GameStop's Upcoming Android Tablet

An anonymous reader writes "GameStop has confirmed rumors that it is planning to jump into the tablet market with a device dedicated to gaming. '[GameStop President Tony Bartel said] this week that Android was capable of running what he called a "GameStop-certified gaming platform" and that GameStop would be self-branding existing tablet hardware built by an unspecified third-party manufacturer. ... GameStop will sell its gaming tablet alongside consoles and handheld gaming devices from Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, and others, he said.' There's no release date yet, but the device is currently being tested by consumers. It will apparently ship with its own wireless controller."

Re:GameStop

[ozmanjusri]

It rhymes with flop.

This one may flop, but it won't take long for someone to make one work. The cost of building these tablets is falling fast, while the capability of the hardware is ramping up with similar velocity. Screen size won't be a problem for long - I already hook up my Asus tablet to an external keyboard, mouse and HDMI out (to a full size monitor) when I'm doing office work on it. It feels light and responsive as it is, so the new quad core versions should fly.

There's plenty of good looking games in Tegra Zone too, and I have no doubt that's just scratching the surface of what'll be available soon enough.

It's a great thing that the computing world is finally routing around the damage that is Microsoft's desktop computing monopoly. It's well past time we had some real innovation in the field.

Re:

[WrongSizeGlass]

Will it have Battletoads?

No, but it may have coupons GameStop will remove [slashdot.org] and later apologize to customers [slashdot.org] when they get caught.

Sorry kids, but I wouldn't trust GameStop with anything that has any of my data on it.

Will it have Unknown sources?

[tepples]

If it has Unknown sources or adb install, it has NES emulators, and if it has NES emulators, it has Battletoads.

Nook?

[metalmaster]

for games? .....no way!

Tom Nook

[tepples]

Yes, Nook for games [nookipedia.com].

Re:

[North Korea]

Sorry, but phone screen is way too small for gaming. It's okayish in a bus or so, but there's no way I would consider it fun time to take my phone to sofa or bed to play some games. And on top of that, laptop isn't really ideal for that either. I have a great gaming laptop, but it just doesn't allow relaxing like that on sofa or bed, while tablets do. And quite frankly, I would like to do something else than just read too. On top of that, I spend quite much time sitting down at the pool and having a few bee

Nintendo is unfriendly to smaller devs

[tepples]

Tell that to everyone that's bought a portable gaming system in the last 25 years.

Nintendo is known to be unfriendly to smaller developers. (Google "Bob's Game".) That's one reason why Apple's App Store and Android Market took off: a chance for indie developers to build a reputation.

Re:

[muindaur]

Along with not paying outrageous fees to get the SDK. Android SDK is free, and has a $25 fee for creating an account to publish to the store: $100 for Apple (SDK requires OS X, but has no extra charge so getting a Mac Mini is sufficient for development after you make enough on the Android market.)

Re:

[Macrat]

You have that backwards. The majority of developers target iOS first and then port to Android.

Re:

[tehcyder]

You sure make North Korea sound like a cool place.

$660 per person per year voice and data plan

[tepples]

There is a market for portable touchscreen gaming, and it is phones.

Is there a market for portable touch screen gaming without a $660 per year voice and data plan ($15 for the lowest data plan and $40 per month for the lowest voice plan that can be combined with such a data plan)? A lot of parents buy Nintendo products because they can't afford to add smartphone service for three kids to a family plan.

Re:

[Sparrow1492]

Yes, it's my $260 10" Viewsonic G-Tablet. Sure it's wifi only, but I have instant portable entertainment for 3 children with only the sunk cost. Even my 3 year old has figured out how to bounce back and forhte between the Angry Birds versions to get the one she wants. And I'm not shelling out $40 bucks a game either for a DS cartridge.

Re:

[damnbunni]

Several of my coworkers have gotten their kids an iPod Touch to play games on.

So yeah, I'd say the market's not only there, it's already being reasonably well served.

