Game Retailer Announces Upcoming Tablet PC
GameStop Targets Gamers Specifically
It appears that GameStop, the controversial video games retailer, will soon unveil its very own tablet computer. According to a new report, the device will use the Android operating system and will ship with a controller specially designed by the retail company.
For those who aren't familiar with it, GameStop might just be the best-known games retailer in the United States. Of course, just because it's the best-known doesn't mean it owns the best reputation. For years the company has been criticized for its business practices, including its tendency to sell used games for only slightly less than new titles. However, it's gone further than that in angering gamers lately, most notably through the recent Deus Ex: Human Revolution episode, where the company opened copies of the game, removed a coupon for a competitor, re-sealed the package, and sold it as if it were new. Only after a torrent of emails slammed into management did they offer compensation to affected customers.
Despite all that bad press, GameStop has revealed it will soon enter what may be the most challenging market in tech right now. Only months after industry powerhouse Hewlett-Packard (HP) got walloped by the iPad and was forced to terminate its TouchPad tablet, GameStop will release a device specifically targeted at gamers. In an interview with tech blog GamesIndustry.biz, GameStop president Tony Bartel revealed that testing for the tablet has already begun in Texas.
So, why enter this market? Bartel says it's about giving gamers options they can't find anywhere else. "We looked at all the tablets and these are the ones that really worked for gaming and we're going to give you a few benefits that you're not going to get elsewhere," Bartel said.
However, we don't really know what those benefits will be. It does appear that the company will establish its own download service similar to iTunes.
One thing that will set this tablet apart is GameStop's refusal to dedicate itself 100 per cent to touch screen controls. It appears the company will design a special controller exclusively for the device -- not a bad idea, but for some people this will eliminate the one alluring feature of tablet gaming.
Still, Bartel thinks a controller will help GameStop market better games than those offered by its competitors. "It's hard to imagine how to stream a game--let's say Modern Warfare 3--onto a tablet and then play it with your finger," Bartel noted.
It's expected the still-unnamed GameStop tablet will go on sale sometime next year.
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