Archos Launches Android-based GamePad 7-inch Tablet
The Archos GamePad is now shipping to Europe first, followed by a North American release in early Q1 2013.
Archos said on Thursday that it is now shipping its new 7-inch Android tablet with built-in gaming controls, the Archos GamePad. Packed with Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean" and a 1.6 GHz dual-core SoC, the new game-oriented tablet goes on sale in Europe first for €149.99, followed by a North American launch in early Q1 2013.
"Android device users spend more than 9 hours a month gaming on their devices and yet are not completely satisfied with the touch-screen experience," says Henri Crohas, Founder and CEO of Archos. "We feel this area of gaming is proven and will continue to grow. With the introduction of the GamePad we are uniquely positioned to feed the demand of gamers who want a better gaming experience on a tablet."
The new tablet features 14 physical buttons, two analog thumb-sticks, and the company's "revolutionary" game mapping tool. The device itself measures a mere 0.3-inches thin and weighs 0.7 pounds, making it more handheld console-like than your typical boxy 7-inch tablet.
"Thanks to the revolutionary Archos mapping tool, even back catalog games that weren’t made for physical controls can work with the physical controls of the Archos GamePad; ‘map’ any on-screen virtual control to the physical controls of the GamePad for hundreds of games within the tool or use its drag-and-drop interface to ‘map’ any game in seconds," the company said on Thursday.
The spec list shows that the tablet also includes a quad-core Mali 400 MP GPU, 8 GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot to add an additional 64 GB, and a mini-HDMI port so that the GamePad can be connected to an HDTV for big-screen gaming. The tablet's screen supports 16 million colors, up to five touch-based inputs, and a 1024 x 600 resolution.
According to Archos, the new GamePad has full access to Google Play and Google's other Android services. That said, the tablet is more than a gaming machine, allowing customers to download books, magazines, music, movies and TV shows from Google's storefront. Surf the web using Google Chrome, check your Gmail account, or keep up with friends using the Facebook and Twitter apps for Android.
For more information about the 7-inch Archos GamePad, head here. We'll likely get a better North American street date estimation from Archos during CES 2013 next month, so stay tuned.
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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kawininjazx That's a lot better deal than the wikipad. Or root your device and sync your PS3 controller for free.Reply -
Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer $150 (probably) to replay Final Fantasy VII in the comfort of my bed? That's kind of a tempting proposition. Heck, it's too bad phones aren't up to PS2 emulation, 'cause that's probably the only way I'd ever finish Okami...Reply -
velosteraptor Most of the Archos tablets do not have access to the Google Play Store without rooting the device. If that's the case here, that would really hurt its potential..Reply -
Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer velosteraptorMost of the Archos tablets do not have access to the Google Play Store without rooting the device. If that's the case here, that would really hurt its potential..Quoth the article: "According to Archos, the new GamePad has full access to Google Play and Google's other Android services."Reply -
voiidwulf I'll have to read some reviews and learn more about it, but this looks quite good. Shame it won't be out until 2013 in North America.Reply -
g00fysmiley interesting, while i like my bluietooth gamepad/ phone combo, at the price though its tempting if i didn't have to controller and if the google play market as the article says is available it might be a purchase to make. i have a few friends with archos tabs, they seem like good quality stuffReply