Gamestick

[MrTAToad]

The Gamestick (another Android based gaming system) is about to be released - this one looks a bit more interesting than the Ouya : http://gamestick.tv/

One large improvement this has over the Ouya is that they encourage C/C++ development

[Youkaisan]

Yup, I want one!

Seems it's reasonably priced and I have a new TV to play with....

[Ian Price]

I remember reading about that last year. All these consoles and not enough time, space, money and tv sockets.

[mentalthink]

uhh this it's more nice than OUYA, the extrange it's the CPU I never listen the name of the CPU... and the price it's very good.

I tink now we are living something similar that happends in 80's whit microcomputers, I read in UK has about 400 different microcomputers, but really the only 2 works fine in the market was Spectrum and Amstrad (ok MSX and C64, but this was fosused in some countries)

Perhaps if glbasic staff have plans to port something better wait a bit... Like Rasperry, now have 2 choices better than Raspberry and  now this, another choice for oUYA... and I suposse we will see a lot of consoles and new platforms....

[Ian Price]

The UK had a three horse race between the Spectrum, C64 and Amstrad CPC back in the day. There were several other machines, but not 400 or even 40. The thing was, back then, that each machine really had very obvious and different strengths and weaknesses - and depending what you wanted from your machine, you could choose one quite easily. Nowadays, every machine is pretty much the same so, for consumers, choosing a horse to back is a lot harder and it becomes more about price-point than what they can each do/offer.

Developers are having a pretty difficult time at the moment with so many machines to support and choosing to be exclusive can be an expensive mistake so the obvious answer is to develop for the lowest spec and port to as many machines as possible. This means that higher spec machines get games and apps that really don't play upto their strengths, which could lead consumers into buying the lower spec machines as the higher spec ones don't do anything different or make anything better.

It's going to be vicious for all involved in the software and hardware industry from now on - there are going to be big winners and big losers and surprises all round. The dust will eventually settle, but I wouldn't place a bet on the final outcome.

[MrTAToad]

I've requested the SDK, so we'll see how things go

[spicypixel]

I still often long for the fixed hardware platform as it forces coders to pinch every ounce of power out of the machine, this is why the various tricks that pushed the C64, Spectrum and Amstrad to their limits back in the day made far superior programmers and innovative thinkers

It'd be nice to see one of these Android driven consoles make it big in the consumer market so again limits can be pushed, although its easier just to bring out a new console now with prices of hardware reducing daily. Alas the nostalgia of an old timer like myself

[erico]

I still often long for the fixed hardware platform as it forces coders to pinch every ounce of power out of the machine, this is why the various tricks that pushed the C64, Spectrum and Amstrad to their limits back in the day made far superior programmers and innovative thinkers

HAM mode on the amiga and also the trick to push 8 sound channels

A bit off topic but not much, I have been giving some thoughts on buying a Tronsmart T428 pc stick to use at my parents place, maybe it would work as good as this one?

[bigsofty]

Looks like a perfect way to create an instant SNES-Emu Mario session on the big TV, excellent! Also, if your monitor supports dual HDMI ports, it must be the most unobtrusive dev setup ever. C++ (NDK I would imagine) is a boon too. The big consoles should be keeping an eye on the little guys instead of sabre rattling with each other!

[fuzzy70]

I have to admit an Android console is a tempting item. It is something I have yet to read about as need some answers regarding the games. My phone is an Android & while I have tried games on it I fail miserably due to only having a 3.2" screen & fat fingers  , so in my case a 5" phone or tablet would probably work best. A large phone is not on my list of things I want or need due to I use mine as a phone & a music player & having something so large in my pocket is not really an option for me.

Same goes for a tablet really as I can't justify having one as it does not offer me anything that I would benefit from or what I have at home already. If I spent a lot of time commuting or was away from home regular then I could see myself getting one as less hassle/baggage than a lugging a laptop about.

Which leads me back to the games question. Due to phones & tablets being touchscreen devices I presume that a vast majority of the games on the google play store are written with that input method in mind & how would they work on a controller based console, if at all. Would the console games be available on the play store or available on the consoles own site?.

Please excuse my ignorance with regards to this as like I said I use my phone as a phone & music player so my experience with this area is somewhat limited 

I might have a look again at bluestacks & see if I can use my pc controller with it.

Lee

[Slydog]

For existing Android games that aren't Gamestick or Ouya compatible (ie: they don't use the controller for input), I wonder if you could map a controller button (or axis) to a screen area click (or device tilt axis).

For each game, create a profile that maps inputs, such as:
"ButtonA = Point(100,100)" - (clicking Button 'A' on the controller tells the game / device I clicked the screen location 100, 100)
"AnalogStick1 = TiltHorizontal" - (tell the game / device that the 1st analog stick controls the horizontal tilt setting)

The onscreen HUD / controls would still show however.  You would just have to have a way to tell (hack) the Android OS that a screen click or tilt has occurred.  Then the game would react accordingly, without knowing you are using a controller.  Unless they stripped that functionality from the OS, since it isn't a touch device.

This would work for some games, just not games that detect gestures such as swipes, pinches, etc.

[Edit] They should have added a multi-touch touch pad to the controllers (like a laptop), then the compatibility would be almost 100%.

[Edit2] Ha, or somebody should program an Android app that mimics a controller, it would display virtual buttons (customizable!) and would relay the button screen clicks (and tilts perhaps) to the Gamestick / Ouya via bluetooth.  Again, each game could have a unique profile to display / layout buttons to suit that game.  Not sure of input lag tho.

[Edit3] Or have the Android app simply relay the touches / tilts to the Gamestick / Ouya, no profiles.  You would have to judge where you think the buttons are on the phone to match the large screen display, with no visual clues.  Either way, the GS/Ouya would have to add the functionality to their devices.

[MrTAToad]

I haven't heard from them yet - so much for a 48 hour reply!