GameStop Entering Tablet Market

[Greg Tito]

GameStop Entering Tablet Market

The U.S. game retailer will brand an existing Android tablet to be the "GameStop certified gaming platform."

In case you haven't heard, tablets are huge. The iPad blew the doors wide open on the handheld computer market, and the videogame industry is looking greedily at App Store profits like a warrior in a weapons shop. Publishers, developers and even retailers want to put their stamp on tablets, which GameStop is literally doing by repurposing an existing product to be an officially branded GameStop gaming tablet. The "GameStop certified gaming platform" runs Google's Android OS and will be sold alongside Apple's iPad, Samsung's Xoom, and Sony's Tablet S when it comes out some time next year. GameStop plans to release a controller for use with games that demand a more robust control scheme than your finger.

GameStop has been working on the conversion process instead of developing a proprietary device. Why use an existing tablet? "I don't see any need to create a new one with the three hundred or so on the market already," said GameStop President Tony Bartel. "We have a refurbishment centre and we can bring in the product and preload certain games onto it. It's an Android device."

Initially, any games on the platform will be light-hearted fare like Angry Birds or Current [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/features/9022-Permanent-Entrepreneurs] but GameStop hopes to debut it's streaming game service similar to OnLive and GaiKai soon after the tablet's release. That's where the controller comes in.

"There's not a lot of tablet/android based games for the consumer that are designed to use an external controller," Bartel said. "But our thought is that the tablet is a great immersive gaming device so it's hard for us to envision how that tablet will really function as such without some sort of controller. We've created a controller that we're testing to really allow for immersive gameplay. 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."

Using the tablet as a gaming platform is an interesting idea, but I don't think that gamers will really glom onto it. Perhaps I'm biased because I don't really have a place in my life for handheld gaming. If I have the time, I'd much rather play a game on my desktop computer or on the big TV in my living room. Unless I was not at home, why would I want to look at such a small tablet screen to play games?

Would you buy a GameStop Gaming Tablet?

Source: Gamesindustry.biz [http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2011-09-12-gamestop-chooses-android-for-own-brand-gaming-tablet]

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[emeraldrafael]

And que the hate for gamestop.

actually OT: Im not big on tablets either to be perfectly hoenst. so no, I wouldnt, just cause I dont see the fun in them. Im not the angry birds type i guess you could say, and i always have my DS for when I want to play handheld. But I guess if youre a tablet person its cool.

I can see some legal problems (though this might just be me, im not big on legalities in this market) in that they didnt so much make one as they just refurbished one. but eh, if its legal to do and they did, more power to them. theres definitely sound financial reason to do it rather then just make one from scratch. Its going to be interesting to see the external controller.

 

[Jumwa]

So they want me to hand over my tablet to them so they could download an app and some games? That sounds ridiculously complicated. Why not just create their own app to be downloaded and used?

Sounds like a great way to void all my warranties and risk damage to my $500+ gadget in the hands of a minimum wage sales person all in one! A bargain at any price, I say.

Anyhow, I don't really use my tablet for gaming. It's for work related stuff and reading mostly. When I want to game on the go I haul out my DSi XL.

 

[Yopaz]

Not a bad idea at all, but it does kinda defeat the purpose of having a tablet if you're going to sue controls to go with it. It takes away some of the simplicity we already got on our portable consoles such as DS PSP or a laptop for that matter.

 

[Dargocitfer]

There are a *ton* of people who are using the Wiimote on their Android devices, mostly to play emulated games (PS1, SNES, and NES). I'm not much of a "portable" gamer either, but there is a market for it, and the people who use it seem to really like it. So, this might not be a *completely* hair brained scheme.

 

[Sabrestar]

I'd like to see the controller built in to the tablet. Basically, take the new Nintendo console's big tablet controller, and just make a standalone tablet like that.

And please, for love of Elune, make it stock Android and rootable. Voiding warranty is fine, just give me the option to choose.

 

[Jibblejab]

So they want me to hand over my tablet to them so they could download an app and some games? That sounds ridiculously complicated. Why not just create their own app to be downloaded and used?

Sounds like a great way to void all my warranties and risk damage to my $500+ gadget in the hands of a minimum wage sales person all in one! A bargain at any price, I say.

Anyhow, I don't really use my tablet for gaming. It's for work related stuff and reading mostly. When I want to game on the go I haul out my DSi XL.

You appear to have grasped the wrong end of completely the wrong stick. You dont give them your tablet and they work their magic on it. You buy a new one, as you would buy a new console.

 

[Jumwa]

You appear to have grasped the wrong end of completely the wrong stick. You dont give them your tablet and they work their magic on it. You buy a new one, as you would buy a new console.

Huh. Well that's slightly less strange... I suppose.

At least it's trying to capitalize on the one thing they really seem to excel at: reselling used products.

 

[-Dragmire-]

Would you buy a GameStop Gaming Tablet?

Honestly, no. Here's the thing, I like buttons. Touch screens with no physical feedback feel... off to me.

The only tablet I use is my drawing tablet(and even then I prefer the classic pencil and paper for my drawing).

I guess I'm just behind the times in that regard.

 

[Beautiful End]

Huh, that would explain why they're suddenly taking iPods and iPads as trades. I thought to myself "But GameStop, what use would you have for that?". Well, there ya go.

But I don't know. I would have to see how it works. it sounds like a portable home console combined with a handheld one. You know, 'here's my tablet that will work as the screen which I will place on top of my books and here's my controller and now I'm playing'. Sounds appealing, but I need more than that to convince me to buy it. For example, price tag, please? If it's more than 150 bucks, forget it (Yeah, I'm being crazy and nonsensical (?)). I could buy a Wii, a full home console, for 150. I could buy a PSP for 130. I could even get a brand new DS Lite (If I find one) for a 100 bucks. I know it's not the same...which is why I'm skeptical about it until I see a bit more about it.

So now I play the waiting game.