I don’t want a new Google TV Streamer — I just want a new Chromecast

I remember when the Chromecast with Google TV first came out. My immediate thought was, “This is a game-changer.” While I’d been a Chromecast user since the original model, I increasingly desired the deeper functionality of a full remote and UI, as you’d get from Fire TV sticks and Roku. Since then, I’ve used multiple Google TV/Android TV products, including third-party devices from brands like Onn, as well as the newer Google TV Streamer.

Recently, though, I’ve come to realize that the original Chromecast may have had it right all along. Over the last year or so, I’ve increasingly turned to casting as my main way to stream content, and there are several reasons I’ve taken a step back.