Amazon’s Vega OS: Cloud-Streamed Apps Are Here

Amazon has officially launched its new Vega OS, a custom-built operating system for entertainment devices, with the debut of the Fire TV Stick 4K Select. This marks a significant step in Amazon’s strategy to move beyond its forked Android platform, known as Fire OS, for future streaming hardware. The new stick comes preloaded with Vega, while other recently announced Fire TVs continue using the Android-based system.

Supporting two distinct platforms presents a challenge for developers, and some major publishers have reportedly been slow to adopt Vega for this reason. To address the potential lack of apps at launch, Amazon is implementing a clever workaround: it will cloud-stream Android versions of popular apps that haven’t been natively ported to Vega yet. This ensures customers will have access to a wide selection of software from day one.

An Amazon spokesperson confirmed that select developers will have their existing applications cloud-streamed while they work on building a native Vega version. The company has published documentation for Vega OS, which is Linux-based and uses React Native as its default framework. Included in these materials are details on the Amazon Cloud App Program, a contingency plan for app availability.

This program allows the deployment of existing Fire TV apps to Vega OS devices via the cloud. If an app runs on a Fire TV Stick 4K Max and meets specific prerequisites, it can be streamed to a Vega OS device. Amazon will publish small container apps on the Fire TV store; when a user launches one, the actual app experience is streamed from Amazon’s servers. Video content is delivered directly to the device, bypassing the need for server-side transcoding. Consumers will see a clear label identifying these as “Amazon cloud-hosted apps.”

The cloud app initiative is primarily aimed at major publishers whose apps customers would immediately miss. To encourage participation, Amazon is offering cloud streaming free of charge for at least the first nine months. Publishers are expected to develop a native Vega app during this period, after which they may incur fees based on monthly active user numbers.

Amazon isn’t solely relying on publisher initiative. The company is proactively enrolling certain popular Android apps into the Cloud App Program, even if the developers haven’t taken action themselves. An FAQ document explains that developers can check their app’s device support in the developer portal; if it shows compatibility with a Vega OS Fire TV device, it is being delivered via cloud streaming.

The concept of cloud-streaming TV apps isn’t entirely new. A startup called ActiveVideo used similar technology years ago to bring internet apps to basic cable boxes, and more recently, Synamedia launched a dongle that operates entirely from the cloud. Amazon itself is familiar with the technology through its Luna cloud gaming service, which streams games to various devices. Notably, the cloud app program does not include games that run natively on Android-based Fire TVs; services like Luna and Xbox Game Pass will be made available on the Vega-based Select stick shortly after launch.

The unveiling of Vega OS comes nearly two years after initial reports of its development and follows the launch of three Echo devices already running the system. However, Amazon has a massive installed base to consider, having sold nearly 300 million Android-based Fire TV devices over the past decade. Many of these are still in active use, meaning developers must continue supporting the Android platform for the foreseeable future.

Amazon acknowledges this balancing act, stating it has always been a “multi-OS company” and will continue launching new devices and features on Fire OS while supporting existing customer experiences. Bringing Vega to televisions directly could be a lengthy process, given the multi-year hardware cycles of TV manufacturers, ensuring a prolonged transition period for the ecosystem.

(Source: The Verge)