French tech firm Archos has launched its first ever dedicated gaming device; the Android running Archos GamePad, to the UK today and the touchscreen device is certainly worth a look (especially with games like GTA Vice City landing on Android recently!)
Archos hopes that the GamePad will bring traditional control systems to the Android OS which already has access to 100s of games and present them on the 7-inch 1024 x 600 five-point capacitive touchscreen screen display.
The Archos GamePad runs off a 1.6GHz processor backed by a Mali 400mp quad-core GPU for handling advanced 3D graphics, 8GB of internal storage plus a micro SD card slot that adds up to 64GB and a mini-HDMI connection for outputting content to your TV.
The console runs off the latest Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS which is optimised for tablet devices (which is how the GamePad operates) and will also have access to other apps and games from the Google Play Store.
The console is available in the UK from today for £129 and Archos GamePad also features a unique Game Mapping tool, which allows users to convert titles that weren’t made for the physical controls so that they can then play the game using the tablet’s analog sticks and buttons.
Archos founder and CEO Henri Crohas said in a statement:
“We feel this area of gaming is proven and will continue to grow. With the introduction of the GamePad we are uniquely positioned to feed the demand of gamers who want a better gaming experience on a tablet.”
Archos is reportedly also looking to bring the console to the US in the early stages of 2013, but there is no confirmation of this at the moment.
You can pick up a GamePad directly from Archos at: http://www.archos.com/products/gamepad
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