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Wikipad sees last-minute delay for new bundle and 'refinement'
Were you raring to go and buy a Wikipad instead of trick-or-treating? You might want to search around for some leftover chocolate bars and potato chips. The gaming tablet maker has postponed its shipments the very day they were meant to start after chances to both to improve the bundled content and make a "minor refinement" to the experience. We're interpreting that last mention as either a pleasant surprise or an unexpected hiccup. Any delay may be comparatively short when Wikipad says it's already in the last stage of firming up a new schedule, and it's vowing a gift in return for maintaining a pre-order -- still, the clock is ticking if the company wants to score some mobile gamers before the holidays are over. You can check the full statement for yourself after the break.
Wikipad delayed on launch day, 'refined and upgraded bundles' to be announced soon
The upcoming Android gaming tablet Wikipad was set to launch today, but the company's representatives have sent along a statement from the development team (which you can read in full after the break) saying that the launch has been delayed. According to the statement, the device's release was moved in order to take advantage of a "last minute opportunity" to "ensure our first customers are completely satisfied with the Wikipad." Unfortunately, no new launch date has been set yet.The team says that it's working with GameStop on dealing with current pre-orders, and that anyone who's already pre-ordered the product will not only get the "refined and upgraded" bundle when it's eventually released, but "a special bonus gift" as well. Again, there's no indication when that might happen, so we'll just have to wait and see what Wikipad's plans are going forward.
Wikipad CEO James Bower defends his gaming tablet's $500 pricing, why one device beats two
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-166636%
OnLive and Gaikai functionality still on board for Wikipad
During a private demo of the near-final Wikipad this week, Joystiq was able to grill Wikipad president of sales Fraser Townley about next month's launch. Specifically, we wanted to learn whether OnLive and Gaikai functionality – the former with its recent change in ownership and the latter having recently been picked up by Sony – were still planned for the device."Yes," Townsley assured Joystiq, to both applications appearing on the device. Speaking on the situation at OnLive, Townsley said he didn't have much knowledge what was happening at the company, but promised that "if [the service is] still running when we launch Wikipad, it'll be there."While Wikipad will have physical units for purchase in-store through official partner GameStop, all other major retailers will be taking orders online. When asked what would be a successful launch for the $499 tablet – which comes with the controller dock and 16GB of memory – Townley couldn't provide exact numbers, but said that "a point or two" of total tablet market share would be desirable.%Gallery-162928%
Hands-on with Wikipad, the $500 Android gaming tablet (video)
The Wikipad is an anomaly. It's a 10.1-inch, $500 Android tablet aimed squarely at gamers -- an expensive portal to a platform many mobile game developers have abandoned due to piracy. It's got an IPS display with 1,280 x 800 resolution, an NVIDIA Tegra 3 T30 quad-core 1.4GHz processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean (at launch). So ... it's not quite as sharp in the graphics department as some other tablets on the market, nor is it as pretty as its main handheld gaming competition, the PlayStation Vita. On top of that, it's from an engineering firm that you've never heard of -- Wikipad is also the name of the business behind the tablet, and this is the company's first product launch. Oh, and did we mention that the main selling point is an attachable game controller that frames half the tablet in a mess of plastic buttons, joysticks, and speakers? And no, the controller won't be sold separately, nor will it work with any other tablet. Defying all logic, however, the Wikipad feels like a surprisingly solid piece of equipment (regardless of the fact that the prototype model we used was hand-built). From the light but solid construction of the tablet's chassis, to its grippy molded rear -- which helps both for gripping the tablet without the controller attached and assists sound amplification when the device is laid down -- nothing about the device feels cheap. As a tablet, it's speedy and responsive. Apps load quickly and smoothly, and it's got extra loud speakers for gaming without headphones (or for David Guetta, as was demonstrated to us). The custom skin it was running felt a bit rough -- the apps get reorganized with a gaming focus and slapped onto a flippable cube, which caused some visual stuttering from pane to pane. Another feature of the custom OS is a special 3D game launcher, which includes sections for Nvidia's Tegra Zone, PlayStation Mobile games, GameStop-suggested titles, and Google Play. There are some less than exciting ad banners attached to this launcher, but they're easily ignorable. Though Gaikai is still working with the Wikipad post-Sony buyout, CEO James Bower told us the game streaming service won't be there at launch -- he's hoping it'll arrive by year's end, "but that's up to Sony."%Gallery-166636%
