It wasn’t exactly released in time for your holiday shopping, but at least we can get it before the 24th. After missing it’s mid-November release date, Hisense has finally launched the Pulse with Google TV. The $99 set-top box competes directly with the affordable VIZIO Co-Star and offers Google TV aspiring owners another great option to get a Google TV device on the cheap, but will it be able to beat the competition?

That depends very much on how business is handled. The Hisense Pulse is essentially the same device as the VIZIO Co-Star, except in a different package (Hisense’s remote/keyboard does look a bit better). VIZIO definitely has the brand name advantage though, as Hisense is known for making lesser quality products in the HDTV market.

On the other hand, if Hisense manages to get these devices available in-store, it will see a major boost in sales. People don’t like buying products without first testing them, and sadly Google TV devices are hard to see when shopping around at stores. Especially the ones at this price range. We know popular retailers like Walmart carry Hisense products, so there is a chance we might be seeing this little guy at our local stores.

The Vizio Co-Star is only sold online, and most stores haven’t carried the Sony and LG Google TVs for a while. We will simply have to wait and see how business is handled with Hisense. It is always good to have options, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Hisense Pulse seeing much less demand from online customers, compared to VIZIO.

If you want to purchase a Hisense Pulse, though, you can go ahead and buy it now from Amazon. Go get them!

[via Google TV]