Amazon launches Vega OS for Fire TV Stick 4K Select

Amazon on Wednesday announced Vega OS, a new operating system for its Fire TV line that will debut on the company’s newly revealed Fire TV Stick 4K Select, signaling a shift away from the Android-based software that has underpinned Fire TV devices. Amazon said Vega is Linux-based, built with the React Native framework, and designed to be “responsive and highly efficient,” and the 4K Select is available for preorder at about $40 with a planned release on October 15, 2025.

The Fire TV Stick 4K Select supports 4K resolution with HDR10, includes an Alexa voice remote and 8 gigabytes of internal storage, and the product listing indicates the device has 1 gigabyte of RAM. Amazon said the company expects apps to launch faster on Vega than on prior devices, a key aim for a streaming market that has frequently criticized performance on low-cost hardware. Amazon also listed a range of streaming services as compatible, including Prime Video, Netflix, Disney, YouTube and Apple TV, and said support for cloud game streaming through Xbox Cloud Gaming and Amazon’s Luna will arrive “soon.”

A major technical and user-facing change is that Vega will not permit app sideloading. Amazon’s product...