Wikipad at Gamestop this October for $499, pre-orders open Sep. 7
The Wikipad – A.K.A. the Android tablet with detachable gamepad controls – will finally land at retail starting on October 31. Specifically, the game-geared tablet will be available at GameStop for $499, which is in line with similarly featured Android tablets. Pre-orders for the device will open tomorrow on September 7. Purchasing a Wikipad from GameStop will net buyers special extras "including exclusive free, full-length game titles." Pre-orders will include both free games and an issue of the digital edition of Game Informer.The Wikipad features Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), a 10.1" screen, 1200x800 resolution, an Nvidia Tegra 3 T30 1.4 GHz processor, 1GB DDR2 RAM and 8GB 16GB of flash storage (expandable to 64GB). In addition to Android apps and games, the Wikipad will also support Sony's PlayStation Mobile and Gaikai. Onlive support is possible as well. You can read our hands-on impressions of the device here.%Gallery-162928%
Wikipad costs $499 at GameStop starting October 31, gives Android a gaming costume
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?%Gallery-164641%
PlayStation Mobile detailed: different screens, same games
Sony's decided to spill the beans on PlayStation Mobile, its upcoming cross-platform gaming service. It will connect to your own PSN ID, linking into its software store and aiming to offer up a "wide range of portable experiences." We're still looking at PlayStation-certified devices here, but Sony's also announced that ASUS and (bizarrely) Wikipad hardware will join the (pretty Sony-centric) line-up. We can already recognize a handful of Xperia phones alongside the Tablet S and, of course, Sony's premier handheld, which will also be able to play the incoming selection of mini-games. %Gallery-162377%
PlayStation Vita Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified bundle announced, pricing MIA
Sony's handheld will get its own companion bundle for its incoming (and exclusive) Call of Duty title. The set will include the game, a PlayStation Vita and a carry pouch -- camouflage pattern TBC. Unfortunately, Sony it neglected to mention a price or a date -- though it's likely to arrive around the same time as the game, later this year.
Wikipad specs get real: 10.1-inch 1,280 x 800 display, 1.4 GHz Tegra 3, Jelly Bean
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.
Wikipad specs revealed, will run Android 4.1 games on a 10.1" screen
The Wikipad is a gaming tablet device revealed at CES earlier this year, and it's slowly moving from idea to reality. The company behind the tablet (also known as Wikipad, go figure) has announced the final specs for the design, and they're hot: The display will be 10.1 inches with a 16:10 1280x800 resolution, the tablet will be powered by an Nvidia Tegra 3 T30 1.4 GHz processor, and it will run with 1 GB of DDR2 RAM, and at least 16 GB of internal Flash memory storage. Android 4.1 will power the OS, and an onboard 23.46Wh battery will go for six hours of gaming and eight hours of video playback.There will be an 8 megapixel camera on the back, as well as a 2 megapixel camera on the front. An early model this year featured a 3D display, but the final version will opt for 2D.For the casing itself, Wikipad is going with a flat-backed shape with rounded corners, both slightly thicker, but also lighter, than the iPad 2. The controller add-on, which you can see above, is similar to a current-gen gaming controller (complete with triggers and buttons on the back) and will come with the unit.A price and release date haven't been officially announced yet, but Wikipad is planning to have its namesake device out later this year.
Wikipad's Android tablet amps up with Gaikai game streaming, quad-core, 10-inch screen
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.
Gaikai and Wikipad team for game streaming to tablet
Game streaming service Gaikai has teamed up with Wikipad to integrate its service into the "first tablet to offer an attachable, console-quality gamepad controller." Competitor OnLive offers a tablet option for game streaming, albeit via touch controls or a compatible gamepad.Never heard of Wikipad? Join the club! The device was revealed at CES, but has already gone through some changes since the original concept: replacing the 8.1" version with a 10.1" screen, and adding a quad core processor, lighter body and optional 3G for mobile. The launch date for the device is still a mystery.As for Gaikai, it's still doing its thing on PC and working on Facebook.
WikiPad ties up glasses-free 3D with game controls, all in a happy Android ICS package
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.
