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Sony tries Google TV again with motion controls, voice search, and gaming

Sony tries Google TV again with motion controls, voice search, and gaming

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Sony just announced two new Google TV devices at CES: the NSZ-GP9 Blu-ray player and the NSZ-GS7 media streamer. Both feature a new remote with a backlit keyboard, a touchpad with gesture navigation support, and three-axis motion sensing for gaming.

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sony google tv remote
sony google tv remote

Sony just announced two new Google TV devices at CES: the NSZ-GP9 Blu-ray player and the NSZ-GS7 media streamer. Both feature a new remote with a backlit keyboard, a touchpad with gesture navigation support, and three-axis motion sensing for gaming. (We're guessing that means phone-style tilt and rotation, not full six axis control like the PS3, but we'll have to confirm that.) The Blu-ray player remote also has a built-in microphone so you can access Google voice search and find content across live TV, streaming services, and the internet just by speaking.

Both models have tighter integration with the Sony Entertainment Network and support for streaming content from smartphones and tablets, and they're of course built on Google TV 2.0 with support for Android Market, so you'll have access to apps like HBO Go, Netflix, and Pandora.There's also Chrome for simply browsing the web, of course.

Conspicuously missing from the lineup is a TV with full Google TV integration; Sony seems to be taking a more cautious route after its splashy launch partnership last year. It makes sense considering the relatively slow rate of TV turnover and that Sony just endured Google TV's big Intel-to-ARM architecture shift, but competitors like LG are still charging ahead with integrated sets — we'll see which bet pays off.

There's no word on pricing yet, but Sony says the NSZ-GP9 Blu-ray deck will arrive in the summer and the NSZ-GS7 media streamer will hit slightly earlier in the spring. We're trying to get some hands-on time here at CES as soon as we can, so stay tuned.

Sony Google TV NSZ-GP9 and NSZ-GS7 with motion remote

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