Wikipad gaming tablet specifications revealed, 3D deferred to 'future models'

[The Verge]



After the Wikipad's debut at CES this year, Gaikai announced an official partnership with the company that would bring its cloud-gaming services to the Android tablet. Today, Wikipad revealed its tablet's official hardware roster in an interview with VentureBeat, including a 1.4GHz Tegra 3 quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and at least 16GB of internal storage, though the company says it may choose to increase that figure before launch. It will run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and the gamepad-dock — which allows sound and ports to remain accessible — will be included with every device. The display is still a 10.1-inch IPS panel running at a resolution of 1280 x 800, but Wikipad is going back on its decision to include glasses-free 3D support, saying that the feature will be considered for future models.

What Wikipad didn't mention was the company's partnership with Gaikai, which was purchased by Sony earlier this month. While a natural conflict of interest between the Wikipad and Sony's PS Vita could hamper the Android tablet's chances of cloud-connected gaming, we'll have to wait for official word on the partnership to know for sure. Wikipad expects to release the tablet by the end of this year, but specific pricing and availability have yet to be announced.

This article first appeared on The Verge by Evan Rodgers: Wikipad gaming tablet specifications revealed, 3D deferred to 'future models'


[My Take]

The three major cloud gaming services (Gakai, OnLive, and GameString) are up for a showdown by teaming up with major TV manufacturers; and now with the mobile game console device makers; starting with the Gakai and Wikipad partnership.

Gaikai Cloud Gaming beta launched on some Samsung smart TVs

OnLive announces in-browser game demos, 'spectating' social features, and collaboration with LG Cinema 3D Smart TV

This implies that Gakai, together with Wikipad, will face natural conflict of interest with Sony PS Vita in the future once Wikipad gets released this year; knowing that Sony has just acquired Gakai last month but did not make the cloud gaming system exclusive for its TVs and game consoles.