Joystiq

Wikipad resurrected, shrunk down to 7-inch design

Richard Mitchell — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 10:00:00 EST

After missing its winter launch last year, the Wikipad - the Android tablet with detachable, console-style controls - is back. Rather than launching the $500 10-inch model as originally planned, Wikipad will first release a more affordable 7-inch model. Wikipad president of sales Fraser Townley tells Joystiq there was "an unforeseen flaw" in the original production run of the 10-inch model, which resulted in its delay last year. Townley wouldn't tell us exactly what the setback was, but he says the company took the opportunity to listen to its community and the decision was made to redesign the tablet.

Townley notes "the overwhelming opinion that, although $500 was justifiable for what we were delivering, it was a tough one for a lot of the gamers," and so the 10-inch model was put on hold in favor of a smaller, cheaper device.

The new 7-inch tablet will feature the same specs as the original Wikipad, including the quad-core Tegra 3 processor, 16GB of storage, micro SD for up to 32GB of additional storage, HDMI out and a "true widescreen HD display." And, of course, it still features the detachable controls, which are the same size as before, despite the tablet's smaller form factor. The new model no longer features a rear camera, though a front-facing camera is still available for things like video chat.

The new Wikipad will launch this spring for $249, half the price of its big brother. Townley tells Joystiq that a 10-inch tablet is still in the works, and he hopes it will launch this year. Whenever it does, Wikipad promises it will have "the latest and greatest specs."

Continue reading Wikipad resurrected, shrunk down to 7-inch design

Wikipad resurrected, shrunk down to 7-inch design originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 07 Feb 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wikipad delayed on launch day, 'refined and upgraded bundles' to be announced soon

Mike Schramm — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 19:30:00 EST

The upcoming Android gaming tablet Wikipad was set to launch today, but the company's representatives have sent along a statement from the development team (which you can read in full after the break) saying that the launch has been delayed. According to the statement, the device's release was moved in order to take advantage of a "last minute opportunity" to "ensure our first customers are completely satisfied with the Wikipad." Unfortunately, no new launch date has been set yet.

The team says that it's working with GameStop on dealing with current pre-orders, and that anyone who's already pre-ordered the product will not only get the "refined and upgraded" bundle when it's eventually released, but "a special bonus gift" as well. Again, there's no indication when that might happen, so we'll just have to wait and see what Wikipad's plans are going forward.

Continue reading Wikipad delayed on launch day, 'refined and upgraded bundles' to be announced soon

Wikipad delayed on launch day, 'refined and upgraded bundles' to be announced soon originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OnLive and Gaikai functionality still on board for Wikipad

David Hinkle — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 18:30:00 EST

During a private demo of the near-final Wikipad this week, Joystiq was able to grill Wikipad president of sales Fraser Townley about next month's launch. Specifically, we wanted to learn whether OnLive and Gaikai functionality - the former with its recent change in ownership and the latter having recently been picked up by Sony - were still planned for the device.

"Yes," Townsley assured Joystiq, to both applications appearing on the device. Speaking on the situation at OnLive, Townsley said he didn't have much knowledge what was happening at the company, but promised that "if [the service is] still running when we launch Wikipad, it'll be there."

While Wikipad will have physical units for purchase in-store through official partner GameStop, all other major retailers will be taking orders online. When asked what would be a successful launch for the $499 tablet - which comes with the controller dock and 16GB of memory - Townley couldn't provide exact numbers, but said that "a point or two" of total tablet market share would be desirable.

Gallery: Wikipad

OnLive and Gaikai functionality still on board for Wikipad originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wikipad at Gamestop this October for $499, pre-orders open Sep. 7

Richard Mitchell — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 19:00:00 EST

The Wikipad - A.K.A. the Android tablet with detachable gamepad controls - will finally land at retail starting on October 31. Specifically, the game-geared tablet will be available at GameStop for $499, which is in line with similarly featured Android tablets. Pre-orders for the device will open tomorrow on September 7. Purchasing a Wikipad from GameStop will net buyers special extras "including exclusive free, full-length game titles." Pre-orders will include both free games and an issue of the digital edition of Game Informer.

The Wikipad features Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), a 10.1" screen, 1200x800 resolution, an Nvidia Tegra 3 T30 1.4 GHz processor, 1GB DDR2 RAM and ~~8GB~~ 16GB of flash storage (expandable to 64GB). In addition to Android apps and games, the Wikipad will also support Sony's PlayStation Mobile and Gaikai. Onlive support is possible as well. You can read our hands-on impressions of the device here.

Gallery: Wikipad

Continue reading Wikipad at Gamestop this October for $499, pre-orders open Sep. 7

Wikipad at Gamestop this October for $499, pre-orders open Sep. 7 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wikipad specs revealed, will run Android 4.1 games on a 10.1" screen

Mike Schramm — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 01:30:00 EST

The Wikipad is a gaming tablet device revealed at CES earlier this year, and it's slowly moving from idea to reality. The company behind the tablet (also known as Wikipad, go figure) has announced the final specs for the design, and they're hot: The display will be 10.1 inches with a 16:10 1280x800 resolution, the tablet will be powered by an Nvidia Tegra 3 T30 1.4 GHz processor, and it will run with 1 GB of DDR2 RAM, and at least 16 GB of internal Flash memory storage. Android 4.1 will power the OS, and an onboard 23.46Wh battery will go for six hours of gaming and eight hours of video playback.

There will be an 8 megapixel camera on the back, as well as a 2 megapixel camera on the front. An early model this year featured a 3D display, but the final version will opt for 2D.

For the casing itself, Wikipad is going with a flat-backed shape with rounded corners, both slightly thicker, but also lighter, than the iPad 2. The controller add-on, which you can see above, is similar to a current-gen gaming controller (complete with triggers and buttons on the back) and will come with the unit.

A price and release date haven't been officially announced yet, but Wikipad is planning to have its namesake device out later this year.

Wikipad specs revealed, will run Android 4.1 games on a 10.1" screen originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 01:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gaikai and Wikipad team for game streaming to tablet

Alexander Sliwinski — Wed, 02 May 2012 10:00:00 EST

Game streaming service Gaikai has teamed up with Wikipad to integrate its service into the "first tablet to offer an attachable, console-quality gamepad controller." Competitor OnLive offers a tablet option for game streaming, albeit via touch controls or a compatible gamepad.

Never heard of Wikipad? Join the club! The device was revealed at CES, but has already gone through some changes since the original concept: replacing the 8.1" version with a 10.1" screen, and adding a quad core processor, lighter body and optional 3G for mobile. The launch date for the device is still a mystery.

As for Gaikai, it's still doing its thing on PC and working on Facebook.

Gaikai and Wikipad team for game streaming to tablet originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 02 May 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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