This is *Lowpass* by Janko Roettgers, a weekly newsletter that delves into the constantly shifting crossroads where technology collides with entertainment culture, published exclusively once each week for subscribers of *The Verge*.
The centerpiece of this week’s edition is the long-anticipated reveal of Vega OS. On Tuesday, Amazon formally introduced this entirely custom-designed operating system, engineered specifically to power its next generation of entertainment hardware. The debut came with the release of the Fire TV Stick 4K Select, a brand-new streaming device that arrives preloaded with Vega OS straight out of the box. The unveiling did not stop there; Amazon simultaneously disclosed an assortment of new Fire TV models, though those remain anchored to Amazon’s long-standing strategy of running Fire OS, its customized fork of Android. This dual-software approach, however, has raised eyebrows among developers. For publishers expected to build and maintain apps across two different ecosystems—Android-based Fire OS and now Linux-based Vega—the overhead can be taxing. Some major app creators, as industry chatter suggests, appear hesitant to adopt Vega immediately, wary of the additional integration work.
Yet Amazon is not leaving the success of Vega’s launch to chance. To mitigate this reluctance and to deliver the essential apps that consumers regard as nonnegotiable, the company has prepared a contingency. Its plan involves enabling Android versions of popular applications—those not yet rewritten for Vega—to be executed in the cloud and streamed directly to the Fire TV Stick 4K Select. In this way, the company ensures that when the device becomes available later this month, it will not feel barren but rather stocked with the familiar entertainment experiences customers demand. Amazon spokesperson Melanie Garvey affirmed this strategy, explaining that selected developers will see their existing Android applications distributed through cloud streaming while they devote time to crafting fully native versions for Vega OS.
Simultaneous with unveiling the Fire TV Stick 4K Select, Amazon also released a comprehensive batch of developer documentation for Vega OS. The bulk of these materials detail technical pathways for adapting or building apps using React Native—the chosen development framework for Vega—on a Linux-based foundation. Still, nestled among these guidelines are pages describing what Amazon terms its “backup plan”: an initiative officially branded as the Amazon Cloud App Program. According to the documents, this program facilitates the deployment of current Fire TV applications onto devices running Vega OS without immediate redevelopment. Put simply, if an app functions on the Fire TV Stick 4K Max and meets certain defined prerequisites, then it may be streamed directly to a Vega device via Amazon’s cloud infrastructure.
The mechanics are intriguing. For each eligible app, Amazon will publish a small shell or container application to its Fire TV app store. This container acts as the gateway: the real app executes within Amazon’s servers, yet outputs seamlessly to the user’s device. Importantly, video streams accessed within these apps bypass transcoding layers, instead streaming in their original quality straight to the Fire TV stick. Transparency is part of the rollout: when browsing the Fire TV Store on a Select device, users will see a label clarifying that a given application is “Amazon cloud-hosted.” In other words, consumers will know they are accessing a streamed version rather than a traditional local install.
For now, the program has been designed with recognizable, high-profile applications in mind—titles that would be conspicuously absent if withheld from the launch catalog. To further court major publishers, Amazon is subsidizing costs: those participating will receive nine months of complimentary cloud streaming. During that time, publishers are expected to build native versions tailored to Vega OS. Eventually, usage-based fees could apply, calculated by the number of monthly active users. Nevertheless, to prevent any stalls in execution, Amazon has already autonomously enrolled some of the most popular Android applications. Even if their publishers have not explicitly committed to Vega, these apps are being cloud-delivered at launch provided they meet the necessary requirements.
An FAQ distributed to developers clarifies the details: if a developer has not yet created a Vega-native application but notices their product listed as supporting Vega OS devices in the Amazon developer portal, then it has been automatically integrated into the Cloud App Program. Garvey emphasized that only applications meeting technical criteria outlined in the documentation are included, ensuring quality and stability.
Although the concept may appear novel, cloud streaming for television applications has precedent. More than a decade ago, a startup named ActiveVideo pioneered a similar model, streaming video apps from the cloud to modestly powered cable TV boxes, an innovation later absorbed by Charter and ARRIS after acquisitions. In parallel, the UK-based company Synamedia has gone so far as to release a $10 dongle that depends completely on cloud distribution of applications. Nor is Amazon inexperienced here. The company’s Luna gaming service already demonstrates how heavy software workloads—such as modern triple-A video games—can be streamed efficiently to smart televisions and mobile platforms. Interestingly, however, Amazon has drawn boundaries: native Android-based Fire TV games fall outside the scope of Vega’s cloud program. Even so, both Luna and Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass will be supported on the new Fire TV Stick 4K Select shortly after it reaches market.
It is worth noting that this week’s formal introduction of Vega OS arrives almost two years after early reporting first revealed its existence. Moreover, it follows the quiet adoption of Vega in several Echo smart devices released earlier. Despite this forward momentum, Fire OS remains entrenched. Over the last decade, Amazon has sold nearly 300 million devices powered by its customized Android variant, and the company conceded earlier this week that countless units remain active in use. For app publishers, this reality means Android-based development is not going away anytime soon. In addition, given that television hardware cycles span multiple years, adapting Vega OS to televisions broadly will likely require a gradual, extended process rather than an overnight transformation.
Amazon openly acknowledged this balancing act in its own FAQ: “We’ve always been a multi-OS company,” it wrote, stressing its intent to continue releasing future products on Fire OS while simultaneously expanding Vega OS. New features will continue to be launched across Fire OS devices to support its massive installed base, even as the firm pushes toward its vision for Vega-powered hardware.
In short, the unveiling of Vega OS marks a defining moment where Amazon demonstrates both its ambition to shape the next frontier of home entertainment technology and its awareness of the navigation required across two separate operating ecosystems. Subscribers who wish to explore similar coverage can follow topics and authors highlighted in this edition of *Lowpass* in order to tailor future reading across their personalized homepage feeds and receive timely email updates.
Sourse: https://www.theverge.com/column/790144/amazons-vega-os-streaming-cloud
