Huawei Unveils Android Console Called Tron
Huawei's console is called Tron.
Now that China has relaxed its ban on foreign game consoles, Huawei is taking advantage of CES 2014 by revealing its own Android console to the world. The device is called Tron, and looks nothing like the neon blue hero with the cool Light Cycle. Instead, the console has a cylinder-like form factor, resembling a tall can full of bubbling Android gaming goodness.
According to the specs, Tron features a Tegra 4 chip, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB or 32 GB of internal storage, Wireless AC and Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity, a USB 3.0 port and HDMI output. The price point is around $120, just $20 more than the OUYA Android console. The OS of choice is Android 4.2.3 "Jelly Bean."
As for the controller, it's reportedly more similar to the Xbox version than a PlayStation model, and features a very large circular touch pad in the very center, mimicking the shape of the console itself. This added trackpad should come in handy during games like Angry Birds that heavily rely on touch.
With Tron, Huawei has seemingly taken the best of what's available on the Android console market and cranked up the hardware just a notch. Both the OUYA and PlayLogic's GameStick only use 1 GB of RAM, and sport the quad-core Tegra 3 and AMLogic AML-8726MX, respectively. Nvidia's own Shield console/controller hybrid uses the Tegra 4 chip and 2 GB of RAM, as does the just-launched Mad Catz's M.O.J.O. console.
Unfortunately, little else was said about the new console's interface and market. Will Tron take the OUYA and GameStick route and provide a walled garden, forcing customers to buy their games again, or will this console provide full support for Google Play and the related services like Netflix and Hulu Plus?
Even more, will the China-based company even bring this device to the United States? Guess we'll find out in the next several months.
Stay tuned for our hands-on.
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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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Hunt4Epic Maybe Google should give a kickback to device makers on Play Store purchases. Then they would worry less about profiting on hardware or making their own closed stores.Reply -
penn919 I don't understand all the complaints about Ouya using it's own store. The rational behind that is very simple; Google play is for mobile games that primarily use touch screen interfaces and not gamepads. Why would you want to play touchscreen games on a console that uses a gamepad?In the Ouya store all games submitted have to work with the Ouya controller. There are plenty of Google Play games that made their way to Ouya with reworked controls to accommodate the Ouya console. Isn't that better? If you insist on playing touchscreen games with a controller, then just side load the apk and have fun playing your crippled semi-functional mobile game with a pad. No big deal.Reply