Amazon Fire TV review: One reviewer of the newly launched Amazon Fire TV, the $99 digital set-top box from the tech giant, is giving it a huge thumbs up for its performance. The streaming player and gaming add-on has been described as having “no lag anywhere” and “amazing for gaming.”

The gadget also plays apps like Hulu and Netflix, amongst others. Such feature begs the question: Will Amazon Fire TV be better than Roku 3 and Apple TV?

Android Headlines recaps the specs of the Amazon Fire TV, indicating that it has a Qualcomm Krait 300 quad-core processor that clocks in at 1.7GHz, 2GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, and a dual-band, dual-antenna. Connectivity options for it include WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n networks, Bluetooth 4.0, Ethernet port, USB port, and an HDMI port.

The Android-focused site notes that the Amazon Fire TV is actually a really nice looking set-top box that can go beside your TV or on a shelf below. It’s a black box basically with the top and bottom featuring soft-touch plastic that you’ll find on the Samsung Galaxy S5, Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 2013. The unit gives a nice feel while still looking great. It can also produced 1080P video at 60 fps, which Android Headlines notes looks amazing.

Performance of the unit is good and the only downside is Hulu+ and Netflix seems to buffer a lot more than Amazon Prime Instant Video content. Starting up a video and or TV show was really, really fast, and almost instant.

Streaming video for the unit, which is its primary function, is excellent. The video is really, really fast and almost instant from the time you choose what to watch. The Amazon Fire TV loads video faster than Netflix and Hulu+.

Interface on the Fire TV looks similar to the Fire OS on the Kindle Fire tablets. The UI of the unit is easy to use and drama-free.

One thing that sets apart the Amazon Fire TV is that it not only streams video but also allows gaming and this digital player does it well. There are only a few games available, but the results from Android Headline’s test are described as “amazing.” Games played on the Amazon Fire TV for the review were Riptide GP2 and Asphalt 8. The Fire TV works with MOGA Pro controllers and Nyko Playpad controllers. A negative though for the Fire TV is its lack of Google Play integration.

The Fire TV’s graphics is excellent, allowing gaming and streaming of videos to be a visual feast for the user.

All in all, for $99.99, the FireTV is a great product and usually first generation devices aren’t the best, but this one by Amazon is pretty good.

Based on all these features, what do you think? Would you opt for an Amazon Fire TV instead of a Roku 3 or Apple TV?