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Handhelds Portables (Games) Games

GameStop's Upcoming Android Tablet 74

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."
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GameStop's Upcoming Android Tablet

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  • for games? .....no way!
  • Wait for it (Score:4, Insightful)

    by TennCasey ( 1667347 ) on Monday September 12, 2011 @11:47PM (#37383464)
    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.
    • by elrous0 ( 869638 ) *

      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.

  • by kumanopuusan ( 698669 ) <goughnourc.gmail@com> on Monday September 12, 2011 @11:48PM (#37383474)

    The real question is: Does it have Battletoads?

  • by Warhawke ( 1312723 ) on Monday September 12, 2011 @11:49PM (#37383482)

    "[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.

    • 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.

    • 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

  • 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?

    • Doesn't this kind of "DRM" question also apply to Google's apps? Like you know, Google C&Ding CyanogenMod for including their apps.
      • by Rennt ( 582550 ) on Tuesday September 13, 2011 @12:39AM (#37383660)
        No. Google's apps do not contain DRM locking them down to particular devices. CM was simply violating Google's copyright.
        • by tepples ( 727027 )
          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?
          • Comment removed based on user account deletion
          • by Rennt ( 582550 )

            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 (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Cronock ( 1709244 ) on Monday September 12, 2011 @11:55PM (#37383498)
    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.

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

      • 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

        • by jasenj1 ( 575309 )

          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

    • by Osgeld ( 1900440 )

      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

      • 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.
    • by Sloppy ( 14984 )

      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

  • 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.

  • by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 13, 2011 @12:32AM (#37383620)

    (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?

    • by Tei ( 520358 )

      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.

  • 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

  • Buy used, jailbreak, download, burn, play, buy used accessories, play some more.
  • by drinkypoo ( 153816 ) <drink@hyperlogos.org> on Tuesday September 13, 2011 @05:38AM (#37384868) Homepage Journal

    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.

  • 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.
  • 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.

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