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back to article Archos pushes out 7-inch GamePad, slaps on dual thumbsticks

Archos threw its hat into the videogames domain at IFA this week, introducing a 7in slate with dual thumbsticks and dedicated gaming buttons. The Archos GamePad packs a 7in capacitive touchscreen, is powered by a 1.5GHz processor and runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which unlike predecessor platforms now supports game …

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  1. Lord Voldemortgage

    Zodiac

    Hasn't been a decent successor to the TapWave device yet - maybe this is it.

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    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      A patent breech

      If ever there was one.

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  2. Mike Hartley
    Thumb Up

    That looks a very nifty bit of kit

    Anybody know about storage, MicroSD slot etc? Am looking for a smaller tablet to complement my asus transformer and the gaming controls look very nifty.

    Nintend-who? I'll stick to a multi-function tablet methinks.

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    1. Gerard Krupa
      Reply Icon

      Re: That looks a very nifty bit of kit

      I use a Nexus 7, an OTG cable and a generic PC game controller. Very clunky but it works, more or less.

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      1. Flabbergarstedbastard
        Reply Icon
        Thumb Up

        Re: That looks a very nifty bit of kit

        There was some chap on Reddit a while back who had developed a kit to clip a PS3 6axis controller to an android device. It made for quite a cool portable gaming rig. I think there is a kickstarter for it but I am too lazy to look.

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  3. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    Phone version

    I love the look of this tablet, but would avoid since Archos support is terrible.

    I have an Xperia Play which I love but it is started to get long in the tooth (wear and tear and low memory issues). I'd love to get a phone like this, heck even a bluetooth case like this would do.

    Any idea's?

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  4. Nev

    Good price point for a leave-it-lying-around-the-house interweb gadget...

    If TuneIn runs well it'll make a good WiFi "radio" too....

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  5. 1Rafayal

    right up my street. Was looking at a similar device on android-sale the other day, but I think I will hang on for this to come out instead.

    Reminds me of the GP2X, Caanoo etc

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  6. Mage Silver badge

    Apple can't sue

    Too many buttons :-) for Apple (not too many for gamers)

    [Lack of] Availability of compelling games is the issue with all new handheld gaming platform.

    How General purpose is it too? Has it got decent resolution or the same dots as a 4" approx screen?

    It would want to be more open than the Archos 605 WiFi was.

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  7. Randy Hudson
    FAIL

    PS Vita was D.O.A.

    I own a Vita (actually, my son), and it is a sorry excuse for a gaming device. Games are downloadable, like the iPad or other tablets, but instead of costing $1 to $5, they cost up to $40. Absurd! Proprietary flash storage costs $100 for 32GB!

    At least with $40 UMD games, you could loan it to a friend or trade the game in when you're done playing it. And you can only play downloaded games on up to 2 Vitas (not that anyone would own that many), while iOS games can be played on every iPod, iPad and iPhone you own.

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    1. Gareth 16
      Reply Icon
      Pint

      Re: PS Vita was D.O.A.

      if you want $5 shovelware like angry turds then you have the option to use PSN. Games are still available in highstreet stores for the main releases and tend to cost $40 as they last more than 5 mins and you don't need to buy in game 'cash' to progress.

      You also seem to have negated the fact that iOS devices are superceeded every other month, what iPad is knocking about now iPad 3...4?

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  8. fLaMePrOoF
    Meh

    Good but...

    Archos missed a trick here - if they'd designed it so that the 'tablet' could pop out of the 'surround' with the games controls they's have widened the market considerably.

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    1. Major Trouble
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      Re: Good but...

      Hell, you need to patent that idea.

      I have a Nexus 7 and if someone made a game pad that mine clipped into with a battery like you describe for the Archos I would be seriously interested.

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  9. Robert E A Harvey

    any onscreen controls for touchscreen games will be automatically ported to the device's buttons

    any?

    That's some meaty automation!

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  10. Joe K
    FAIL

    Real pic please

    A shot of a poor render is hardly newsworthy.

    Also as i'm sure you will never mention as its another site, Eurogamer looked at the specs and found it to be "nowhere near" the Vita.

    Its an android phone with buttons, without the phone bits.

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  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    >Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which unlike predecessor platforms now supports game controllers.

    Android has supported the PC dongle and wireless Xbox 360 controllers since Honeycomb....loads of other HCI gaming devices too. Selected earlier devices also supported HCI, at the whim of their OEM - typically it was pre-Honeycomb tablets...

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