Portable games console Gamestick set to launch

[Pleng]

Hey, I'm all in favour of the concept, but I still think the term is a bit misleading.

Not really. It is a portable console. I've never referred to the gamegear,gameboy,DS,PSP etc as 'portable'... they're 'handhelds', aren't they?

 

[Deleted User]

That looks horribly uncomfortable.

 

[Veho]

Not really. It is a portable console. I've never referred to the gamegear,gameboy,DS,PSP etc as 'portable'... they're 'handhelds', aren't they?

But the PSP is the Play Station Portable, not Play Station Handheld The term "portable" usually makes people expect a screen.
And even the GameStick creators are aware of the confusion so they're calling it a "portable TV console" to clear it up.

 

[Haloman800]

1. You can for around 30$ but theres probably better controllers out there...
2. You probably can but if you cant download most apps like on JXD its worthless.
3. Yes microSD and USB through a dock sold separately.
4. Runs XBMC but only 720p

What's JXD?

A USB dock, great, but 720p only? Dealbreaker, sadly.

 

[Pleng]

But the PSP is the Play Station Portable, not Play Station Handheld

And the DS is a "Dual Screen" but people don't go around calling it my "screen". Just because portable happens to be the last word in a device's acronym doesn't mean that's what it is referred too. How many people with PSPs do you know that referred to it as their "portable"?

 

[Veho]

What's JXD?

Android-based console/emulation thingy with buttons. Decent specs, cheap.

 

[Haloman800]

Android-based console/emulation thingy with buttons. Decent specs, cheap.

That actually looks pretty cool. Website says it can output 1080p via HDMI, I wonder if that includes high bit-rate?

 

[Veho]

How many people with PSPs do you know that referred to it as their "portable"?

No more than I've heard referring to it as their "handheld console", everyone just calls it their PSP.

I was just saying, usually, when people hear "portable console", they expect a screen.

 

[shadow theory]

No more than I've heard referring to it as their "handheld console", everyone just calls it their PSP.

I was just saying, usually, when people hear "portable console", they expect a screen.

I'd like to respectfully disagree. This may stem from differences in the common usages from where you are from as opposed to where I am from but I do thinks this qualifies as a portable console. Over time the blur between portable handheld devices and consoles has increased in terms of gaming experiences but the one major difference, generally, between the two is that one is done at a television and one is done in your hand. Including a screen would, at least to me, make the unit a handheld that had TV capability, not a portable console.

Portable does not necessarily mean that you can play it at any time anywhere, portable can easily also mean that it is easy to take it from one place to another--which this certainly is.

So while I definitely see that some people would find a screen necessary to make it able to play on the move, I think it's just as reasonable to expect a "portable" console experience to merely mean that it is easy to move it from one place to another. If not you risk blurring the lines from consoles and handhelds a little bit more and muddying the language--if you make a screen a qualification for a portable console then the 3DS, PSP, Vita, GameGear, etc. all become portable consoles. Then the only dividing line is intent of the developer and marketing which has always been an area where creative use of language is made.

 

[nl255]

Android-based console/emulation thingy with buttons. Decent specs, cheap.

Does it have at least 1GB RAM and a CPU good enough to run most PS1 games? I am pretty sure it is limited to 512MB RAM which means no Android 4.x

 

[nl255]

No more than I've heard referring to it as their "handheld console", everyone just calls it their PSP.

I was just saying, usually, when people hear "portable console", they expect a screen.

Well the Sega Nomad was supposed to be a "portable console" (and even had it's own screen) yet it really wasn't because it only ran for an hour on 6 AA batteries.

 

[shadow theory]

Well there are always outliers that are hard to classify:

Spoiler

 

[Man18]

I do something similar on my phone, micro hdmi to hdmi and a bluetooth ps3 controller (or the available bluetooth android controller) I think the idea is already out there.

 

[LightyKD]

What's JXD?

A USB dock, great, but 720p only? Dealbreaker, sadly.

DON'T ever get a JXD. Matter of fact, to put it frankly, "Fuck JXD"! I have their s6600 tablet and highly considered getting the s7300 for the Wii U like design and buttons but the tab I have now, has so many damn hiccups, that I considered banging the shit out of it with my sledgehammer. I got my tab a week before Christmas last year and here we are, five months later and the damn thing resets on me almost every five hours, is very sluggish and can barely surf the web. Don't even get me started on the "disappearing apps" problem and the crappy, barely two hour battery life and that's with the screen at it's lowest bright setting. I've emailed JXD about the situation considering my tab is still well within the one year warranty and I received NO reply. The only company who was willing to help was Dino Direct (the store I received the tablet from) but their solution was not feasible in my city. Once again, anyone here considering a JXD should steer clear AWAY from them!

 

[science]

Why does this website not have a filter or a set of guidelines for front page posts? Having this as the top post with its horrible formatting is awful. It cheapens the look of the whole forum.

 

[pwsincd]

I'm not sure what constitutes front page news, I guess news worthy of wanting more people to see said news. As for formatting, I haven't ever posted anything expecting it to be anywhere but in the thread I posted it and consequently don't set about composing sexy looking posts, and try to concentrate upon the content of the post rather than its sex appeal. To my mind the post is concise and factual whilst pointing the reader in the direction of the full news article from its source and further more offering my comments upon said news. Maybe it coulda been centred for front page news, but as a forum post people generally hate that. The amount of news passing by lately will generally mean that any news posted doesn't stay front page news for long and quickly scrolls on by. The thread would much rather hear people's thoughts upon its content and not its appearance, unless it truly is ghastly

 

[raulpica]

Does it have at least 1GB RAM and a CPU good enough to run most PS1 games? I am pretty sure it is limited to 512MB RAM which means no Android 4.x

It's total crap. Stay away from the S7100. And no, it isn't enough for PSX.

Anyway, what are all those Android "consoles" makers thinking? The 99% of the games in the Play Store NEED Touch to be played.

It'll be awesome to have this or the Ouya and play the 20 games that support physical controls (aside from emulators).

 

[KingVamp]

Speaking of the Ouya, this is a $99 dollar tablet.

 

[Veho]

if you make a screen a qualification for a portable console then the 3DS, PSP, Vita, GameGear, etc. all become portable consoles.

I don't understand this part. Aren't they portable consoles? Are you disputing the "portable" or the "console" part? The technical term is handheld game console, usually shortened down to "handheld" but they're still consoles, if that's the disputable bit. And they're inherently portable in the sense of "easy to carry around with you".

I believe this illustrates my point: if you google "portable console", you get this. Or if you want to rule out handhelds, you can try specific names, "portable Xbox", "portable Wii", "portable PS2", it gives you a ton of case mods and mockups of portable versions, and they all have screens.

I'm not saying the GameStick isn't portable as such, I'm just saying that the word, when talking about consoles, usually implies a screen.

 

[pwsincd]

Whatever it consists of it can be easily carried ergo its portable. It could be mis-interpreted to infer it may be playable whilst being portable, but that bit isn't within the dictionary def of the word portable, it's more a gamer's perception of a portable console.

With that thought in mind I recall a wii u thread concerning the playing of a wii u on a train or in a car. It has got a portable screen but isn't classed as portable because it needs a power outlet or big heavy batteries. But it has got a screen? .. its all in the misinterpretation of words I guess.