OUYA is not the only Android device specifically targeting games anymore, as PlayJam has launched a kickstarter campaign for the GameStick, a combo Android 4.1 HDMI TV dongle + BlueTooth game controller that you should be able to get by April 2013 with a $79 pledge.
The neat thing is that it’s highly portable as the dongle fits inside the controller for transport. However, I don’t find the design of the controller as beautiful as OUYA controller. The specs of the GameStick do not quite have the same oomph as the OUYA either, but it should still play most Android games smoothly:
- SoC – Amlogic AML8726-MX dual Cortex cortex A9 @ 1.5 GHz + dual core Mali-400 GPU
- System Memory – 1GB DDR3
- Storage – 8GB FLASH
- Video Output – HDMI. Final product will also feature MHL, but current prototypes are powered via USB.
- Connectivity:
- WiFi – 802.11 b/g/n
- Bluetooth – LE 4.0
- Controller – Bluetooth, 3 mode controller: gamepad, mouse and keyboard with support for up to 4 controllers.
Watch the prototype in action in the video below.
Since this is an Android platform, you should have access to over 700,000, but the company identified 200 titles that will be great for the platform, and PlayJam is currently working with over 250 developers (including Madfinger, Disney…) to bring more games. Like the OUYA, the platform will be open, although the company does not provide details to what it concretely means.
A $79 pledge will bring you the GameStick (Dongle + controller), and $115 a GameStick with an additional controller. Add $15 for shipping, if you are not based in the US.
Via: TechSpot
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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They met their target of 100,00 on a couple of days. Good for them, but you guys should think about doing it too, for a dual boot ready Linux/android stb based around quad core exynos with 2 gb ram and with xbmc support. Would sell like hot cakes if you could do it for a hunit dollars. Controller is not as good, agree. I like the rainbow colouring on the stick. They mentioned somewhere thattheY will have a custom game loading interface for end users and that they would have an sdk to allow mapping of game controls to their… Read more »
Tegra 3 isn’t really that amazing, so they’re probably more even than you suggest. Android is a pretty heavy leveller too.
Apart from the box and a controller, i’m not sure what either are providing apart from out of date low-power hardware. Particularly given how rapidly the space is moving.
@notzed
They also provides a customized user interface, and a game app store (at least OUYA). The price is affordable as well. But you’re right if you’ve got yourself another Bluetooth HDMI TV dongle, and a Bluetooth controller that’s almost the same thing.