Gamestop has come up with a thoroughly thought-provoking method to stop losing business to the ever-expanding mobile market: By jumping into that market with arms outstretched. The company hinted at the possibility of developing a gaming tablet earlier this year; today, Gamestop president Tony Bartel explained to GamesIndustry that they're currently testing the sale and distribution of an unspecified Android tablet which will be Gamestop branded, and paired with a dedicated controller peripheral.

The device will support (and, after a trip through Gamestop's refurbishment center, will be pre-loaded with) mobile apps, but the goal is to allow the tablet to stream full retail releases (assumedly using Spawn Labs' Player software). Bartel also mentioned that the company was working with developers to create titles specifically for the hardware -- though we'll probably have to wait until the device's launch next year to find out the identity of those titles, not to mention the tablet itself.

Source: http://www.joystiq.com/2011/09/12/gamestop-launching-branded-android-gaming-tablet-next-year/

Posted: Sep 12, 2011 1:14 pm