Android pod touch

[tepples]

So what's the Android counterpart to the iPod touch? Every Android-powered product in that size range that I've investigated has had a major flaw compared to the iPod touch. Archos 43 has no Android Market and no multitouch, unlike iPod touch which has the App Store. Samsung Galaxy Player or Galaxy S Wi-Fi or whatever they're calling it now appears not to be sold in the United States, unlike iPod touch which is. And an unlocked phone with no plan costs over twice as much as an iPod touch.

Price

[tepples]

A Nintendo 3DS costs $170. A tablet costs twice as much. An unlocked smartphone costs three times as much.

iPad not just for games

[perpenso]

A Nintendo 3DS costs $170. A tablet costs twice as much. An unlocked smartphone costs three times as much.

However something like an iPad is not a special purpose device dedicated to gaming. Like a computer it is multipurpose and gaming is only one use.

Re:

[tepples]

However something like an iPad is not a special purpose device dedicated to gaming. Like a computer it is multipurpose

True, but unlike a computer it is not all-purpose. There are several things Apple doesn't want running directly on the device, things for which I regularly use a netbook, things that my little cousin in high school also does. I can go into detail if you want. It fits in a niche between tablets and netbooks, but an Android tablet is capable of filling even more of that niche.

Re:

[perpenso]

I absolutely agree that computers are more capable than tablets, tablets are a complementary product. However when we get to netbooks I think they are more competitor than complement, at least for the more typical netbook user. YMMV of course. Android devices are not necessarily a panacea, in certain categories they have inherit disadvantages. For example games. iPad apps are native binaries and get the full performance of the CPU. Android apps tend to not be native binaries so that they are more portable a

Re:

[tepples]

Android apps tend to not be native binaries so that they are more portable among the various hardware vendors and product families. Native binaries are possible (NDK) but there are limitations and compatibility issues

Games ported from other platforms are more likely to use the NDK because they weren't originally written in Java or another language that compiles to .class files. Can you recommend an article to bring me up to speed on compatibility issues for NDK applications, given that virtually all Android devices have an ARM CPU?

things that can deter developers from bringing more performance oriented games to the Android market.

The other thing keeping performance-oriented is the fact that no pocket-size Wi-Fi-only device comes with the Android Market. Everything with the market is either a phone or a tablet, with no

Re:

[perpenso]

I agree ARM is the norm however there are Intel Atom based devices. Google and Intel just announced a partnership to bring more Atom devices to the market.

While a native binary can run on all ARM based devices there may be performance problems. If I understand things correctly only an ARMv5 target is universal but it lacks a hardware FPU. An ARMv7 target will support hardware FPU but will only run on certain devices. A performance oriented game will probably want to use the hardware FPU. I believe an And

Wait for it

[TennCasey]

They'll sell them "new" but use the box as a display and have the actual units stored behind the counter, and they'll have mysterious signs of use.

Re:

[elrous0]

And that annoying PC snob behind the counter, the one who one who smirks at you if you buy a console game, will suddenly be peddling this thing like it were the second coming of Jesus. In addition to listening to his I'm-a-25-year-old-with-a-McJob-who-knows-everything rants about how awesome keyboard/mouse controls are, now you're also going to have to listen to him tell you how the Gamestop tablet is the ONLY tablet worth owning.

War Amphibians

[kumanopuusan]

The real question is: Does it have Battletoads?

OMG KEWL! MWF3 ON TABLET MOM!

[Warhawke]

"[W]e've created a controller that we're testing to really allow for immersive gameplay," he said. "It's hard to imagine how to stream a game—let's say Modern Warfare 3—onto a tablet and then play it with your finger."

I was going to comment on any one of the seventeen inaccuracies/deceptions/downright lies about cloud gaming that can be construed from this statement, but, I don't know, it seems to speak for itself. I suppose this all explains why Gamestop has recently decided to pursue a business model only slightly more reputable than a pawn shop. Oh well, as long as parents have more money than parenting skills, I suppose the business model will flourish.

