GameStop is planning to release an Android gaming tablet which will have pre-installed games when it launches next year.
President of GameStop Tony Bartel told GamesIndustry.biz that the model, which will be a “GameStop Certified Device,” has already been selected and hardware testing began three weeks ago.
Along with running mobile games with a touch UI, GameStop plans to let the tablet stream console games and will also offer a controller for these titles.
“There’s not a lot of tablet/Android-based games for the consumer that are designed to use an external controller. There are a few games out there and more that are coming, but our thought is that the tablet is a great immersive gaming device so it’s hard for us to envision how that tablet will really function as such without some sort of controller,” said Bartel.
“So we’ve created a controller that we’re testing to really allow for immersive gameplay. It’s hard to imagine how to stream a game – let’s say Modern Warfare 3 – onto a tablet and then play it with your finger.”
Bartel suggested GameStop could work with developers to create games that use this controller for the tablet.
The market for gaming tablets is increasing, with Sony planning on making both of its future tablets “PlayStation Certified,” offering PlayStation gaming for the devices.
The tablet will hit US stores next year, though there has not been any release date confirmed for Europe.
