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Today ARCHOS has announced a new member to their lineup of Android-powered tablets, but the 7-inch GamePad goes beyond your typical slate. More a mashup of a tablet and a handheld gaming system, the ARCHOS GamePad sports a dual-core 1.5GHz CPU and Mali 400 graphics. Touch screen input is combined with a selection of physical buttons, including a D-pad and analog thumb sticks. ARCHOS has developed a system to automatically map games to the physical controls for no-hassle play.
Other specs include 8GB of internals storage with microSD expansion, WiFi, and a miniHD output. The FamePad also has full access to the Google Play Store. The device will launch simultaneously in the US and Europe towards the end of October and will retails for “less than 150€.” ARCHOS is currently seeking expanded developer support for the new platform.
ARCHOS combines physical gaming controls with a full Android-powered tablet to create the GamePad
Denver, CO – August 29, 2012 – ARCHOS, an award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, is proud to announce their first gaming tablet. This new type of tablet, the GamePad, combines gaming controls with Android for a full tablet and gaming experience in one. Gamers will not only have access to all their favorite games, they will also have access to email, Internet, apps and more through one device.
The GamePad features a 7-inch, capacitive screen, physical control buttons and analog sticks. This Google certified tablet has full access to Google PlayTM for the tens of thousands of games available, runs a dual-core processor @ 1.5 GHz combined with a Mali 400mp quad-core GPU. In addition, the GamePad includes automatic game recognition and mapping tools – patented technology to ensure control compatibility with every advanced Android game.
Until now, tablets provided gamers with touch controls that lacked response and compatibility for their advanced games, providing a disappointing gaming experience. As one of the main tablet uses, there is a strong need for a tablet that does more for gaming. Thanks to the complete touch and physical controls of the ARCHOS GamePad, Gamers can enhance their experience starting at the end of October 2012 for less than 150€.
“When Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, was first released they included game controller support within the framework and that is when we decided to build the GamePad,” says Henri Crohas, ARCHOS Founder and CEO.
Some leading game developers have already embraced the physical controller support that was introduced with ICS rendering their apps compatible with the physical controls of the GamePad or with game controllers plugged into tablets or phones.
However many games originally did not include physical control mapping, which is why ARCHOS developed their mapping and game recognition tool; a patented technology that allows any virtual controls to be mapped the GamePad’s physical control buttons.
“Thanks to the mapping and automatic game recognition systems included on the GamePad, we already have over a thousand android games compatible with the ARCHOS GamePad’s physical controls, including back catalog titles that originally didn’t include physical controls,” continued Crohas.
ATTENTION DEVELOPERS
Over the past six months, ARCHOS has been discussing the GamePad with leading Android game developers around the world to make their games compatible with the GamePad’s physical controls and now we invite others to participate.Developers interested in getting their current and upcoming games mapped for the ARCHOS GamePad can contact [email protected].
I dunno if I’d buy this, but I’m much more likely to buy this than just another generic 7/10 inch tablet.
I think Android game systems like this can be more successful (in sales numbers) than the Vita. In fact, I think I’ll be buying my son one for Christmas and won’t even have to re-buy any games for it.
I’ll put every Nintendo and Sega ROM known to man on it!
Potential buyers beware, this is another product that will be updated the french way (= will never get a proper update). What you buy is what you get and that’s it!
So you decided to put the same comment in every forum supporting disqus? Besides you come up with a new concept? The french way of updating? what about Samsung which sucks when it comes to update, do you call that the Korean way? No of course.
It’s just a pain in the ass for you to see Archos making a nice product that people will enjoy purchasing and using. Too bad Van der Leur (how is Philips by the way? Not so well I heard…lol)
International versions of Samsung phones get updated in a timely manner. Here in the USA its the carriers that drag out updates
Believe me, Galaxy Tab has only been ICS since last month here in Europe!
I said phones. I am not certain on the Tab.
well theres ways rooting it so updates become obsolete ;)
GoodBye Gameboy/DS/PSV! Hello Emulation Heaven. This is a genius product.
Under 150 Euros… very interesting!
I want the controls but why do they have to wimp out the specs
Huh? Dual-core and Mali 400MP4?
I could understand the Dual-core, but the 400MP4 is the same graphics as in the International Galaxy S3 (Exynos 4).
Likely, this is the Exynos 4 (Dual-Core).
This is all but “wimping out on the specs”.
Nothing is said about the RAM, but I would expect at least 1GB. Combined with a quad core Mali 400 and a 1.5 GHz dulacore CPU, that’s enough to run every game and emulator out there buttery smooth. A quadcore CPU would be nice, but not necessary, and probably closer to 200€, rather than <150.
I’d rather see a control setup similar to this that attaches to the Nexus 7. It would also be nice if it had decent analog sticks like the vita instead of theese (which appear to be like the psp)
Could you imagine a “dock” for the N7 that will give you this button setup? Whomever brings one to market first is going to make a killing!
I totally agree. Using Bluetooth, NFC, the USB connector, or a docking connector, or whatever, gaming cradles would best be made as add-ons for the most popular devices (N7, acer A110, Galaxy Tab2, iPad mini, etc.).
Archos and the other company trying to make one of these just can’t compete with Samsung, acer, ASUS, etc. when it comes to hardware, tablet design, price, and time to market for general purpose tablets.
One tablet that can slip into a keyboard dock, a gaming cradle, or my briefcase is what I’ll buy. A dedicated gaming tablet makes much less sense.
Oh you know it. That would be awesome.
It looks nice. I would buy it if it wasn’t Archos. I wish the picture was accompanied by very solid Motorola/Sony build quality, but this company doesn’t deserve my money.
They should make the controller sections detachable and make a blue tooth controller that can be used with phones.
Sold
If you don’t want to wait for this one, you could just get a JXD or Yinlips… seriously.
http://www.jxd.hk/
http://www.yinlips.com/en/
I wonder how many consoles I could emulate on this. If programmed these would be possible:
Nes,Snes,Gb,GBC,GBA, Maybe nds (Two screens on one screen) 3ds.
Ps1
DreamCast
Maybe more, it has enough buttons to be able to program them to work…..
Does it have triggers/shoulder pads?
Edit:Nvm it does, hard to see but it does XD.
All the consoles you listed have emulators available on Android already with the exception of the Dreamcast and NDS. There was one being developed a while ago but I’ve not heard anything recently. All the emulators allow you to set custom inputs for the various buttons. There’s also an N64 emulator which does surprisingly well.
I use to play a lot on my old transformer tablet using a wii mouse + wii classic controller. Was a pretty sweet setup.
Actually, there are NDS-emus available. You will need a pretty powerful system to run it at decent speed, and the available emus (not many) are far from complete. But it is possible.
Hmm, very tempting!
Please sell it in Indonesia. Please.
“This Google certified tablet” .. in what way is it Certified? It goes on to say full access to the Play store, but that has nothing to do with being ‘certified’ in any way. Did their marketing department commit fraud by just making stuff up, or has Google rubber-stamped this device in some special way?
Personally, it sounds like fraudulent bullshit coming out of a marketing department.