GameStop's Android tablet has stiff gaming competition in the iPad. (Photo Credit: CC BY-ND/tom_tans/Flickr)
Video game retailer GameStop is preparing to surf the mobile device wave this holiday season, reports the Wall Street Journal. The retailer has been selling the iPhone and iPad for a few months, and now GameStop will fill the gap by offering Android tablets. The tablets will be GameStop-branded, and the retailer will pack several choice games on each unit in an effort to entice gamers away from the iPad.
While cost and whether GameStop’s Android Tablets will be running Honeycomb or Ice Cream Sandwich are currently unclear, GameStop did announce that its Android tablets will be available beginning Friday, Nov. 4. Sticker price will most likely be competitive with other Android tablets on the market, notes TechCrunch. A remote control will be sold separately, likely as a movie-viewing and music-streaming aid.
Pre-installed games on the GameStop tablet will include such titles as Madden NFL and DeadSpace.
Android has a long way to go before it challenges Apple’s tablet market share with the iPad. However, Google is hopeful that the new generation of Android tablets will gain ground. The hardware support is there, as many traditional PC companies are throwing their hats into the tablet ring in order to generate profits.
In response to the criticism that GameStop’s Android tablet will not be entirely new, but a re-branded, pre-existing tablet, GameStop President Tony Bartel told the tech blog PaidContent.org that this selection has its advantages.
“We’re excited at the prospect of coming out with this tablet,” he said. “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.”
Bartel noted that dedicated controllers and streaming PC and console games will be among the benefits of the GameStop Android tablet. As such, tech pundits such as Matt Peckham at Time are labeling GameStop’s tablet as a device with the power and flexibility to take on not only the iPad but gaming consoles in general.
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