Amazon on Wednesday introduced the next version of its Fire TV Stick 4K, priced at $59.99 with a $29.99 launch discount, and the headline feature is not the silicon inside the stick — it's the remote in the box.

The redesigned controller drops the prominent blue Alexa voice button that anchored the previous model and replaces it with a subtle black microphone button at the top right, featuring a slight dish at the top so users can locate it by feel. The home button now carries a metallic finish with an orangeish-reddish hue that distinguishes it by touch alone. The power button sits recessed at the top left, reducing accidental shutdowns, and the flatter D-pad makes it easier to roll a thumb across, with a more tactile click at its center.

The changes are deliberate. Amazon redesigned the button layout around how people actually use remotes — in a dark room, by feel rather than sight. Anyone who has fumbled for the right button on a poorly labeled remote knows the problem: icons that don't make sense become useless when you can't see them. The old voice remote wasn't terrible, but it had plenty of room for improvement, and Amazon's fixes suggest user feedback drove the overhaul.

One long-requested addition is a dedicated favorites button, programmable to launch a preferred app or toggle frequently used options such as Closed Captions or Dialog Boost.

The remote ships with the new Fire TV Stick 4K, but Amazon is also selling it separately for $14.99 in the U.S., with availability in late October — a clear play to upgrade the installed base of older Fire TV devices without forcing a stick purchase.

The stick itself brings incremental hardware gains. It is now slimmer, can charge directly from a TV's USB port, and Amazon claims it runs 20% to 40% faster than leading competitors. Internally, it carries 8GB of storage, a quad-core 1.7 GHz processor, and support for Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and Bluetooth Low Energy. On the video side, it handles HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, H.265, H.264, VP9, and AV1, outputting at 2160p, 1080p, and 720p at up to 60 frames per second.

The AV1 support matters for streaming bandwidth efficiency, and Wi-Fi 6 keeps the device current with router upgrades rolling through households. The $29.99 launch price puts it in direct competition with Roku and Google's streaming dongles during the holiday quarter.

The new stick joins a lineup that includes the HD Stick, the faster 4K "Max" Stick with more storage, and the Fire TV Cube. Initial availability covers the U.S., Canada, Japan, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand.

Amazon's message is twofold: the streaming stick business continues its annual cadence of processor and connectivity upgrades, while the $14.99 standalone remote — the first Fire TV controller designed around tactile navigation — gives the company a low-cost hook to keep existing Fire TV households inside its ecosystem.