Roku is at long last releasing the "streaming stick" it promised to its customers almost two years ago, though at a hair lower price than previously estimated. The device doesn't quite replace some of the higher-end Roku streaming boxes, as it's designed more as a response to inexpensive streaming devices like the Chromecast, a lightweight way to get video on a TV with minimum effort.

The Roku stick is a small dongle with an HDMI plug on one end and a micro-USB port on the other. The device requires a power adapter and must be plugged into either a USB port or draw AC power from the wall.

Once plugged in, the streaming stick functions much like a Roku box; users can pull up the channels menu with the included remote and browse for content on Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and a number of other services. The remote remains the same pared-down design that comes with other Rokus, with a handful of sponsored-placement buttons on the bottom.

Like the Roku boxes, the streaming stick can be controlled via the Roku app, which was recently redesigned to provide better search functionality. The app now imitates the functionality of sites like CanIStream.it, where searching for a title will show all of the platforms where it is available for free streaming, rental, or purchase, and how much it costs (if anything). Clicking any of the options from that menu will pull up the relevant title and service on the TV, and it will start playing instantly.

Maybe the most notable new feature in the Roku streaming stick is its ability to take "cast" streams from the Netflix and YouTube mobile apps and display them on a TV. Roku achieves this by using the DIAL protocol jointly developed by Netflix and YouTube.



Unlike the Chromecast, Roku can only take in streams from the mobile apps. It can't, for instance, stream a Chrome browser tab the way the Chromecast can. Roku tells Ars that a desktop app that might be able to replicate this type of streaming could be in the streaming stick's future, but there's no timeline for development.

Unlike the Chromecast, the Roku does not come with a flexible adapter that can help the dongle hang down or out of the way if the orientation of HDMI ports on a TV mounted flush with a wall would make it stick straight out and thus unable to fit. Matthew Anderson, chief marketing officer at Roku, tells Ars that the company is considering making such an accessory available as an aftermarket purchase.

As mentioned, the stick comes with a Roku remote. Unlike the Roku 3 remote, the streaming stick's remote does not have an accelerometer, nor does it have a headphone jack like the remotes of the Roku 2 and 3.

Roku originally hinted at the possibility of a streaming-stick-format device all the way back in the summer of 2012, a year and a half before Google launched its Chromecast. Since that tease, the stick has gained its DIAL functionality and received a minor price drop.

The streaming stick will be priced at $49.99 and is set for launch in April in the US, UK, Ireland, and Canada.