GameStop to Launch Android Gaming Tablet in 2012

[garyopa]

World's Largest Video Gaming Retailer to Launch it's own Gaming Console!

http://www.maxconsole.com/maxconsole/contents/RKSID00000000000000000087/icon.jpg

Times are for sure changing, the biggest retailer of Video Games, plans to launch it's own Gaming Platform, using an existing Andorid Tablet as the Form-Factor!

GameStop, it is the largest Video Gaming retailer in the world. -- In some cases it is hated by its own customers, due to their buying power and exclusive deals they been able to pull off, and second it is hated by Game Publishers themselves as they turned the USED GAME market into multi-billion dollar business, almost to the point publishers are pushing to make used games illegal by law!

Now sources claim GameStop is shopping around for the best, most powerful Android tablet on the market, and they going to buy it up, and make it exclusive, and focus it towards mobile, tablet-based gaming.

Their own platform to directly sell, push, maybe they even fund publishers themselves to develop games for it!

2012 is the rumored date, is it right for brick and mortar store selling games to go head to toe with same brands that they are currently selling from Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, or are they seeing a vision of the future where the next-gen will for sure be mobile or tablet gaming!

NEWS SOURCE: GameStop to Launch Its Own Tablet (via) TechLand (http://techland.time.com/2011/09/13/gamestop-to-launch-its-own-android-gaming-tablet-in-2012/)

[JonathanD]

Gonna have to say good luck with this one... I know there has been some friction between publishers and Gamestop in the past due to Gamestop selling a LOT of used video games.

[taz0x9]

Theres a word for what they want to do put I just can't put my finger on it. Oh I know maybe they want to be a GAME DEVELOPER not make a new platform

[mattias800]

Theres a word for what they want to do put I just can't put my finger on it. Oh I know maybe they want to be a GAME DEVELOPER not make a new platform

Why would they want that?
They sell games. They see platforms moving to digital only, which reduces their revenue. They want some of this digital only market, but how? Sony and Nintendo aren't gonna give it to them. They make their own digital only market. How?

Well, they could make some kind of licensing platform based on Android, like Playstation certified. And then let other companies make the hardware.
Or start from the other side. Make their own Android based platform, get games on it and then license it.
Or maybe they just believe there is a market for an Android based games device with dual analogue, dpad, etc, and make the revenue off the hardware, letting anyone make games or it.

My guess is the third one, and if successful, will move to the second one, and if successful again, move towards the first one.

I'm still kind of clueless as to why there are no Android based gaming devices already. Except for Xperia Play of course, but that thing is expensive.
I believe this is a good idea, and if they don't succeed big, at least we got our first Android gaming handheld. That can't be a bad thing?

[taz0x9]

Why would they want that?
They sell games. They see platforms moving to digital only, which reduces their revenue. They want some of this digital only market, but how? Sony and Nintendo aren't gonna give it to them. They make their own digital only market. How?

Well, they could make some kind of licensing platform based on Android, like Playstation certified. And then let other companies make the hardware.
Or start from the other side. Make their own Android based platform, get games on it and then license it.
Or maybe they just believe there is a market for an Android based games device with dual analogue, dpad, etc, and make the revenue off the hardware, letting anyone make games or it.

My guess is the third one, and if successful, will move to the second one, and if successful again, move towards the first one.

I'm still kind of clueless as to why there are no Android based gaming devices already. Except for Xperia Play of course, but that thing is expensive.
I believe this is a good idea, and if they don't succeed big, at least we got our first Android gaming handheld. That can't be a bad thing?

I doubt this will be a big market for them unless it's something revolutionary because I hate mobile gaming (just my opinion) because it feels clunky and weird. If they make something new it might just be like mini game apps and stuff like that. They need to dominate with a price point that is inexpensive to almost everybody because if not then you might as well just go out and buy yourself any tablet that's already out without the wait for it. Do you see where I'm coming from? They really need to think this one through and I hope it doesn't happen because I hate the fact that GS is already giant retailer that really doesn't need anymore power in the distribution of games. They've bought out almost all competition. Last thing for them to do now is start a rental service and they would probably use those same rental discs and sell it to us used.

[garyopa]

Here some more info, on what GameStop is planning to do with their Tablet when it launches next year:



Last month, GameStop quietly started testing console-game streaming. The company said that the service, which is currently in a closed beta, allows users to stream Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 games to mobile devices. The service is based on the technology it acquired from Spawn Labs earlier this year.

GameStop doesn't plan to launch its console-game-streaming service until sometime next year.

After deciding to bring console-game streaming to its tablet, GameStop needed to address the issue of controlling on-screen characters. According to Bartel, GameStop is currently testing a controller that will work with its tablet in order to make the transition of playing titles, which are designed for specific controllers, a bit easier.


It will also come with some pre-installed Android games that Gamestop has got licenses for. And the tablet will be just picked from a current supplier:



According to Bartel, his company will be selling a "GameStop-certified gaming platform" in its stores. The tablet, Bartel says, was not developed by GameStop, but his company tested several slates before choosing one it believes is worthy of its certification.

"We definitely have selected one," Bartel told GamesIndustry.biz in the interview. "We're in test phase right now. But we're excited at the prospect of coming out with this tablet. I would call it a 'GameStop-certified gaming platform.' We looked at all the tablets and these are the ones that really worked for gaming and we're going to give you a few benefits that you're not going to get elsewhere


No clues yet on "what supplier they picked!" -- HP ??? -- hehe

[garyopa]

They are now rolled out in 200 stores.

Check out this new thread:

http://www.maxconsole.com/maxcon_forums/showthread.php?184477-GameStop-s-Android-gaming-tablets-hit-stores