The base-model $30 Chromecast is 4 years old at this point, so it's probably time for an upgrade. The usually reliable WinFuture has gotten wind that a new Chromecast launch should be happening any day, saying that a new device is already landing in dealer inventory systems.

The report says that the "Google G454V," which hit the Federal Communications Commission a few months ago, is a 1080p streaming device that runs Google TV. In Europe, the device has a price of "around 40 euro" which would slot it in below the existing "Chromecast with Google TV," which is 69.99 euro.

A new Chromecast makes a ton of sense. Besides being pretty old for a piece of technology, Google upended the Chromecast formula when it launched the high-end, 4K "Chromecast with Google TV" in 2020. The Chromecast changed from a dead-simple, zero-interface media receiver to having a full-blown TV OS with a remote control, an app store, and onboard storage. With that big shift came a change in operating systems: "Google TV" means it's running Android, while the current entry-level Chromecast runs the cast OS.

Cast OS seems dead internally at Google. The other products that run the OS, the Nest Hub smart display line, have been slowly switching to Fuchsia. If the cheap Chromecast gets updated, there will be nothing left running the original Chromecast OS. Switching to Google TV for everything would also make the Chromecast more competitive with Roku, which includes an interface and remote with even the cheapest $30 device.

Google already has the Pixel 7 and Pixel Watch launch scheduled for October 6, so we might hear more about the low-end Chromecast there. On the other hand, the third-gen Chromecast that's being replaced didn't get announced at a show with any kind of fanfare—it just showed up in stores one day.