Android to power innovative GameStick console
Another potentially big Kickstarter project continues to explore the potential of Android
Published: 4 January, 2013
READ MORE: US | Applications | Dongle/Datacard | Android
OUYA may have been getting the lion's share of the love where original applications for Android are concerned but that looks set to change with the latest Kickstarter project with a big buzz, the GameStick. The GameStick is essentially a Jelly Bean-running dongle that plugs into a HDMI port with a corresponding wireless controller that allows for a full, and portable, Android gaming experience.
Although mobile gaming so far hasn't been completely detrimental to companies like Nintendo and Sony and their portable gaming consoles it certainly hasn't done them any favours. However using Android in this way could well deal a bigger blow not only to the portable consoles but the stationary ones as well.
Like the OUYA console the key to its popularity is its openness to developers big and small and the fact that it would potentially offer immediate access to a library of several hundred thousand Android games. That's not to mention the low cost of the console and the games.
Of course many of the existing games would be designed for touchscreen devices and smaller screens but if its Kickstarted predecessor is anything to go by then it shouldn't have too much trouble attracting interested developers.
So far the creators of the GameStick, PlayJam, have picked out 200 games that apparently work well on the miniature console. They've also been working with developers from over 250 major studios including familiar names such as Disney, so there should be a decent selection of content when it's released.
Given its size the stick itself is considerably less powerful than the OUYA device, lacking the prowess of the Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, but is small and when not in use can be stored away inside the wireless controller.
The project's goal is to raise £100,000 of funding by February 1, with an aim to release the console in April. With a pricetag currently set at $79 it's going to be even more affordable than the OUYA and is due to arrive around the same time.
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