Wikipad 7 to Finally Go On Sale Next Week

News
By Kevin Parrish
published

The Wikipad 7 will cost $249, cheaper than Nvidia's Tegra 4-charged Shield.

Wikipad Inc. said that its 7 inch Android gaming tablet will finally go on sale next week, June 11, for $249 in the United States. The tablet will also be available for a hands-on demonstration at E3 2013 in Los Angeles, located in the mobile area of Sony's PlayStation booth showcasing games from PlayStation Mobile. A UK and global launch is planned for this summer.

"The launch of the Wikipad 7 tablet signals a transformative turning point in the direction of the mobile gaming industry. Wikipad’s tablet combines the latest range of features found in a premium Android tablet together with the unrivaled console video game experience only available with a gamepad," said Matthew Joynes, Chairman of Wikipad Inc.

Wikipad will be jam-packed full of gaming goodness, featuring mainstream Android titles listed on Google Play, Sony exclusives on PlayStation Mobile, and Tegra 3-optimized games sifted from the Google Play collective in Nvidia's Tegra Zone app. Throw in Google Mobile Services, and owners have instant access to over 700,000 entertainment and gaming apps.

The upcoming Wikipad 7 Android tablet packs Nvidia's Tegra 3 quad-core SoC clocked at 1.4 GHz, 1 GB of DDR3 RAM, 16 GB of storage, an SD card slot for 32 GB of extra storage, a front-facing 2 MP camera, and dual-band Wireless-N and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity. The 7-inch IPS screen provides full 5-point multi-touch functionality and a default resolution of 1280 x 800 (16:10 ratio), powered by Google's Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean" OS.

The tablet also includes a micro-HDMI port that allows gamers to pump the action straight to their HDTV. Other hardware features include a 3-axis accelerometer, an e-Compass, GPS (including GLONASS), built-in stereo speakers, a built-in microphone, a 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack and a microphone mini-jack.

With the controller attached, the Wikipad measures 11.26 (W) x 5.71 (H) x 2.57 (D) inches, and weighs 1.23 pounds – 0.71 pounds without the controller. This attachment provides everything you need to get your Android game on, including analog sticks, directional buttons, and a few others – shoulder buttons are not included.

"PlayStation Mobile is a global initiative to bring the PlayStation-like game experiences to a wide-reaching community of tablet and smartphone gamers. We’re excited to bring PlayStation Mobile to the Wikipad tablet which provides a portable gaming experience that is fun and compelling," said Ronald Scha­ner, Director Business Development, Sony Computer Entertainment America.

The Wikipad 7 will actually cost $100 less than Nvidia's Shield Android-based handheld which is slated to ship by the end of June for $349 USD. It ditches the tablet form factor by cramming a 5 inch capacitive multi-touch screen into the top of an Xbox 360-like controller. It will be based on the newer Tegra 4 SoC and feature two built-in speakers, Wireless-N connectivity, HDMI output, a microUSB port, a microSD card slot, 32 GB of internal storage and 2 GB of RAM. The OS of choice is a pure Android 4.2.2 "Jelly Bean" experience: no forked robot here.

We've scheduled time for some hands-on with both the Wikipad 7 and the Nvidia Shield handheld next week during E3 2013, so stay tuned.

Kevin Parrish
21 Comments Comment from the forums
  • ipwn3r456
    Of course it should be cheaper, since it's using Tegra 3 instead of Tegra 4...
    Reply
  • bigpoppastuke
    PC game streaming with next to zero latency is all we want. Just give it to us without all the proprietary garbage.
    Reply
  • theLiminator
    Sounds like a better tablet than the nexus 7 except for the fact that it's not a nexus. If it launches bug free and without hardware defects, it's gonna be a big winner.
    Reply
  • theLiminator
    Sounds like a better tablet than the nexus 7 except for the fact that it's not a nexus. If it launches bug free and without hardware defects, it's gonna be a big winner.
    Reply
  • Spooderman
    I don't know why people want PC streaming. If I wanted to play a game with a controller I would get one with a USB port and sit on my bed, which is about the same distance that zero-latency streaming would reach. I play PC because I like keyboard and mouse and I don't want to play on a controller anyway.
    Reply
  • Larry Bob
    Is it just me or does it just look like a standard tablet with a gamepad dock?
    Reply
  • DarkSable
    That's fine, but the reason to buy a Shield is for the game streaming, not the android games.
    Reply
  • DarkSable
    10936378 said:
    I don't know why people want PC streaming. If I wanted to play a game with a controller I would get one with a USB port and sit on my bed, which is about the same distance that zero-latency streaming would reach. I play PC because I like keyboard and mouse and I don't want to play on a controller anyway.

    I'm also a PC gamer for the sake of having a keyboard and mouse. However, I have a couple gamepads, for when friends come over, or for things like racing games; one of the few genres where a gamepad is a much better form of controller.

    You're absolutely wrong about the streaming, though. It works through your local area network, so it'll perform the same if you're on your bed or 30 feet away from your computer.
    Reply
  • lpedraja2002
    You can also play while taking a dump. That would alone be worth the price... Well maybe not but you get the idea. As long as you're in good signal range from your router you're good to game anywhere!
    Reply
  • somebodyspecial
    For games that I don't use a keyboard/mouse on I want PC streaming. One less reason to even look at a console for me. Android games out of the house isn't bad either. Wifi so I can browse at mcdonalds etc not bad either. It has all android apps. Shield is better for me not to mention T4. Worth $100 right there. Far better games with 6x the gpu power not to mention cpu power.
    Reply