AppId is over the quota
Summary: Will you be gaming on these GameStop-moded slates this holiday: the Viewsonic Vpad 7, Asus Eee Pad Transformer, Acer Iconia Tab A500 and Motorola Xoom?
GameStop's gaming tablets. Image by Gloria SinAmazon’s Kindle Fire may corner the market for e-books and movies/television shows on a mobile device, but GameStop sees a future in mobile cloud gaming by rolling out its own “certified gaming tablet” to 200 select stores and on its website this weekend.
As Ricardo reported back in September, Android is the GameStop tablet’s chosen platform and comes preloaded with seven games like Dead Space and Madden NFL, access to GameStop’s own Kongregate Arcade app store, as well as Android Market for your Angry Bird fix. Most importantly, the device should make console quality gaming on a tablet possible, thanks to the retailer’s acquisition of Spawn Labs back in April.
So far, GameStop.com is listing four different Android slates with various price points and configurations: the $300 7-incher Viewsonic VPad 7, $400 10.1-inch Asus Eee Pad Transformer, $400 Acer Iconia Tab A500, and $500 Motorola Xoom. Rather than sell you a watered down slate for a reduced price like the Amazon Kindle Fire (it doesn’t have a camera, microphone, Bluetooth or SD Card slot), GameStop seems more willing to give you a full-powered tablet that serves up a wide variety of gaming content (from casual to AAA titles). With their native Bluetooth connectivity and the Acer A500’s full-sized USB port, you will be able to plug in your USB controller and or pair your Wii-mote or DualShock 3 controller for console titles not geared for tablets. Ultimately, GameStop will be offering its own wireless controller to go with its line tablets like the OnLive system, but that’s for the future as it is focused on building its user base and demand for cloud gaming first, as the retailer’s President Tony Bartel told GameIndustry.biz last month.
Judging from these tablet’s specs alone, they don’t seem very different from their Android cousins save for a few extra games and games. I hope GameStop will offer at least the app store and cloud gaming service to current Android tablet owners to expand its user base, without requiring that they purchase a slate from the retailer. I doubt serious gamers shopping for a tablet this holiday will opt for a GameStop one to replace their console/PC setup, but to enable them to play “real” games anywhere and anytime, though that means they would need to tote along their controller wherever they go. What do you think? Will a GameStop slate be on your wish list this year?
[Source: GameIndustry.biz, Gamasutra via joystiq]
Related:
Gloria Sin is a freelance journalist based in New York City.
When images of the originally Europe-only Special Edition Zelda 3DS was revealed in Black Friday flyers last week, it seemed too good a deal to be true. Limited edition hardware just don’t make it to our shores very often.
Best Buy, on the other hand, is offering either box set for just $179.99, which is a great deal given that most 3DS games cost $40 each, and the device usually costs $169.99. Judging by the Black Friday flyers I’ve seen so far, no other retailer beyond GameStop and Best Buy is carrying the Zelda bundle. Most stores are just stocking the Mario bundle due to its festive color and new title, so check the product descriptions carefully before lining up on Friday.
Consumers looking to pick up the iPhone 4S without a two-year contract finally have the news they’ve been waiting for. Apple has begun selling the unlocked, contract-free versions of its latest device, offering owners the freedom from two-year contracts.
Is a price cut for the Nook Simple Touch coming next week? Image from Engadget
A comparison of all Nook devices. Image from Engadget 
industry, placing free music on countless hard drives and catching music executives with their pants at their ankles. They had no idea what was going on. And they needed technology companies to help them out, which companies like Apple did in a big, big way.
Now that Google Music is live, T-Mobile Android customers will be getting exclusive and free access to full-length select songs via Google Music, every week until the end of the year.
Considering the Amazon Kindle Fire only offers 8GB of on-board storage, 512 MB RAM, lacks Bluetooth and cameras, the 7-inch BlackBerry PlayBook makes up for all the Fire’s hardware shortcomings without adding to the pricetag (at least for the 16GB version). For $199, you get 16GB of storage, a great looking and multitasking OS in QNX, a micro-HDMI-out, video chats with a 3-megapixel camera, and can pair your BlackBerry phone to a larger 7? screen. Native BBM email support is coming in the February 2012 update so critics’ last gripe with the tablet should finally be put to rest. Both Best Buy and Staples are marking down their PlayBooks this Black Friday so keep an eye out for it (Staples has the 32GB and 64GB variants for $249 and $399 respectively.)
casually showed off the world’s first quad-core tablet, the ultra-slim Eee Pad Transformer Prime, at AsiaD last month, we’ve been hoping Santa the Taiwanese company would deliver the slate in-time for this holiday season.
But don’t expect the Transformer Prime with industry leading specs to come cheap. The 32 GB version starts at $499, with the 64 GB setting you back $599. (The first-gen 16 GB Transformer was only $399, which was part of its appeal.) Though the keyboard dock retails separately for $149, it’s what sets this tablet apart from other Android devices: it adds 6 hours of juice, a keyboard, a touchpad, a full SD Card slot and USB port, which turns the Transformer Prime into a mighty productivity powerhouse.
Fitbit UltraThe Fitbit Ultra is the latest in a lengthening line of products aimed at tracking - and hopefully improving - your fitness. With the ability to track the number of steps you take, the number of stairs you climb, the number of calories you burn, and even how well you sleep, the Fitbit Ultra is pretty robust for a device its size. Even better, the device also wirelessly syncs your data with the Fitbit website, allowing you to visually map how far you’ve come and how far you intend to go. $99.
KindleAside from all of the enticing Kindle Fire news, the biggest move Amazon made in 2011 was dropping the price of its massively popular Kindle eReader to $79. But though it is nearly $40 cheaper than it was previously, the now-cheaper Kindle does have a few potential downsides. Not only does it lack both a physical keyboard and touch screen, but to get it to its current price Amazon had to infuse the Kindle with advertisements. But it’s still a pretty great deal.
Sandisk Sansa Clip ZipFor those not of the Apple persuasion, Sandisk offers the Sansa Clip Zip, a thinner version of its Sansa Clip MP3 player. Available in multiple colors and in two memory configurations (4GB, 8GB), the Sansa Clip Zip offers 15 hours of of battery life and supports all the major music formats. Did we mention it comes in a variety of colors? Red looks nice. Starts at $50.
Roku LTFor a chapter alternative to the Apple TV, look no further than the Roku LT. This purple box is the cheapest one Roku has ever created, and offers many of the same features found in more expensive models. Capable of streaming services like Netflix, Amazon and Hulu Plus in 720p, the Roku LT is a pretty robust offering for a product that sells for just $50. 
Pogoplug MobileThe mission of the Pogoplug Mobile is simple. Acting as a hub for all of your movies, music, and photos, the PogoPlug liberates your mobile devices from their relatively paltry storage limits. Pogoplug has even gone as far as to offer the ability to stream content from outside your home network, allowing you to access your files even when you are not at home. For $29, Pogoplug also offers PC software to takle the same task, removing the need for a dedicated Pogoplug device.
Obol BowlThough far less hi-tech than the other items here, the Obol Bowl solves a fundamental problem: Keeping your cereal from getting soggy. Dubbed “the original crispy cereal bowl”, the Obol works by storing your milk in cereal in two separate compartment connected by a spiral slide. Users simply slide their cereal into the milk compartment to eat. Genius. $20
iPod ShuffleThe world may be slowly turning its back on dedicated MP3 players, but that doesn’t make Apple’s iPod shuffle any less compelling. The pitch for the Shuffle should by this point be clear: 5 colors, 15 hours of battery life, 2GB of storage. That’s plenty for a device that sells for just $49.