Google will soon stop selling the affordable Chromecast you know and love (Update)

Update, Aug 6, 2024 (10:42 AM ET): Google’s initial statements on the future of Chromecast focused on the retail side, but left us without a clear picture of exactly what was happening on Google’s end. We could easily infer a bit, but now the company’s making it unambiguous, announcing, “we’re ending production of Chromecast.”

Google explains that no changes are happening in regards to its commitment to Chromecast updates and security, but it is done making new hardware. If you’re still interested in an old-school Chromecast, they will “only be available while supplies last​.”

Original article, Aug 6, 2024 (09:00 AM ET): Google’s big Pixel 9 event is just one more week away, but today we’re getting an early hardware treat as the company pulls back the curtain on its latest smart home gear. In addition to the new 4th-gen Nest Learning Thermostat, we’re seeing the formal debut of the Google TV Streamer, the set-top box that’s effectively the new Chromecast. It’s got a fancy new remote, big upgrades to processing power and memory, and looks more than ready to fulfill your entertainment needs. That said, it’s also $100, which is a very un-Chromecast price. Will Google at least keep its existing, lower-priced Chromecast with Google TV models around? That answer is a nice and clear “kind of.”

Right now, you can outfit your 4K TV with a Chromecast with Google TV, complete with remote, for just about $50. And if you can live with 1080p (which is probably the most you’re getting from the majority of streaming content, anyway), you can save even more with the $30 HD version.

But with the new Google TV Streamer arriving, Google understandably plans to prioritize this new hardware. When asked about its plans for the old Chromecasts, Google revealed that sales in stores that already carry them will “selectively” continue, but the long-term goal is a full move over to the new hardware.

Does that mean you should go and grab some cheap streaming hardware right now while you still can? Unless you were already planning to, that move might be a little premature.

While it’s likely we’ll see availability of the old models start drying up, that timetable is still very loose, and it could still be quite a while before you’re not able to find one at all. There’s also the chance that if you hold out a little longer (and presuming there’s not some big run on them), it’s entirely possible we could have retailers slashing prices in an effort to clear old inventory — just like we’ve seen in the past with Google Home hardware.

It will be a little sad to see Google exiting the budget streaming space, but it’s not like we don’t have other options these days, such as the very affordable Onn streaming boxes.