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Hands-on with the Archos Gamepad, an Android gaming tablet with tactile buttons
The Archos Gamepad went up for sale in Europe back in October, but the 7-inch Android gaming tablet (with built-in physical controls, no less) is just arriving in North America this month. That's a full year after the US launch of Sony's dedicated gaming handheld, the PlayStation Vita, and the same quarter when Wikipad's expected to launch. To put it lightly, the Archos GamePad has some pretty stiff competition, both in the dedicated gaming handheld market and in the Android gaming tablet market. It's certainly got the internals to stand up to the competition -- Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean running on a dual-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz and a quad-core Mali 400 MP GPU, 8GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD card slot, up to 64GB). You can even output video to your HDMI-enabled TV via mini HDMI out, should that 7-inch screen not be enough real estate for you. The twist with the Gamepad is an application Archos built for its gaming device which maps any game with virtual buttons to the physical buttons on the Gamepad. And while those buttons feel a bit on the cheap side, it's certainly a better experience than virtualized buttons. Of course, you'd have to be into playing Android games exclusively, and not mind that the full library of Android games won't necessarily work with the GamePad's built in controls (including juggernauts like Angry Birds); Archos says it'll work with "over a thousand" titles, and a rep today updated that number with "over 6,500 titles." Issues aside with swipe-based games, we were excited to get our first hands-on with yet another high-profile Android gaming tablet featuring physical controls. Thankfully, unlike its competition, the Gamepad is delightfully light -- a great selling point when the alternatives are significantly less comfy for long-term gaming. We'll have a more in-depth look at the Gamepad in the coming weeks as it arrives at retail in North America for $169.99.%Gallery-175355%
Archos unveils 7-inch GamePad with physical controls, Ice Cream Sandwich for 'less than 150 euros'
Archos already has its hands in the kiddie-tablet market, with its 7-inch Arnova Child Pad, and it's taking on the productivity-minded crowd with its keyboard-toting 101 XS. Now the company is going after another niche segment with the just-announced GamePad. The 7-inch slate runs Android 4.0 with a dual-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz and a quad-core Mali 400 MP GPU, and it sports physical gaming controls in addition to the standard touchscreen. Archos includes its own "game recognition and mapping tools," which ensure that the physical buttons are compatible with Android games that use virtual controls (some 1,000 titles are apparently compatible with the GamePad at this point). Of course, this is an internet-enabled device as well, and it will include full access to the Play market and WiFi connectivity when it goes on sale at the end of October. Other specs include 8GB of internal storage, plus a microSD card slot that adds up to 64GB. There's also a mini-HDMI connection for outputting content to your TV. For now, Archos is only announcing pricing as "less than €150", and the device will drop in the US and Europe at the same time. For now, the below-the-break press release will have to satisfy your curiosity.
