As a sign that mobile devices are taking more and more space in the gaming industry, Archos is preparing to release an Android tablet with controllers – the GamePad.
The Archos 7-inch Android tablet comes with two thumbsticks, a controller pad as well as a few other buttons. This one of a kind Android tablet, is geared towards gamers who will be able to play most of their favorite games using the Archos GamePad. Most games available on the Google Play Store were not designed for this device, but thanks to its mapping software, virtual controllers will get mapped to a physical controller automatically. This one feature is key as the Android ecosystem is very diverse, and developers cannot produce a game specific for each Android device. The Archos mapping software will surely help it stand out among other Android manufacturers.
In terms of specifications, the Archos GamePad, features a 1.5GHz dual-core processor along with a Mali-400MP quad-core GPU for
graphics. Little else is known for now regarding other specs for this Android console.
But what pushed Archos to create the GamePad? The GamePad might not have ever happened had it not been for Google’s decision to support game controllers natively in the latest versions of Android. “When Android 4.0 ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’ was first released, they included game controller support within the frameworks,” Henri Crohas, Archos Founder and CEO said in a statement. “And that is when we decided to build the GamePad.”
How well will games work on it? We’ll just have to wait a little bit more, that is until the end of October when the Archos GamePad goes on sale. It’s price tag? €150 Euro which is the equivalent of around $200 USD.
