There are a lot of gaming systems out there, but that won’t stop one more system from jumping into the fray. The Android-based GameStick aims to be the most portable gaming system ever, and they’ve turned to Kickstarter for funding. That seems like a good strategy, considering the OUYA system raised almost $8.5 million on the crowdfunding site for their Android game system. What’s especially notable about the GameStick is that the little dongle below the controller in the picture above– that’s the whole system.
Jasper Smith, CEO of PlayJam and the leader of the team that created the GameStick, says he wanted take the open gaming ecosystem currently available on mobile devices and bring it to the closed world of console gaming, and wanted to do it with a device that was simple and portable.
PlayJam is already working with 250 developers to bring games to the GameStick, including big names like Disney, Hutch, and Madfinger. They say they have 200 titles already that will play on the GameStick, and they’re actively looking to increase the number of developers.
The diminutive size of the GameStick is matched by a pretty tiny price. The whole system will be available for just $79, which comes with the system and one controller. Earlybird contributors to the Kickstarter campaign scored a system and controller package for $69, but that category has maxed out its donors, but systems are still available at the $79 level.
The system is even so small that it can be stored in a compartment on the bottom of the controller. Games are expected to cost only a few dollars, and many of them will be free to play. This closely mirrors how Android-based games are sold in the Google Play store for Android phones.
At the time of this writing PlayJam is at $90,783 of their $100,000 goal with 28 days to go. If OUYA’s tremendous success on Kickstarter is any indication of the public’s desire for Android-based game consoles, GameStick should have no trouble exceeding their goal by the deadline.
(via Kickstarter)
- OUYA has already shipped developer kits
- Sony has stopped making PlayStation 2
- Nintendo Force Magazine hopes to pick up where Nintendo Power left off