Don't get me wrong. I'm a huge gamer, and my parents were very good about exposing me to video games. They also played the games with me or at the least watched to make sure my games were appropriate. And they sure as hell didn't give me a credit card to go out and buy whatever. Nor did I give them a list of demanded games. Seriously, if you ever want to despair for the fate of humanity being placed in our youth, go creep around Gamestop for a few tens of minutes.

Re:

[chispito]

Seriously, if you ever want to despair for the fate of humanity being placed in our youth, go creep around Gamestop for a few tens of minutes.

No thanks. In my experience they tend to smell like middle school locker rooms.

Re:

[Jah-Wren Ryel]

Don't get me wrong. I'm a huge gamer, and my parents were very good about exposing me to video games. They also played the games with me or at the least watched to make sure my games were appropriate. And they sure as hell didn't give me a credit card to go out and buy whatever.

Replace "video games" with books and that sounds pretty bad.

Maybe I was unique with a bunch of librarians in the family but my parents only ever tried to restrict my reading material once in my life. My mom told me I couldn't borrow "Moonraker" (the book, not the movie, libraries didn't have movies back then) from the library - so I stole it instead (and returned it when I was done). Otherwise no restrictions at all, plenty of times I got cash as xmas or bday gifts and spent it on any book I wanted at the

Will it be DRM locked?

[msobkow]

I'm curious: will this new gaming "platform" be DRM locked, or will you be able to play the games on any Android device powerful enough to do so?

Re:

[North Korea]

Doesn't this kind of "DRM" question also apply to Google's apps? Like you know, Google C&Ding CyanogenMod for including their apps.

Re:Will it be DRM locked?

[Rennt]

No. Google's apps do not contain DRM locking them down to particular devices. CM was simply violating Google's copyright.

Re:

[tepples]

So how does one obtain Android Market for devices running CM without infringing copyright? If not, how does one securely obtain Chase Bank's check deposit application for Android other than through Android Market?

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:

[Rennt]

So how does one obtain Android Market for devices running CM without infringing copyright?

You can't. That is why gapps are not included in the CM distro. You have to flash a package that could best be described as "warez" separately.

In theory, Google is okay with it if you rip the apps from your stock ROM; flash CM; then re-install your old apps. But the stock apps that came with your phone are unlikely to run on the latest ASOP builds without issues. Nobody does this.

Bad Idea

[Cronock]

I carry my iPad with me everywhere for business and for entertainment, not to mention browsing Slashdot. I also game more than I care to admit. I've played many a tablet games, and to be honest.. it's NOT a gaming platform, at least not in the current form.

If they could use a controller, absolutely. But multi-touch gaming is just not convenient. A few games can pull it off and last the test of time, but nothing that's in the market that GameStop caters to. The controller is a MUST and it may make the machine a killer device, a portable console that doesn't suck.

Re:

[Unequivocal]

Then watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HML5xhVCQwY [youtube.com]

Has Potential

[jasenj1]

Agreed. A good wireless controller and connection to the TV (wireless preferred) could help pull this off.

GameStop gets to define the controller that will be used and to strongly encourage developers to support that controller. One of the big wins for consoles is a known hardware and control setup. Right now no tablet comes with or can expect a handheld controller. A GameStop branded tablet could do that.

Also, GameStop could sell games for their tablet only through their own online store. Then they could se

Re:

[jasenj1]

FTA:'Bartel said GameStop will ship the tablet with a dedicated controller, though he admitted that "[t]here's not a lot of tablet/android based games for the consumer that are designed to use an external controller."'

Fail. Right there. You work with some key developers to have kick-ass launch titles that show off the greatness of the controller and you mock everyone who doesn't develop their games to support this awesome revolution.

You don't say, "Oh, well, no one really supports external controllers, but

Re:

[Osgeld]

I never understood the controller on the portable device, while it works if its designed into the product, it just seems like a circus to juggle a controller with 2 hands and a 800$ toy on your knees just because one can

Re:

[RoverDaddy]

Not that this is what Game Stop is working on, but what about a controller that wraps around the tablet while you're using it? Kind of like a skin that adds shoulder buttons on the sides and perhaps a D-pad on buttons on the bottom? I think this would be interesting to try with a tablet.

