Apple TV's pointer makes it frustrating to use. Roku's search needs work. Chromecast has "poor performance."

That was the message Amazon delivered at a press event on Tuesday before it announced plans to release a set-top box of its own called Fire TV. The device has dual-band WiFi, 2GB of RAM and voice search, among other features. It can serve as a gaming console. And it goes on sale Tuesday for $99.

The new product, which was originally rumored to be scheduled for last year, may give Amazon more footing in customers' living rooms and pit the company against the likes of Apple, Google and Roku. As with pretty much everything Amazon does, though, it's not really about the hardware — it's about what you can buy through the hardware.

"The device is the Trojan horse," says Jim Nail, an analyst with Forrester Research. "The content is the gate they're going through and what they are really going after is however many trillion dollars [of] retail spending there is out there."

U.S. consumers still spend far more time watching television through traditional means rather than online, according to Nail. If Amazon can become more of a gatekeeper in the television experience, Nail says, "they will find a way to derive revenue from every single thing that people watch."

It will likely be a powerful selling point for entertainment content and Amazon services like Prime, a premium service that offers streaming videos, but that could be just the tip of the iceberg. Tony Wible, an analyst with Janney Capital Markets, expects Amazon to use interactive ads to direct viewers to products sold on the ecommerce giant's website.

"You would fast forward and see ads just as you do today, with the exception that those ads may be interactive. You buy it and it shows up on your door two days later," Wible says. "[Amazon] will not be able to do that on an Xbox. You want to have your own end-to-end ecosystem."

At the same time, the service may help Amazon boost revenue from video ads. Amazon's global ad revenue jumped 35% in 2013 to $718.3 million, according to data from eMarketer. Assuming Fire TV serves as a platform for a video advertising stream, Nail says it "would give a huge boost to Amazon's online ad business."

Amazon stock was up by about 0.5% following the announcement.

Amazon Fire TV

1. Amazon Fire TV

   Amazon launched into the video hardware business with a set-top device called Amazon Fire TV for $99, a small flat box with a remote control.

   Image: Mashable, Christina Ascani

2. Interface

   Fire TV allows you to stream from various services such as Netflix, Hulu Plus and YouTube. However, users are unable to access HBO Go.

   Image: Mashable, Christina Ascani

3. Features

   Among its features is a predictive engine called "ASAP," which pre-loads content it thinks you are going to watch, so it can start without any buffering or load time. This feature learns over time and gets better at suggesting content you like.

   Image: Mashable Christina Ascani

4. Hardware

   It comes with a quad-core processor, 2 GB of RAM and a dedicated GPU for gaming purposes.

   Image: Mashable Christina Ascani

5. Voice Activation

   The Internet-connected set-top box uses voice search when you speak into the remote. It aims to take away the frustrations of scrolling and clicking for letters on an alphabet grid to find content.

   Image: Mashable Christina Ascani

6. Voice Activation

   The Internet-connected set-top box uses voice search when you speak into the remote. It aims to take away the frustrations of scrolling and clicking for letters on an alphabet grid to find content.

   Image: Mashable Christina Ascani

7. Gaming

   In a big move, Fire TV also serves as a gaming console and offers titles such as "Minecraft", "The Walking Dead" and Monsters University" and many are free or as low as $1.85 to play.

   Image: Mashable Christina Ascani

8. Smartphone/Tablet Controllers

   Apps for the smartphone and tablet can let users play games on Fire TV.

   Image: Mashable Christina Ascani

9. Gaming Controller

   An additional gaming controller is available for $39.

   Image: Mashable Christina Ascani

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.