Hasta La Gadget!

The Archos GamePad, touted to be the first (and true, whatever that meant in the press release) Android-powered games console that is portable, will merge powerful tablet hardware alongside revolutionary gaming software. The big question is this – will it be able to go up against the likes of the Nintendo 3DS when it comes to the portable gaming market, let alone make a dent in the number of Sony PS Vitas sold? Only time will tell, but let us dive into its hardware specifications.

For starters, the Archos GamePad will run on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and comes with full access to Google Play as well as Google Mobile Services. You can pick it up for €149.99 in Europe, but folks who are living in the US and Canada will only be able to get their hands on the Archos GamePad sometime in the first quarter of next year. It will pack 14 physical buttons, dual analog thumb-sticks, a special Archos game mapping tool, a 5” capacitive 1024 x 600 resolution, all crammed into a chassis that measures 10mm thin and tips the scales at 330 grams.

The 1.6GHz dual-core CPU and quad-core Mali 400 MP GPU ought to be more than enough for your gaming attempts, and its 8GB internal memory with a microSD memory card slot rounds off the list of features.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Beeline Interactive announces Ghostbusters iOS social game for 2013, PowerA’s MOGA gaming system for Android hits AT&T,

Mobile gaming is big business today with a huge number of apps and games available for all manner of portable devices and computers. More and more people are turning away from traditional portable game consoles and meeting their mobile gaming needs using a smartphone or tablet. The big downside to this is that touchscreen controls often leave a lot to be desired.

Adding better, tactile controls is where the PhoneJoy Play comes into the picture. The Play is a portable controller that turns your mobile phone or other device into a portable game console. While there are already other mobile gamepads on the market, the PhoneJoy is unique in that its collapsible design allows you to wedge just about any brand of smartphone between the two halves of the controller.

The device connects to your phone, tablet, PC, or other device using Bluetooth technology. The controller itself has 14 programmable buttons, as well as a pair of pressure-sensitive analog joysticks.

The PhoneJoy Play is in the prototyping stage, and currently seeking funding on Kickstarter. Right now a pledge of $50(USD) or more will get you a controller when they ship in April 2013 – assuming their funding goal of $50,000 is met.

In the pre-post-PC era, life was simpler for Nintendo and other successful competitors: Sell console. Sell discs. Repeat until wildly profitable. Six years ago, as Microsoft and Sony were taking part in a game of specification leapfrogging, Nintendo embraced casual and family gaming with the Wii even as it mostly ignored online play and convergent entertainment features. More than half a decade later, Sony has surpassed the original Wiimote with its Move controller and Microsoft has created a motion anti-controller with Kinect, but the Wii retains an advantage in that developers can assume the motion control is there.

Today, everyone in the games business still adheres to the basic notion of compelling software selling hardware, but the source of that software and the manner through which it drives revenue has changed via models such as digital distribution, downloadable content, free-to-play, subscription and advertising. In addition, Nintendo has launched the Wii U into living rooms in which game consoles must compete not only with each other but with Blu-ray players, TiVos, Rokus and Apple TVs for physical connections as well as smart TVs and tablets as other sources of connected entertainment experiences. How it has addressed these challenges reveals much about what the company has held dear from the Wii, what it has reluctantly accepted and what it has now embraced.

Continue reading Switched On: The Three Cs of Wii U

Filed under: Gaming, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo

Comments

With the holidays fast approaching we will all be getting together with family and friends to exchange gifts and celebrate. It’s also a time to remember to not get excited about your gift until you open the box and are sure what’s on the box is really what you’re getting. Take, for example, the exciting GameMaxx game controller.

Prank Pack boxes have pictures and a description of products that looks real on the outside. However, you fill the box with whatever junk you want. I suggest socks. A hilarious new prank box has surfaced in time for 2012 gift giving called the GameMaxx that shows what claims to be the largest game controller ever. The massive controller says it will hold 1 gallon of fluid and has a 24-inch straw to keep you hydrated while you play.

The box also says that the jumbo gamepad has a multiple speed fan, tons of buttons, a retractable 36″ antenna, and its own sound system. This would be the perfect prank for someone who likes gaming in your life. The only downsides include the fact that if you give this to a kid someone is bound to throw a tantrum, and $8 is kind of pricey for an empty cardboard box.

Nintendo’s top dog Satoru Iwata recently sat down with some of his R&D crew to talk about designing the Wii U, and unfortunately, a console was sacrificed in the process. The discussion focuses on what changes they’ve made this time ’round, including the new multi-core CPU and GPU module, and how they fitted more cooling gear in a body smaller than the Wii as a result. In addition to some nice teardown pics for illustrative purposes, they muse on moving to HD, part testing, case design and how the GamePad is more of a companion than a controller. We don’t want to spoil the whole bit, so head to the source link for the full transcript, or check out the gallery below if you just want the visuals.

Filed under: Gaming, Nintendo

Satoru Iwata talks Wii U design, guts a console for context originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 12:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Iwata Asks (Nintendo)  | Email this | Comments