GameStick could be an inexpensive way to play Android games on your TV, providing it gets the funding it requires.
We have covered a few dongle-sized set top boxes on STVR but the GameStick is aimed at people who enjoy console-style gaming but don’t want to shell out for a fully-fledged console, those who already own a few good Android games and would like to play them on the big screen as well as their mobiles and gamers who would like to carry their big-screen gaming device with them on holiday or to friends’ houses.
The designers reckon they can cram a full-featured Android device into a USB-stick-sized box and bundle it with a control pad that doubles as a carrying dock for the dongle so you can take your gaming anywhere there is a compatible TV. They have also been working with over 250 developers to ensure compatibility with the controller (and the lack of touch screen – always important when converting Android games) so there should be a decent library of downloadable game at launch too.
All of this is contingent upon the developers raising the $100,000 they say they need to put their creation into production. To do so, they have put the project on crowd-funding site Kickstarter. Donors can chip in as little as $1 but there is a ‘reward’ scale that goes from a simple contributors credit ($10) to an actual console (for $79, effectively just pre-ordering the device). High-rollers can put in a few hundred dollars and get access to early prototypes of the next-generation GameStick as well as other perks.
The project currently stands at just over $50,000 with 28 days to go so there is a good chance that this will make it, As ever with Kickstarter, there are no guarantees of a return on your investment even if the project hits its target.
UPDATE: 4 Jan; It made it! In fact, it looks like it may well achieve a lot higher than its target before the time runs out.
