Since Apple reportedly has a smartwatch and a next-gen TV incorporating a video game console, Google decided to take stance …
In an effort to outdo itself, BlueStacks is announcing the GamePop Mini for the cube-averse. The biggest difference between the Mini (seen above on the left) and the cube (the... uh... cube above) isn't the form factor; it's in pricing. Where the regular GamePop is $129 (unless you act soon) the Mini is "free" after a 12-month subscription of $7 per-month, or $84 total. At this price, it costs less than an OUYA, but slightly more than a GameStick. "If you keep it more than 12 months, you keep it forever," BlueStacks' Head of Marketing and Business Development John Gargiulo told us. Of course, there's not much to do with the Mini without a subscription. "It'd be like if Netflix did it this way and had hardware -- the unit would be useless without the subscription," he added. Additionally, if you return the Mini inside of 12 months, there's a $25 restocking fee.
The subscription gives users access to a plethora of games from 500 "popular mobile game partners." Those partners include the teams behind Jetpack Joyride and Fieldrunners. "Getting the kind of developer support we've gotten, it sets us apart," Gargiulo said. "We saw what happened with the Dreamcast and we saw what happened with the Wii U. You need to have good launch titles; there needs to be games everyone recognizes and wants to play."
To make GamePop more enticing to developers, BlueStacks created Looking Glass -- proprietary tech allowing iOS-only apps to run on its Android-4.2-based console. When an iOS app makes calls to Apple's hardware, Looking Glass interprets those calls and translates them to the GamePop Mini's hardware. Of course, a few changes within the code are necessary. "[Porting is] not easy, but I would submit it's not hard, relatively speaking," Gargiulo said.
Filed under: Gaming
That might not sound very revolutionary, but considering that this gaming console runs on Android, we’re talking about real cross-platform …
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BlueStacks is taking on OUYA in a big way, having announced its Android-powered GamePop game console a few weeks ago. The company wouldn't give specifics on how much the device would cost when it was first unveiled, although it offered an option to get the console for free through May -- provided you were willing to subscribe to the $7-per-month service for at least a full year, which gives you full access to a large number of paid and free mobile games. Today, BlueStacks announced that the free offer has been extended through June, after which time the console can be yours for $129. What's more, the service has inked partnerships with more gaming developers, adding at least another $50 worth of titles to its overall catalog. One such company is COM2US, which will feature its very own channel in GamePop's UI. Head to the source link to get your pre-order in.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment
Via: TheNextWeb
Source: Gamepop.tv
So you want a console for free, eh? BlueStacks is apparently prepared to offer you just that in its GamePop game console, which costs nothing for the month of May with a one-year subscription to the service (wouldn't you know it, that costs $93.83 -- just below the price of an OUYA at retail). Like its counterparts, the GamePop is powered by Android (4.2) and runs mostly mobile games. The company isn't sharing specs just yet, sadly. BlueStacks is promising "over 500" games, and has some top mobile devs offering credence with in testimonial.
"We've been a featured partner in App Player since early on and they've delivered on every promise in terms of distribution," Fruit Ninja studio head Shainiel Deo said, referencing BlueStacks' App Player software. "GamePop is a great incremental channel for us." Since games won't be bought, but included in the subscription, devs receive a 50 percent cut of subscription revenue, determined by how often users play their games. Should you be interested in getting in early, pre-orders are now open at the GamePop website; we've also included an intro video from BlueStacks just below.
Source: GamePop.tv