GameStick is Coming Soon

It seems like Android consoles are pretty popular right now. By "popular" I mean multiple companies are making them and shipping them out soon. Whether or not any of these will be successful is yet to be seen, but GameStick looks like it could be a contender.

 

 GameStick is being developed by PlayJam. It was funded by Kickstarter and it made $650,000, which surpassed it initial goal. It was originally going to release in April 2013, but after being so successful they had to delay it's release. Amazon.com has it listed for an August 26, 2013 release date.

 

 

 

Here are the Specs for the GameStick as listed by Amazon

• Includes: 1 GameStick HDMI Console + Bluetooth Controller
• Easy to navigate user interface with access to Android games at 1080p
• Under the hood: ARM Cortex A9 CPU / MALI 400 GPU
• Storage: 8GB internal flash storage (expandable to 32GB via SDMicro)
• Connectivity: 802.11b/g/n WiFi / Bluetooth 4.0

You get all of this for only $79.99 ($20 cheaper than an Ouya).

What really stands out about the GameStick is it's portability. All you do is plug in the HDMI dongle to your HDTV and you are ready to play.

GameStick is based on Android architecture, however it has it's own UI built specially for it. It looks nice and easy to use, but I'll have to play around with one to know how well it actually works.

One downside to the GameStick is that it wont use the GooglePlay App store. This means you will need to repurchase games you own. Also game selection could be limited since they must be approved by PlayJam. PlayJam has said that it has over a hundred developers who say they want to make games for it. So hopefully they will make good on their promise and keep the games coming.

We will have to wait and see if the GameStick is successful. It looks promising and hopefully it will deliver.

Does Ouya Matter

Ouya has finally been released. Ouya was a huge sucess on Kickstarter. It had a lot of people excited about the idea of an Android gaming console. So how is Ouya and does it matter in today's gaming market?

For starters Ouya is not a powerhouse. Ouya is designed with Indie developers in mind. This means that you wont see a lot of big budget titles releasing. However Sega has a few Sonic titles and Square Enix has Final Fantasy 3 on Ouya. So there are some exceptions, but overall it will have smaller unknown games. For the record I love Shadowgun on Ouya (just like I did on Xperia Play).

Not that there's anything wrong with that. I actually like a lot of indie games. As smart phones have proven there is a huge market for these games. So time will tell of people want to play these games on the big screen.

Okay so Ouya wont blow your mind with graphics but it is a really well built(and good looking system). The OS is also smooth and attractive. Every Ouya game is "free to try" so there's no upfront money to get playing. Overall the Ouya is a good, cheap console ($99).

Does the Ouya matter? I thought the Ouya concept was great when I first heard about it. However since then both Sony and Nintendo have been making huge efforts to get Indie games on their platforms. In theory the games releasing on Ouya will also be on Wii U, PS3, PS4, and PS Vita. Plus the fact most of these games are on IOS and other Android devices.

Ouya really is a cool device. At $99 it has huge potential to make waves in the gaming industry. I just wonder if it's a little to late. Either way if you can afford to buy one you might as well, it's fun.

ShadowGun Xperia Play Review

ShadowGun by MadFinger games, is one of the best looking games on any mobile device. It uses the Unity3D engine and it really impresses. I can't give this game enough praise. ShadowGun looks and plays very similar to Gears of War. If you've played Gears then you know what to expect. Also the game has some pretty good voice actors, which is uncommon for most mobile games.


Think he's compensating for something?

 If you're using the Xperia Play the game supports the slide out controller. Everything plays smooth and you shouldn't have any trouble playing through the entire game. If your using any other phone or tablet the on screen buttons work pretty well. I did have a little difficulty aiming, but after you play a few levels you'll get the hang of it. So either way you're covered.

Let's be honest we don't play 3rd Person Shooters for the story. We play so we can shoot and blow up stuff. Now it is nice if a game has a coherent story, but it's not mandatory. Fortunately ShadowGun has a pretty decent and straight forward story. You play a bounty hunter, and your there to get your bounty...enough said about that.

What's even better is how MadFinger games has released a new and free update. The update takes place after the main game, so the story continues. It adds new levels and a new weapon. It's nice when a developer continues to support a game even after they've made their money.

If you're looking for an awesome shooter then buy ShadowGun. It will not disappoint you in any way. It's honestly as good as the average console game, and a fraction of the price. In the words of Plex the Magic Robot. Try it...You'll like it!