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Subscription console GamePop Mini nestles between GameStick, Ouya
The GamePop Mini, a new subscription-based Android console from BlueStacks, is coming to market with an interesting business model: It's "free" after purchasing a 12-month subscription at $7 per month. In total, the GamePop Mini comes to $84 – less than the Ouya and a tad more than the GameStick – and has secured 500 "popular mobile game partners." Even though it is powered by Android, an interesting piece of proprietary software called Looking Glass allows iOS apps to run on the console. "[Porting is] not easy, but I would submit it's not hard, relatively speaking," BlueStacks' Head of Marketing and Business Development John Garguilo told Engadget. "If you're a developer and you've built your app and put it on iOS, it's your app. You built it, you own the bits and you own all the intellectual property. If you apply Looking Glass' layer, you can put [your app] on a TV with us." The GamePop Mini has a tentative launch window of "this winter." Subscription is required to access GamePop Mini services and if you cancel your subscription before the end of the first year, there is a $25 restocking fee.
BlueStacks introduces the GamePop Mini, its first subscription-based 'free' game console
In an effort to outdo itself, BlueStacks is announcing the GamePop Mini for the cube-averse. The biggest difference between the Mini (seen above on the left) and the cube (the... uh... cube above) isn't the form factor; it's in pricing. Where the regular GamePop is $129 (unless you act soon) the Mini is "free" after a 12-month subscription of $7 per-month, or $84 total. At this price, it costs less than an OUYA, but slightly more than a GameStick. "If you keep it more than 12 months, you keep it forever," BlueStacks' Head of Marketing and Business Development John Gargiulo told us. Of course, there's not much to do with the Mini without a subscription. "It'd be like if Netflix did it this way and had hardware -- the unit would be useless without the subscription," he added. Additionally, if you return the Mini inside of 12 months, there's a $25 restocking fee. The subscription gives users access to a plethora of games from 500 "popular mobile game partners." Those partners include the teams behind Jetpack Joyride and Fieldrunners. "Getting the kind of developer support we've gotten, it sets us apart," Gargiulo said. "We saw what happened with the Dreamcast and we saw what happened with the Wii U. You need to have good launch titles; there needs to be games everyone recognizes and wants to play." To make GamePop more enticing to developers, BlueStacks created Looking Glass -- proprietary tech allowing iOS-only apps to run on its Android-4.2-based console. When an iOS app makes calls to Apple's hardware, Looking Glass interprets those calls and translates them to the GamePop Mini's hardware. Of course, a few changes within the code are necessary. "[Porting is] not easy, but I would submit it's not hard, relatively speaking," Gargiulo said.
GamePop console puts iOS games on your TV
BlueStacks' GamePop is an exciting concept that draws attention to just how much mobile gaming has changed the video game landscape in a few short years. GamePop is a console that plays mobile phone games like Jetpack Joyride on your home TV. When it was first announced, the system was limited to simply Android games, but today BlueStacks has announced that iOS-only games will also be available to play on console. Using a new technology called "Looking Glass," the system is able to convert iOS games to play on non-iOS hardware. Subatomic Studios, makers of the Fieldrunners series, has signed up to have its games included in the system's catalog. According to CNET, BlueStacks CEO Rosen Sharma says their "Looking Glass" technology isn't emulation. Looking Glass works at the API-level. It's not emulating. It embraces all aspects of running the [game] app and using the [GamePop] app as the controller. This may seem like a small idea now, but six years ago we never thought we'd have next-generation quality gaming on our phones. Who knows where this technology will be in three years? Here's a video from GamePop explaining the console.
BlueStacks to offer GamePop Android game console for $129, expands title lineup
BlueStacks is taking on OUYA in a big way, having announced its Android-powered GamePop game console a few weeks ago. The company wouldn't give specifics on how much the device would cost when it was first unveiled, although it offered an option to get the console for free through May -- provided you were willing to subscribe to the $7-per-month service for at least a full year, which gives you full access to a large number of paid and free mobile games. Today, BlueStacks announced that the free offer has been extended through June, after which time the console can be yours for $129. What's more, the service has inked partnerships with more gaming developers, adding at least another $50 worth of titles to its overall catalog. One such company is COM2US, which will feature its very own channel in GamePop's UI. Head to the source link to get your pre-order in.
GamePop console offers unlimited mobile games on your TV for $7 a month
2013, the year of the mobile game TV console, marches on with a new contender: GamePop. Created by mobile company BlueStacks, the GamePop console allows users to play mobile games on their TV using the included controller, iPhone or Android smartphone. The twist on other similar consoles like Ouya and GameStick is that GamePop uses a subscription model akin to Netflix. For $6.99 a month, users get access to the entire GamePop library, which currently sits at 500 games according to BlueStacks. Those who pre-order the console this month will get it for free with a paid subscription to the service. BlueStacks tells Joystiq that there is no commitment or contract, with the only caveat being that customers must return the console if they cancel their service within one year. So, essentially, you're getting the console for 12 payments of $6.99, plus $10 shipping. We asked if users will still be able to access their downloaded games after canceling their service, but BlueStacks says that info is "TBD." BlueStacks is touting big name developer support in the form of Halfbrick Studios (Jetpack Joyride, Fish Out of Water), Glu Mobile and others. BlueStacks will be sharing 50 percent of its subscription revenue with developers, "apportioned by usage," and developers will retain all revenue derived from in-app purchases. GamePop is slated to launch this winter.
BlueStacks takes on OUYA with Android-powered GamePop game console (video)
So you want a console for free, eh? BlueStacks is apparently prepared to offer you just that in its GamePop game console, which costs nothing for the month of May with a one-year subscription to the service (wouldn't you know it, that costs $93.83 -- just below the price of an OUYA at retail). Like its counterparts, the GamePop is powered by Android (4.2) and runs mostly mobile games. The company isn't sharing specs just yet, sadly. BlueStacks is promising "over 500" games, and has some top mobile devs offering credence with in testimonial. "We've been a featured partner in App Player since early on and they've delivered on every promise in terms of distribution," Fruit Ninja studio head Shainiel Deo said, referencing BlueStacks' App Player software. "GamePop is a great incremental channel for us." Since games won't be bought, but included in the subscription, devs receive a 50 percent cut of subscription revenue, determined by how often users play their games. Should you be interested in getting in early, pre-orders are now open at the GamePop website; we've also included an intro video from BlueStacks just below.
