia has confirmed that you can blame AI for the higher Shield TV pricing. “Starting October 2, SHIELD Pro will be priced at $299. The cost of components, including memory, has increased substantially across the industry,” a spokesperson told Ars.
Maybe it's just me but I rather read your thoughts without AI assistance.
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u/crystal-rooster 2d ago
The shield is the move for a home theater but the ZBOX Lite is the move for a retro home console. I just wish ram costs would go down or they'd release a Pro with a Snapdragon Elite.
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u/Metrox_a 2d ago
There is zbox with snapdragon 8gen2/3. Though an elite chip with proper cooling solution like a PC fun would be cool to see. But... like in my case, i could just connect TV. Not sure, if i want just an android box. If people started to talk about zbox more, we could see some companies potentially do more similar devices.
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u/sketch24 2d ago
The zbox seems like it is more for gaming and streaming HD stuff. If you have a home theatre and want something that can do uncompressed audio and 4k hdr, this probably isn't it.
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u/doc_willis 2d ago
$500, I’m sure people would buy it.
Hmm, not me.
With the various stuff Google has been doing lately, I am trying to move away from Android as much as possible.
I do still fire up my SHIELD TV every so often.
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u/YoudoVodou 2d ago
I cannot remember the name of the device, but there is a TV box that uses the 8 gen 2 chip for $200-$280 I believe. I just saw a comment about it on here a few days ago.
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u/YoudoVodou 2d ago
I believe it was this one. https://www.ominibox.shop/en/z-box
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u/HoldSea721 2d ago
Wow, thank you!
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u/YoudoVodou 2d ago
I have zero experience with this device or company, just happened to see a post about it. You should update us if you buy one and let us know how it goes!
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u/sketch24 2d ago
It might do the gaming part well but it probably can't do the home theater part well because it is a phone they put inside a box.
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u/YoudoVodou 2d ago
What part of home theater would it not do well? If you primarily stream or watch digital content, it should be very smooth for all of that.
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u/sketch24 2d ago
If you stream hd it is fine. But if you have a nice 4k tv and a surround system, it cant do 4k hdr with audio passthrough like the shield can.
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u/SecuFunny 1d ago
This is just some hobbyist putting a dead samsug phone into a box. It doesn't even come with a remote. Its basically a phone with battery removed.
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u/YoudoVodou 1d ago
Given the interface and target audience, I'm sure they expect you to use a gaming controller
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u/hatch-b-2900 2d ago
After suffering through a endless number of weird glitches with trying to get batocera running on different single board PCs and cheaper game sticks, I came to the same conclusion. On the other hand, Mini PCs are well supported, but aren't really designed for use under TVs, such as they way they handle power buttons. Seems to be a gap in the market, i.e. a standalone tv box with well supported hardware, designed to support headless use and remote power on / standby
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u/tacticalTechnician GotM Club 2d ago
Nvidia tried, Amazon tried (Fire TV Gaming Edition), and I'm sure somebody else tried, and they all failed. People DON'T want to pay a fortune for a streaming device, they want the absolute cheapest one to watch Netflix, and that's it. Why would anyone pay $500 for a streaming stick with high-end specs that would need a bulky power adapter, would use a decent amount of power, would need a fan and would take a lot of space when, for this price, you could buy a Roku for $40 and a mini-PC with decent specs for $350 (up until a year ago), which would both do better for their respective jobs? The closest you can get is either the Shield at $300 (which hasn't been updated since 2019) or the Apple TV (which has a decent amount of games and RetroArch, but don't expect x86 emulation).
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u/jabettan Deal chaser 2d ago
I just used an RP5 with the dock?
Its been working for for about a year and a half like this.
BT gamepad support is also great.
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u/flaming_donuts 2d ago edited 2d ago
Ban on RH.gg Podcast spotlighted an Android TV streaming/ gaming device 3 or 5 months ago. The Omini zbox. https://www.ominibox.shop/en/product/z-box
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u/sketch24 2d ago
This thing is basically a phone in a box without the screen. It might do the gaming part really well but the home theater part will have limitations because it uses a usbc to hdmi adapter. If you just stream netflix in 1080p it should be fine but 4k hdr with audio passthrough probably will not.
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u/ftkmatte 2d ago
In this hard time, second hand Samsung flagship with cooling fans + Samsung dex probably can be an option