Remember Intel’s $US150 HDMI Compute Stick? It’s meant to turn any screen you’ve got into a computer, provided you bring your own peripherals. Thanks to an update from the chip-maker today about its new Skylake processors, the Compute Stick is about to get much better.
The diminutive size of the Compute Stick in its original iteration meant that only a slower, Intel Atom processor could be used to power it. This led to some performance issues, and more than a little disappointment. Thanks to the architecture of Skylake, however, the new Compute Stick will have a proper, grown-up processor at its heart.
The Intel Core m3 and m5 with vPro chips will power the new Compute Stick. Those are the same processors you’ll find in next-gen laptops and ultrabooks, so the Compute Stick is quickly going to stop being a slouch. Think lag-free 4K video playback, and you’re there.
Ports haven’t been confirmed for the new Compute Stick, but we’re hopefully getting USB 3.0 ports, support for 4K displays and the ability to draw power from your TV’s HDMI port rather than require an external power source. Alternatively, Intel could go ahead and stick its fancy, new USB-C Thunderbolt 3 port into the Compute stick for I/O and call it a high-speed day.
The new Compute Stick will go on sale early next year. [Ars Technica]