When the OUYA was first unveiled on Kickstarter, it seemed like the perfect take on bringing Android games to the living room but, then there was the GameStick. That not only aims to undercut the OUYA – at $79 vs $99 – but also offer a more portable solution. The GameStick brings Android gaming and the TV together without all the hassle that comes with current consoles, the wires, the closed eco-systems and the expensive games. It’s a great concept and like the OUYA, has a lot of promise.
Something else it shares with the OUYA, is that it was funded through Kickstarter and achieved its goals and then some now. Dev units of the device have shipped but, devices meant to ship out to backers won’t ship until late June, after a two-month delay. It’s unfortunate that something like this is to happen to the Gamestick but, the resulting consoles might be of better quality.
GameStick have spoken about having to use much “higher-end tooling” to deliver quality controllers, which are currently being produced in China and Germany. So, maybe those that get their console late, will end up with a better controller to go along with that stick. what is a little more worrying is that the firm is saying they will have to ship the consoles by sea instead of air freight due to the amount of backers had pledged and the costs associated with air freight. The slow shipping alone would set the device back a few weeks.
This isn’t to say that the GameStick still isn’t worth your attention, while they might be missing a goal set on Kickstrarter, it’s extremely important to remember that it’s not a store. This isn’t like pre-ordering something on Amazon, as much as it might look like that. GameStick has a slick website you can take a look at to learn more about the console and there appears to be a good amount of games already ported or working on the GameStick. Not to mention Netflix and XBMC work with the GameStick as well.
Will you be getting this or the OUYA when they hit retail? Did you back either of the projects? Let us know in the comments.