Last year, Google released Chromecast, a $35 media stick that appealed to consumers due to its remarkable value. Earlier this year, Amazon rolled out Fire TV, a set-top box with more power than the competition and a $99 price tag. Now Google has shown off a $99 set-top box of its own, and Amazon is hitting the market with a media-streaming HDMI dongle: the Fire TV Stick.

Like the Fire TV before it, Amazon wants us to know that the Fire TV Stick is more powerful than the competition. This time it's thanks to a dual-core processor, 1 GB of RAM, and 8 GB of internal storage. This is twice the amount of RAM Chromecast has and four times the internal storage.

The Fire TV Stick is attempting to do more than Chromecast does, so it actually needs this extra hardware. More than a mere receiver, Amazon's offering contains its own UI and the ability to store apps. But the thing still has the ability to mirror whatever is on a Fire tablet, Fire phone, or a Miracast-enabled device.

Unlike Chromecast, the Fire TV Stick comes with its own remote control, so users don't have to deal with their phones or tablets to control what's playing (though a free app is available for anyone who prefers this approach).

The Fire TV Stick is available for pre-order now for $39.99, but Prime customers who buy one in the next two days can get it for half the price at just $19.99. Units will start shipping out on November 19th.

Fire TV Stick pre-order on Amazon