2020 may have been a disaster in almost every conceivable sense, but at least last year some pretty fantastic gadgets hit the market — one of them being the Chromecast with Google TV. We weren't really sure what to think about the mysterious new streaming device leading up to its release, but fate has it that the new Chromecast is one of the best streaming devices you can buy right now.

Looking at the Chromecast, it's not hard to see why. For just $ 50, you get 4K HDR streaming, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support, and a great remote control (not to mention some really great colors). The power and hardware of the Chromecast is pretty impressive considering the low price, but what has allowed it to really stand out as a de facto streaming device is the software it introduced to the world: Google TV.

While Chromecast still technically runs Android TV and works with all the same apps, the interface you interact with on a daily basis has been completely redesigned. You can still open individual streaming apps and find content that way, but the whole purpose of Google TV is to make it so that you don't have to do it.

After linking all your streaming apps to Google TV, it brings shows and movies from those services directly to your home screens. Click on the title, Google TV will tell you which service it's available on, and you'll see it in no time. The more you use Google TV and "like/dislike" titles to indicate what you like to watch, the better you'll discover the content you're most likely to be interested in. In a world where it seems like a new streaming app launches every two weeks, this whole system brings much-needed simplification to an increasingly complex market.