GameStick recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise cash for a new Android-powered gaming device – and has already managed to exceed its $100,000 goal in just two days.
“The response from the Kickstarter community has been truly overwhelming. We are confident in our product and what we hope it will mean for gaming but we were taken aback at how quickly the message was adopted,” PlayJam CEO Anthony Johnson said in an official statement.
“While we are shipping as a dedicated games console, we are keen to ensure that users have the ability to hack the device if they so wish and will be providing support for XBMC & DNLA via an optional firmware update in September. We encourage users to hack the device – the time for closed, proprietary systems is ending which bodes well for true innovation.”
The device can best be described as a PC-on-a-stick powered by an ARM Cortex-A9
processor (Amlogic 8726-MX) paired with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of flash storage. Additional specs include Google Android Jelly Bean, a 4-mode wireless controller (icade, gamepad, mouse and keyboard), 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 and an HDMI port on one end.
As expected, you can plug the GameStick directly into your big screen TV and easily navigate content and games with a specially designed user interface (UI). The system also supports mouse and keyboard input via Bluetooth, so you don’t have to ditch your favorite peripherals anytime soon.
At least 200 games are already supported by the GameStick, including Shadowgun, Dead Trigger, Canabalt and Boulder Dash XL.
Of course, GameStick isn’t the only Android-powered game console to have appeared on Kickstarter in recent months. Indeed, the $99 Ouya, which managed to raise an impressive $8,596,474 on Kickstarter with the full support of 63,416 backers, is scheduled to ship this March as well.
The Ouya console is powered by an Nvidia Tegra 3 chip paired with Android Jelly Bean (4.1-4.2) for the OS. Additional specs include 8 GB internal flash memory, 1 GB RAM, HDMI (1080p), Nvidia ULP GeForce GPU, USB 2, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth LE 4.0, Ethernet port and a wireless controller.
