Do we really need another Android console? Apparently so, as evidence suggests that Asus is jumping on that very bandwagon, possibly looking to score where a few of the current solutions have failed to hit. The device will be called Game Box, and the specs have appeared on AnTuTu while the controller struts its stuff all over the Bluetooth Special Interest Group website.
"Bluetooth 3.0 HID K+M combo device module," reads the description. "It is Android system for gaming markets that also added mouse mold for controlling on smart TV. 10 meters wireless Bluetooth control, 430mAH for up to 12 hours playing time."
Honestly, the Asus gamepad looks too much like a PlayStation DualShock controller, featuring the same rings of D-pad and action buttons (without the symbols). Admittedly, it's a bit more arched than Sony's gamepad, but at first glance, this controller could be mistaken as a third-party solution for the PlayStation console.
On the specs side, the Game Box will sport a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 4 (1.6 GHz – 1.9 GHz), a screen resolution of 1280 x 720, 2 GB of RAM, 8 GB of internal storage and Android 4.3 "KitKat." Storage will likely be expanded using a microSD card and/or USB 2.0/3.0 port.
The benchmarks show the Game Box to be somewhat on par with Nvidia's own Shield handheld console. On a whole, the Shield did better, scoring a 37389 while the Asus unit scored 36024. On the 3D front, the Shield did slightly better while the Game Box had better performance in 2D rendering (by one point).
So far, the current Android console selections on the market include the OUYA, Nvidia's SHIELD, the GameStick, GamePop and the Mad Catz M.O.J.O. Amazon is rumored to be working on a set-top box with gaming capabilities, as well as Google. Heck, for all we know, Asus could be constructing the console for Google since they're already partners in the tablet arena.
