Google’s Nexus product family may expand beyond phones and tablets next year. According to newly established tech blog The Information, a Nexus-branded set-top box is on the way. The Information’s story is stuck behind a (pretty steep) paywall, but Engadget has the Cliff’s Notes version.
In short, it sounds like the Nexus set-top-box will be an Android device capable of running both games and video streaming services. Users will be able to control it with their smartphones or tablets, and Engadget says the thing will be "aggressively priced" and intended as a "gaming box."
The Information, which quotes "people who have seen the device or were told about it," says Google could be planning the launch for the first half of 2014.
It’s not clear how, if at all, the Nexus set-top box would differentiate itself from standalone Google TV devices. Those are available today from firms like Asus and Netgear, and as far as I can tell, they’re capable of running Android games. I haven’t seen those marketed very aggressively, though, and according to Gigaom, Google plans to ditch the Google TV brand and push Android for the living room.