Microsoft and Sony may not be the only ones launching new game consoles later this year. According to sources that spoke with Game Informer , Amazon is in the process of developing an Android-based game console.

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Not only that, it will reportedly be out before the end of the year -- possibly as soon as Black Friday, which takes place on November 29. The source suggested the existing catalog of Android games available on Amazon's marketplace will be leveraged for the new system, which will have a dedicated controller of its own.Such a system would likely be intended to compete not with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, but with other Android-based platforms like Ouya. There is currently no indication as to how much the system would cost, what sort of hardware it would be equipped with, or any other details.IGN has reached out to Amazon and will update this story with any comment we receive.Android consoles have yet to prove themselves as something the public at large is interested in -- Ouya software sales, at the very least, have been far from stellar thus far. The backing of Amazon would certainly be a major boon for a fledgling Android console, particularly if it offered free games for the platform as it already does on a routine basis for Android phones and tablets.One of Amazon's challenges, if it does indeed have plans to launch an Android console, would be overcoming the stigma of being a system home only to games that some consider low-quality, throwaway titles, a perception Ouya is already battling. In the case of Ouya (read IGN's review here ), there are positives worth mentioning that give hope to the notion of an Amazon-backed box.Would you have any interest in an Android game console that had the backing of Amazon? Let us know your reaction to the possibility in the comments.

Chris Pereira is a freelance writer who spends his spare time agonizing over the final seasons of The X-Files. Check out what he's saying on Twitter and follow him on IGN