There are so many TV boxes, streaming devices and TV dongles that it may be hard to keep up. Turning your black slab into a smart TV doesn’t take much these days — buy a streaming device, plug it in and done. Google’s never really invested much into its Chromecast product, which is just used to cast whatever’s on your phone to your TV.

Even though it sounds seamless, using your smartphone as a remote does something that you want to avoid when watching TV — you use your phone. Every time you want to change the show or adjust any settings, you reach out and touch that little tethered device. And although it’s ‘accessible’, it’s still not ideal.

Now Google has brought some much-needed updates to its Chromecast device. At its Google event last night, the company announced the updated streaming device with Google TV. We’ll get to Google TV just now. First, let’s point out that this Chromecast device comes with a remote control. Finally!

The Google-Assistant-powered remote control gives you instant control of what goes on on your TV. No more sitting on the couch, browsing Netflix shows on your phone before you even start streaming. The remote will instantly access the Chromecast, help you choose content and access specified streaming services at the tap of a button.

Then there’s Google TV (sounds… familiar?). It’s a complete redesign of the Chromecast interface, and now features its own UI that shows you popular shows, what Google thinks you’d like to watch (from a variety of streaming services) and easy control via the new remote control.

This all sounds like a sweet deal coming in at $50. We’re not even going to calculate the local pricing from that indication, as it’ll never be accurate. Let’s hope the new Chromecast comes to SA at launch.

Source: The Verge