Re:

[Sloppy]

The controller is a MUST

I agree with this criticism of tablets except that I always phrase it as "a keyboard is a MUST." I think it might be bullshit, though, because the best controller or keyboard, is the one you have, whether it totally sucks or is good enough or is awesome.

The issue isn't whether or not tablets are good for gaming; it's whether or not you have a tablet on you (that is where they truly fail IMHO; they're too big for my pocket so I don't have one, but different people have different circ

Dear Gamestop

[Osgeld]

You are incompetent in your current business model, and now you want to be a console brand with no software development backing you up? its not been nice knowing you.

But what do I care, you were driven out of my town by a ma and pa shop which in this day and age takes real talent.

excuse me while I laugh hysterically

[Anonymous Coward]

(hysterical laughter automatically removed),
this is insane. HP just liquidated their tablets, the Playstation Phone is falling flat, and the Playbook is almost bringing RIM into bankrupsy. Let's not forget the market leader, iPad, probably has a thousand games for less then a dollar.

GameStop is probably the only dedicated Video Game store, and it is still in last place. They can't even manage to sell merchandise in it's original condition, and they hope to make an iPad killer?

Re:

[Tei]

What iPad killer?

What GameStop seems to want, is to move his business to the digital world. Currently is a shop that sells box (that have a game inside), and want to sell bits... or more precisally, want to rent bits.

Do you want to play a Playstation 3 or Playstation 4 game in your tablet PC? GameStop want you to pay a flat flee of 10$ montly to play demos and some games. You will not own the games, you will be renting the games for a limited period.

This is like Blockbuster opening a service like Netflix.

Re:

[vlpronj]

And they're conveniently set up, being essentially the last mall/strip plaza gaming chain, to have kids who play on every console out there come to them. So whether they play on XBox360, PS3, Wii, or what comes next, they've got their market literally coming to them, where they will browse the games for their current system, and see the only non-console device (but I think they maybe looking to blur that) in the store is the one GameStop sells. If it is cheap enough, and games are cheap enough, then they co

Tablet for games?

[sgunhouse]

Well ... depends on the game I guess. I recently bought a 7" Acer Iconia tablet, and despite what Acer's CEO recently said about tablets I think it is respectable. Okay, on some games (FPS, etc.) a controller would help. Make it bluetooth and then everyone can use them. But I installed nVidia's pinball app and it looks real good - and the interface for that is mostly appropriate. I'm sure we could come up with some other games it would be great for. I couldn't see a 10" as a portable gaming console - just t

The proper method

[Kevin Fishburne]

Buy used, jailbreak, download, burn, play, buy used accessories, play some more.

Not time yet

[drinkypoo]

There is no way whatsoever they can get a sizable and decent screen, a decent CPU, and a decent GPU into one package for a price that their average customer will pay, especially while simultaneously bundling a wireless controller.

Re:

[drinkypoo]

Problem is that you actually need a pretty pissed off system to do web browsing decently. That means at least dual core. And if they're selling it for gaming it's going to have decent 3D. Most of the games on Kongregate etc. don't work worth a crap on small screens and will have to be basically rewritten (the whole interface has to change) if that's going to change.

I honestly don't get it

[Severus Snape]

How stupid can these companies be? Can they not see all these product failures around about them? Never mind what history has shown us reguarding tablets. This tablet fad needs to die now. As much as it annoys me to say this, only Apple can/could pull it off, at the end of the day they could sell a toaster and market it into something the whole world wants. Note to everybody else: stop now, save yourself the time, effort and money, go back to R&D and think of something new.

GameStop owns Kongregate

[naroom]

And Kongregate is a massive collection of Flash games. Many of them are left-mouse-button only. Their desire to make a gaming tablet makes much more sense given that information.