<\/p>\n
It’s possible that Google’s next streaming device could detect when you enter a room and let you communicate with it without using the remote.<\/p>\n
Alphabet’s (GOOGL) Google is developing a new generation of its Google TV Streamer with built-in microphones, presence sensing, a faster processor and additional storage, according to 9to5Google, citing a source familiar with the company’s plans.<\/p>\n
The microphones would allow users to issue “Hey Google” commands directly to the streaming device rather than first picking up its remote.<\/p>\n
When no one is actively viewing the television, presence detection might give it a new purpose. Similar technology can automatically show pictures, the time, the weather, and other ambient data when someone enters a room.<\/p>\n
Google has not disclosed the gadget, its cost, or the anticipated debut date.<\/p>\n
However, the claimed additions suggest that this is more than just a standard CPU update.<\/p>\n
Google TV viewers can already ask conversational questions, find entertainment, and receive assistance with topics unrelated to television using Gemini.<\/p>\n
Google’s next streamer may resemble an AI-powered smart-home hub that just so happens to be located underneath the TV if it has microphones and the capacity to identify people in the vicinity.<\/p>\n
Google’s TV Streamer could stop depending on the remote<\/p>\n
As Chromecast’s replacement, the current Google TV Streamer debuted in 2024.<\/p>\n
It was already a significant change.<\/p>\n
The $99.99 gadget was designed to sit prominently next to the TV and serve as a smart-home hub with Matter connectivity and a Thread border router, rather than hiding behind it like Chromecast.<\/p>\n
Google TV users can control compatible lights, thermostats, and cameras and see video doorbell notifications without pausing their show.<\/p>\n
Google’s purported successor appears to extend that approach.<\/p>\n
Microphones that could receive “Hey Google” requests from across the room would be housed in apertures on the gadget itself, according to 9to5Google.<\/p>\n
Additionally, the business apparently plans to add proximity detection, a faster CPU, and more storage than the 32 gigabytes that the present Streamer has.<\/p>\n
The remote is expected to retain a similar design but gain two additional shortcut buttons alongside dedicated YouTube and Netflix controls.<\/p>\n
Those aren’t equally important upgrades.<\/p>\n
Apps should load more smoothly with additional storage and processing capability.<\/p>\n
Presence sensors and microphones can completely alter how users engage with the device.<\/p>\n
Related: Google’s AI chip could become a $75 billion business<\/p>\n
To communicate with Gemini on the current Streamer, users must push the microphone button on the remote.<\/p>\n
Gemini could be reached from across the room without first locating anything thanks to the microphones included within the box.<\/p>\n
Because of this, Google’s television plan resembles its smart-speaker strategy more and more, with the exception that the AI now has the largest screen in the house.<\/p>\n
Gemini is already turning Google TV into more than television<\/p>\n
In November 2025, Google began distributing Gemini to the Google TV Streamer.<\/p>\n
Gemini can handle conversational requests rather than just simple instructions.<\/p>\n
When a couple is looking for something to watch, they may explain their two different preferences and ask Gemini to recommend a film that suits both of them. Someone who doesn’t remember how the previous season of a program ended might ask for a recap.<\/p>\n
The assistant may also answer inquiries unrelated to entertainment.<\/p>\n
Google says Gemini on TV can explain school topics, help with recipes, and walk users through DIY projects using TV videos.<\/p>\n
Google has increased such capacities even further in 2026.<\/p>\n
Gemini may provide more detailed visual responses, sports-related information, and in-depth voiced analyses of challenging topics.<\/p>\n
Additionally, Google TV can create pictures and videos straight on the TV, search users’ Google photographs libraries, and convert photographs into slideshows.<\/p>\n
This feature increases the significance of the reported microphones.<\/p>\n
The TV is now Gemini’s home, but the remote is still the main means to access it.<\/p>\n
Far-field microphones may eliminate that barrier.<\/p>\n
Another layer is added by presence detection.<\/p>\n
Instead of waiting for someone to pick up a remote, the TV may respond when they walk into the room.<\/p>\n
TCL has already used presence sensing on a Google TV to activate its Google Photos screensaver and show information such as weather and the time when someone approaches, according to 9to5Google.<\/p>\n
Put those pieces together and Google’s long-term opportunity becomes clearer.<\/p>\n
Gemini, Google Photos, entertainment, and connected-home controls all appear on the TV, which increasingly reacts to its surroundings.<\/p>\n
Google may be making the remote much less important<\/p>\n
LUDOVIC MARIN \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n
Google’s smarter TV gadget could come with a price problem<\/p>\n
There is one clear issue.<\/p>\n
Google has already significantly increased the price of its existing streaming gadget.<\/p>\n
The Google TV Streamer originally launched for $99.99 in September 2024.<\/p>\n
Google raised the U.S. price by $50 to $149.99 on Aug. 31, citing rising component costs.<\/p>\n
According to 9to5Google, that represented a 50% price increase for a device that had previously been discounted during holiday sales.<\/p>\n
The current 4K Streamer, which has 32GB of storage and 4GB of RAM, is still listed on Google’s store for $149.99.<\/p>\n
For whatever happens next, it presents an intriguing challenge.<\/p>\n
The next model would be more capable with a quicker CPU, greater storage, microphones, and presence detection.<\/p>\n
However, they could also make it more difficult to market Google’s streamer as a low-cost replacement for an outdated TV.<\/p>\n
Walmart’s Onn 4K Pro, for example, was selling for around $60 in September while offering Google TV and many of the basic capabilities users expect from a modern streaming box.<\/p>\n
Google, therefore, needs the next Streamer to justify something more than streaming.<\/p>\n
This might be the reason why the purported improvements focus more on AI and smart homes than just video quality.<\/p>\n
More Google:<\/p>\n
Google is making a change in November that might catch Gemini users off guard<\/p>\n
Google set to challenge Meta Muse in the Agentic AI race<\/p>\n
Google just disclosed something troubling about its AI<\/p>\n
There are many less expensive alternatives to watch Netflix, YouTube, and Disney+ on a television than a $149 streaming box.<\/p>\n
A room-aware Gemini gadget that manages the home, responds to inquiries, locates pictures, and simultaneously streams Netflix is a different story.<\/p>\n
The significance of Google’s next hardware update may depend on this difference.<\/p>\n
For years, the business has been putting Gemini on watches, phones, vehicles, and TVs.<\/p>\n
The next phase might be more subtle thanks to built-in microphones and proximity tracking; users would not even need to intentionally reach for Gemini.<\/p>\n
They may just enter the living room and strike up a conversation.<\/p>\n
Related: Google’s $180 Fitbit Edge makes a bet on smartwatch fatigue<\/p>\n
#Google039s #gadget #stream<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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