Amazon also showed off a new remote control today, and it features a curved, weighted bottom with more tactile buttons and controls. The top edge, which is the part where the power and microphone buttons sit, is flat and straight, whereas the bottom is rounded. This way, you'll be able to quickly identify which side to point at your TV.
One of the most noticeable changes to the buttons on the Fire TV remote is the home button, which now has a metal surface so you can tell where it is by touch alone. Other buttons like power, microphone and back, each have different shapes or indentations so you can feel them out. Amazon is also bringing a customizable star remote to the new Fire TV Remote, which is a feature that was previously limited to the more premium controller. You can program this to do what you want, whether that be launching your favorite app or, like Amazon says, "to toggle settings like closed captioning or Screen Magnifier."
Like most remotes for smart TVs or streamers, the new version can also control the settings of your TV set like volume or power. You can use it with all Amazon Ember TVs and al fire TV streaming media players launched from 2019 onwards.
Amazon also promised a new Fire TV Remote Plus, saying it's coming early next year. This more premium model will have an aluminum housing and backlit buttons, and it will replace the Alexa Voice Remote Pro. It will also work with the company's Find My Remote feature so you can ask your Echo speaker, Echo Show display or any other Alexa device (including the app on your phone) to locate your remote and get it to play a sound.
The Fire TV Stick 4K is available starting today in the US, Canada, Japan, Mexico, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand. It will retail for $60, although during the Prime Big Deal Days next week it will be available for $30. It will ship with a Fire TV Remote, which is also available on its own for $15. You can pre-order it now, and Amazon says it will start to ship in late October in the US.