Amazon Could Give OUYA a Run for its Money With a Rumored Android Game Console in the Works

A mere week after Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' acquisition of Washington Post comes one of the tastier rumors that has surrounded the company. According to a source close to Game Informer, Amazon is currently knees-deep in the production of its own game console, which, given the price point of the company's Kindle tablet offering, we'd imagine will share OUYA's goals of being affordable.

There's little information on the console at the moment, but somewhat unbelievably, it's apparently set to launch before the end of the year - potentially by Black Friday (November 30). If that's the case, then this has to be one of the best-kept secrets in the industry. Somehow, Amazon has managed to build up an entire console and has plans to roll it out in just a couple of months - that's impressive. If true, of course.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos

As you'd expect from a console, Amazon will have designed its own gamepad, and all we can hope is that it's going to feel a little sturdier than the one that ships with OUYA. Given the low price of the OUYA and the likely low price of Amazon's console though, we might just have to take the bad with the good. Though, Amazon could surprise us, and release something twice as expensive as the OUYA, which could amp up quality significantly. Given Amazon's experience with Android and a digital marketplace (you could say that again), Amazon could really shine in this arena.

If this rumor proves true, what's most interesting about this move is the fact that Amazon sees enough potential in Android-based game consoles to take the plunge. After OUYA's release, some began to wonder if there was a future at all, but with Amazon's backing of the concept, perhaps there's one after all.