Roku Takes Aim at Chromecast and Apple TV With $49 Streaming Stick

Roku today introduced a new $50 HDMI streaming-stick to compete directly with Google's Chromecast and give consumers a significantly cheaper alternative to the Apple TV.

The new streaming stick is a sequel of sorts to a stick that Roku introduced last year that only worked with select Roku-ready TV's. The new stick comes with a full-fledged remote control and largely replicates the functionality of the full-sized Roku 3 set-top box, though it lacks an Ethernet jack and support for gaming. Users get access to more than 1,000 Roku channels, including Plex, Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon, Spotify, Major League Baseball, Showtime, WatchESPN and many more.

Rokustick

"The new Roku Streaming Stick gives consumers more choice for streaming entertainment to the TV than any other device," said Jim Funk, senior vice president of product management at Roku. "Consumers want a ton of entertainment, an easy way to search for movies and TV shows, and options to control the experience with a remote or mobile device. This new Roku Streaming Stick brings all that and more – and in a tiny form factor."

The Roku Streaming Stick connects to the Internet via 802.11n Wi-Fi and plugs into the USB port present on most modern flat-screen TVs for power. It is available for pre-order for $50 from Roku's website or on Amazon.com. It will begin shipping in April.

Top Rated Comments

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dannyyankou

65 months ago

Do I see a Blockbuster button on that remote? LOL

Rating: 10 Votes

Doctor Q

65 months ago

Now that it's so easy to plug in a little device for access to web content, there is less and less need for TVs to have these features built-in. I'd rather have a separate device that I can replace or upgrade.

Rating: 8 Votes

Orlandoech

65 months ago

To bad roku is awful. The lag and faulty ethernet made me loose support for Roku, I will stick with ATV and airplay.

So you gets defective product and you bail? I bet if you got a defective apple product, you'd commend them for how awesome they were for giving you a replacement or fixing it. Lol.

Rating: 6 Votes

milo

65 months ago

I'm still waiting for Roku support of multiple netflix profiles. Come on guys, is it really that hard?

Rating: 5 Votes

k1121j

65 months ago

love my Apple TV however excited another device to stick it to the cable companies and networks who refuse to get with the times

Rating: 4 Votes

JoEw

65 months ago

To bad roku is awful. The lag and faulty ethernet made me loose support for Roku, I will stick with ATV and airplay.

Rating: 3 Votes

jettredmont

65 months ago

And how in the hell am I supposed to stick that in my TV that's hanging on the wall with no space behind it?

Most TV HDMI ports go down or to the side for precisely this reason. But, if yours does not, you should be able to find an HDMI "L" adapter at Monoprice (http://www.monoprice.com/Category?c_id=104&cp_id=10419&cs_id=1041913) for about $2.50.

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I'd only argue with the "Now that ..." part. It's always been easy and buying a "smart" TV for the "smart" function has always been a waste of money.

We're shopping around for a (low-end) TV. Came across a JVC model which is a "smart" TV only because it includes the old Roku Stick in the box. That's the kind of smart TV I'd buy.

Rating: 2 Votes

samcraig

65 months ago

ive stopped using my Roku except for Plex for exactly this reason. unacceptable. its been months upon months at this point.

I have profiles on my Roku 3 netflix app.

But in other news - on what planet is this headline accurate. Roku, for YEARS has been competing with Apple TV (and at lower price points). Why does this article make it sound like this new (updated) model is magically different?

Rating: 2 Votes

SeaFox

65 months ago

Yeah, I thought they were long gone. All those buttons and no dedicated Hulu button.

I hate it when device makers sell out their interface that way. My Sony blu-ray player has a dedicated button for Netflix and Sony's own online streaming service, but I'm a Hulu+ subscriber. And there's no way to change either of those buttons to open the services of my choice.

Rating: 2 Votes