Something exciting is happening to gaming on the Android platform. Along with the latest news about an Android dedicated console, the
Ouya, which aims to bring Android games to the living room, details of a 10” (relatively) portable Android dedicated device have resurfaced.
The WikiPad, which was first revealed at the Consumer Electronic Show as a 7” device, has reared its significantly larger, and distinctively shaped, head.
Like the
Ouya, the
WikiPad is aimed at the Android gamer, as it sports an add-on controller which appears to wrap around the tablet. This adds controls that would be familiar to most console users, namely twin analog sticks, bumpers and a D-pad.
Back view of the game-orientated WikiPad
Innards unearthed
However, it is the device’s innards which have been more fully detailed. These include a 10.1” IPS display that offers a resolution of 1280 x 800.
According to
VentureBeat, at 560 g the WikiPad will apparently weigh even less than the Galaxy Tab 10.1, which weighed in at 585 g. Additionally, the WikiPad should offset its otherwise largish size by a thin profile of a mere 8.6 mm thickness.
Under the hood, the device will boast a Tegra 3 processor, clocked at 1.6 GHz, 1 GB of memory, at least 16 GB of internal storage, an eight megapixel back camera and a two megapixel front facing one. Additionally, the device will apparently also run on Google’s latest Android version, 4.1 (Jelly Bean).
Additionally, the battery life of the device, for continuous video playback, is pegged at being between the six and eight hour mark.
To the point
The WikiPad will apparently be shipping worldwide during the third quarter of the year. Its price, however, has not yet been confirmed.
However, this concentrated focus on Android as a dedicated gaming platform, with devices that take particular advantage of this as their primary use, are certainly a vote of confidence in Google’s platform.
It also may well portend even higher quality titles being developed and released on Google’s Play market, and that may well benefit all users invested in the Android ecosystem. The development and release of higher quality Android apps and games is certainly a trend we would love to see, sooner, rather than later.
