Google announces the new Chromecast and Chromecast Audio

Second-gen Chromecasts cost $35 with one specifically for music streaming.

SAN FRANCISCO—Besides launching a pair of smartphones today, Google is also launching a pair of streaming devices. Google revealed two types of redesigned, second-generation Chromecast hardware, one simply called the new Chromecast and the other being Chromecast Audio.

The new Chromecast has a disk-like design, a departure from the original’s dongle construction. Its improved internals should also make streaming easier and faster. Now featuring three antennas, it supports 5GHz 802.11ac Wi-Fi for faster connectivity and heavier formats like 1080p. While the new Chromecast handles video and game streaming, the Chromecast Audio device will handle streaming music or podcasts. The new Chromecast plugs into a device with HDMI; Audio uses both optical and headphone jacks to plug into speakers.

The new Chromecast supports a feature called “Fast Play.” Like the name says, this feature allows the Chromecast to start a video or audio stream much quicker than it did before. In terms of gaming, now developers can render a game on both your smartphone’s screen and your TV, making your mobile device a type of controller or remote for what’s on the display.

It’s been over two years since the original Chromecast launched. That’s a very long time for any piece of technology, and it’s kind of shocking for a first generation, arguably first-of-its-kind device to hang around for that long. It’s seen a lot of advancements pass it by, like 802.11ac Wi-Fi, 5GHz Wi-Fi, and 4K video, but the new devices thankfully catch up on some of these features.

Games on Chromecast use both the TV display and your smartphone.

The Chromecast app has been totally redesigned to make it easier for you to find what you want to watch as well. A new section called “What’s On” serves as a kind of TV-Guide for Chromecast-capable services. This will pull in data from YouTube, Netflix, and other Chromecast-ready content streams to let the user easily know what content they can beam to their TV. Here is where you’ll be able to see some of the new content and apps coming to Chromecast, like Sling TV and Showtime as well as sports content from the NHL and NBA. There’s also a page in the app where you can view and search all mobile apps that are compatible with the device, which will make finding and streaming content quicker and more efficient.

Google also unveiled some new aspects to Photos, including Chromecast support. You’ll be able to detect a Chromecast from Google Photos and cast one or many images to your TV to show off to friends and family. There’s also a nifty privacy feature that let’s you keep your smartphone screen invisible on the TV while you search for which photo you want to cast next.

Chromecast Audio, connected to a speaker.

For audiophiles, Chromecast Audio does for music what the regular Chromecast does video content. Using Google Music, you can stream your tracks and playlists via Chromecast Audio and it can play on any speaker in your home. It also has guest access, so you can let friends who come over stream via Chromecast Audio even if they aren’t connected to your Wi-Fi network.

The good news is that you’re not limited to Google Music: Spotify has partnered with Google to support Chromecast and Chromecast Audio streaming. Also, the Spotify app will support multiple users at once, so you can skip songs in another friend’s playlist if you don’t want to hear them. This feature will roll out later this year.

Both the new Chromecast and Chromecast Audio are available today in 17 countries for $35.