Unlike the fully powered Fire TV’s remote, the standard controller that comes with the Stick doesn’t have any nifty voice-control tech, which is a shame. As we’ll mention shortly, however, a remote wouldn’t really suit the Chromecast 2. We’d always prefer to control something with a physical press rather than a virtual one. Both come with one, and very decent they are too. This does dilute the simplicity factor somewhat, but it’s definitely not a deal-breaker.Īs the Amazon and Roku units are fairly nondescript, it puts more focus on the design and functionality of the remote. One thing that’s worth pointing out is that all three require external powering, so you’ll have to attach a Micro USB cable and plug it into the mains. But design is hardly an important factor here, as each will sit behind your screen, completely out of view.
Roku has injected a bit of its characteristic purple colour into the Streaming Stick, while Amazon added a nice dimply texture to its Fire TV Stick. This is actually better than the other two in terms of compatibility, as it fits in any TV with an HDMI port, whereas some TVs don’t work well with the stick approach. The original Chromecast was also like this, but the second and latest model takes on a disk shape, and connects to your TV with a short USB chord. They all resemble old-fashioned USB sticks or mobile internet dongles. The Amazon Fire TV Stick and the Roku Streaming Stick sport similar designs – they’re compact sticks that plug into your TV’s HDMI port. Amazon Fire TV Stick vs Chromecast 2 vs Roku Streaming Stick: Design and Remote So which cut-price media-streaming stick is best? Let’s take a look at what each has to offer. Yes, they aren’t quite as suitable for gaming – though all do have access to light games – but we’d always suggest a dedicated gaming console for this anyway. While higher-priced boxes are available from the likes of Asus with its Nexus Player, as well as Apple and Amazon, those sub-£50 sticks are a much better solution if all you want to do is binge on some Netflix, catch up with iPlayer and listen to music through your television. Google’s Chromecast 2, the Roku Streaming Stick and Amazon’s Fire TV Stick have been providing low-cost streaming kicks for a while now, helping us make our dumb TVs smart, for substantially less than £50. Just plug a little device into one of your TV’s HDMI ports, and you’ve stepped into a world of streaming goodness. Streaming media content to your TV has never been easier or cheaper. Which is the best media streaming stick to buy? We compare the Amazon Fire TV Stick with Google’s Chromecast 2 and the Roku Streaming Stick.