We have had the Roku for over a month now and it is so easy to use and so easy to access everything we like to watch, we have a Chrome Cast on another tv that we purchased 6 months ago and it is not even close to the Roku.
We bought these for our kids and it works great! I was concerned that the remote would not pick up the streaming stick because it's located on the back of the TV, but it picks up perfectly!!
Like so many tech products Roku is a great idea that doesn't quite live up to expectations and promises. Unless you have a robust signal where your unit is located and a robust internet connection you are going to be in for a great deal of frustration and dissatisfaction in the form of waiting for your programming to load, cache and play without interruption. If you are fortunate enough to have your cable modem and router near your Roku unit with absolutely no signal interference then you MAY be golden. If your stars don't line up perfectly and you are not fond of tinkering, slogging through tech forums, hit and miss solutions then this is not the route for you.
I have had a Roku 2 XS player for more than 2 years and love it. I have multiple tv's and between the paid content that I can access without an additional box from my provider and the free content there is just too much to watch. The set up was simple and linking to my account was flawless.