With the continued growth of internet-based television and streaming outlets, the world is now all too familiar with streaming dongles for televisions. Gone are the days when these devices were only for the cutting edge user: we’ve reached full commodity status at this point. Whether you are using a smart TV with apps built in or some brand of streaming hardware (Google Chromecast, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, etc.), most people at this point are becoming completely comfortable expecting applications to run on their large screens.
Of all the hardware Google has ever made, the Chromecast – in its older and newer iterations – is by far one of their best selling devices. From the early days as just a casting dongle to the latest versions that house an entire streaming experience, the Chromecast has been a market leader for years at this point in the entertainment streaming arena.
We keep asking for a proper Chromecast Ultra
And now it is truly time for a bigger, better Chromecast to emerge. We’ve been asking for one, and we got a new Chromecast last year; but that was far from an upgrade. With a peak resolution of 1080p, this was not the Chromecast w/Google TV sequel we were hoping for. And as time continues on, the original and 1080p versions of the currently-on-offer Chromecast continue feeling older by the minute.
With a laggy interface and storage woes still a part of the overall experience, the Chromecast is absolutely primed for an upgrade. And Google doesn’t even have to do too much to make it happen. They could keep the same build, the same remote (though I’d like something with a bit better ergonomics) and all the same packaging. The just need to cram in a better processor and more storage.
4K is fine for the forseeable future and Google’s software is actually quite good when it isn’t being held back by a device with a crummy processor and laughable RAM and storage. If Google simply put a decent processor in the Chromecast and paired it up with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, the overall usability would completely change.
Lighter games could be played on it locally, moving through the interface would be smooth and snappy, and you wouldn’t run into the storage limits after installing a handful of media streaming apps. At this point in 2023, it’s not a huge ask, and either an updated Chromecast or a top-tier Chromast Ultra should 100% be on the way from Google. There’s just one problem: there’s been no hints of this happening anytime soon.
A surprise arrival at Google I/O would be amazing
Like they did with the Pixel Buds Pro last year, it would be fun if a new Chromecast showed up at Google I/O 2023 as a total surprise. There’s nothing indicating this is on the horizon right now, but if the updated hardware was as simple as what I’ve outlined above, there wouldn’t be a whole lot of info to leak prior to an unveiling. Still, I’m not really hopeful that it will actually happen. I just think that it should.
With better, more performant streaming dongles out there in the world, it won’t be long before Google loses a lot of market share to the other big players if they provide devices that can get users to the same content as the current Chromecast and do so with less lag and a bit more flexibility. Those types of devices are likely right around the corner, and if Google is caught sleeping on this, I could see even an off brand like Walmart’s Onn. coming in and stealing the thunder.
If that company (Onn.) can sell a $20 dongle that did as well as Google’s $50 Chromecast, what could they do on a $40 or $50 budget? Something like I outlined a few paragraphs ago wouldn’t be that tough, and I can’t imagine it will be long before we see it from them or some other company. People are cool with apps on their TVs now, so the next step is for them to expect a bit more out of the hardware. Here’s hoping Google gets there first.
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