Online retail giant Amazon will enter the Android console market later this year, according to Game Informer sources. In a brief report, the site claims people with "knowledge of the in-development hardware" said the Amazon console will have its own controller, will use Amazon's own library of Android apps, and will "most likely" be available by Black Friday.

Meanwhile, GamesBeat notes it's "heard rumblings" of the console, including one developer's report that Amazon exhibited a version of it recently. However, GamesBeat also says a couple of sources weren't sure if "Amazon was serious" about developing it.

An Amazon-developed Android console would certainly shake up the market, currently headlined by devices like the Ouya, GameStick, and Nvidia Shield. The company, ranked 149th on CNNs Global 500 Fortune list, generated $61 billion in revenue across 2012.

In June, the Wall Street Journal reported that Google is developing its own Android console, alongside an Android-powered wristwatch. According to WSJ sources, Google is mindful of expectations that Apple will leverage Apple TV to develop its own console.

We've reached out to Amazon for comment.Rumor: Amazon developing Android console to release this year originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 09 Aug 2013 03:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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