No matter which way you cut it, the Android-based Wikipad gaming tablet -- dubbed as much despite not having any connection to Wikipedia -- is unusually expensive. As a 10.1-inch Android tablet, it's comparably priced with the leaders of the market (of the Apple and Samsung variety). The obvious problem comparatively with the big dogs: visibility. What is Wikipad, anyway? And who made it?

"This is our first product into the market," consummate salesman and Wikipad CEO James Bower told us in an interview earlier this week -- yes, the company's name is shared with its first product. "We've self-funded the whole concept to this point with a couple of us founders. No VC money or anything," he said (the company did, however, just close its first round of venture capital funding for marketing costs, post-development). Bower's company took the idea of an Android-based gaming tablet with a proprietary, physical (and removable) gamepad from concept to reality in the last year, first revealing the tablet at CES 2012. "We've been able to accomplish a lot very efficiently and very effectively to this point," Bower said, in reference to the approximately 80 people who created the device.

That said, despite our positive hands-on time with the Wikipad (even in its prototype state), $500 is a heck of a lot of money to plunk down on an unproven device from an unproven company. The argument gets harder when you remember Sony's PlayStation Vita -- an arguably much nicer device with a far larger library of gaming content that costs half the Wikipad's price at $249.99. Bower doesn't see the logic in this argument. "It's double the price, but it's also double the size," he pointed out. "If you buy a tablet that's seven inches, you can get a $199 tablet -- it's called a Google Nexus or a Kindle Fire. If you're gonna get a full 10-inch tablet, a tablet to this quality, you're gonna spend $499 to $749 ... if we were talking about a 7-inch device or a 5-inch device, and we were at this price point, then it'd be a different story." Admittedly, the tablet -- as a standalone device -- isn't too shabby. But will it woo consumers away from the likes of Apple and Samsung? Bower hopes as much, but we're not so sure.

Gallery: Wikipad hands-on

Filed under: Gaming, Tablets, Mobile

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When we first caught wind of the Wikipad at CES, we picked up the distinct scent of vaporware. In the months since, we've seen the ten-inch tablet with detachable controls get games via Gaikai and from PlayStation Mobile, plus an impressive list of specs. And now we know it'll cost $500 and will officially be available on October 31st exclusively at GameStop. Of course, you don't have to wait until then to call dibs on your Halloween treat, as those willing to plunk down five bills early can reserve one via pre-order starting tomorrow. That's quite a chunk of change, especially considering the cost of other gamified Android tablets, but it does have an impressive set of internals, and it's tough to put a price on having Jelly Bean out of the box, right?

Filed under: Gaming, Tablets

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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.

Filed under: Gaming, Tablets

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The Wikipad gaming tablet has been ticking off boxes on its way to becoming a real product, and after bedding down with Gaikai game streaming and settling in to a 10.1-inch form factor, the rest of the hardware is now set. The chunky handheld will brandish an IPS display with 1,280 x 800 resolution, NVIDIA Tegra 3 T30 quad-core 1.4GHz processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, at least 16GB storage and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Other notable items include 8-megapixel rear / 2-megapixel front cameras, six hours continuous gaming battery life and a 2D-only screen instead of the 3D originally touted -- at least, for the first model. The controller remains the same with a pair of triggers, bumpers, joysticks and start/select buttons, and will cover the slate's speakers and route sound out the front. The rest of the story is yet to come, namely exactly what that price will be and when you'll actually be able to pew-pew with it, but the company has promised to 'fess up soon. Meanwhile, though airy for a tablet at 560 grams (1.2 pounds), it's not exactly PS Vita or Nintendo 3DS XL territory -- but then a heavyweight contender could be exactly what handheld gaming needs.

Filed under: Gaming, Tablets

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GameStop selling Android tablets in-store isn't anything new, but we've been curious to see how well the initiative would take off following a soft launch at 200 locations last November. Things seem to be going swimmingly, as the company now has "more than 1,600 locations" stocking the slates. If you'll recall, the devices all come with pre-installed titles of the retailer's choosing, with models from the likes of Samsung, Acer, ASUS and Toshiba. There's still yet to be any word about whether you'll eventually be able to trade-in your own, but it would seem like a logical next step -- aside from becoming an AT&T virtual carrier. Hit up the source link below to see if a store in your area is part of the lineup.

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Wikipad's Android 4.0 gaming tablet still hasn't received a definitive release date despite having just half a season left to meet its launch target, but that hasn't stopped its creator from boosting the feature set. When the tablet does arrive, it will now bake in Gaikai's game streaming service for you to start playing games as soon as the shrink wrap's off the box. In return for the long wait since CES, Wikipad is also giving its slate a heavy makeover: the 8.1-inch screen is ballooning to 10.1 inches, while a lighter body will carry an unnamed quad-core processor and an option for 3G. Otherwise, you're looking at much of the same formula that first emerged in January, which includes traditional gamepad-like controls on either side as well as front and back cameras, 1080p video support and 8GB of space to store your games when you don't want to bring a microSD card. We're looking forward to getting our paws on those dual analog sticks soon, but for now you can check the news release after the break.

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Gallery: Razer Blade spotted at CES 2012 hands-on

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Gallery: WikiPad hands-on at CES 2012

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Gallery: Razer's Project Fiona hands-on

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Gallery: Project Fiona

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We're not lacking for tablets to check out when CES opens -- for real -- later today. And here's another one that we're intrigued to see whether it makes it past the point of vaporware. The features sound pretty persuasive, with a glasses-free 3D display, gaming controls -- including dual-analog sticks -- and, apparently, Ice Cream Sandwich. The WikiPad is pegged for launch this spring through its (at the moment, pretty empty) site below. The Julian Assange endorsement is presumably still pending.

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