Ouya isn’t the only Android microconsole storming the market this year. Mobile publisher PlayJam is sending out its GameStick console to Kickstarter backers this month with a wider release planned for this spring.

For the unaware, GameStick is a $79 USB-stick-sized HDMI gaming console that plugs directly into the back of a high-definition television. It supports full HD gaming with its own Android game store that will specialize in titles optimized for the GameStick’s physical controller.

With the gadget finally shipping out to developers, PlayJam prepared an unboxing video for your pleasure:

The video shows off the new developer user interface. PlayJam is nearly finished designing the U.I. It just wants to make a few more tweaks based on user input.

“We are making some last-minute changes to the latest version before we ship it to our Designed By Me Backers for feedback,” PlayJam chief marketing officer Anthony Johnson told GamesBeat. ”These include dropping some of the subtle 3D elements we had previously scoped to increase the real-estate and make it simpler to navigate.”

During the Kickstarter campaign, PlayJam offered up 50 Designed By Me GameStick consoles for people who contributed $300. Those backers will get a chance to provide feedback on the final consumer interface.

The unboxing also briefly shows the APK installer that developers can use to install  any APK (Android application package file) to their GameStick.

Johnson told us that they don’t plan to include the APK installer with the final consumer system, but a third-party solution is bound to pop up on the GameStick app store. This enables GameStick owners to install any Android app (PlayJam approved or not) on their Android microconsole.

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The Ouya and the GameStick are like the Deep Impact and Armageddon of Android-based microconsoles. They’re so similar that it might be hard to parse the differences between the two, let alone in an increasingly crowded alternative console market that relies on digital downloads (as opposed to buying games on a disc).

Ouya releases June 4 for $99 and GameStick ships in late April or early May for $79. Both were present at the annual Game Developers Conference last week in San Francisco, where we spent a little time with the miniature devices and their games. But we all know that consoles are more than just their specifications, so here’s what you can expect when you plug in the Ouya and GameStick to your television.

Hover over the gallery below to see the comparison:

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Android microconsoles like GameStick and Ouya may not pose much of a threat to the PlayStation 4 or the next Xbox, but set-top boxes like Roku better look out.

Developer PlayJam, the company behind GameStick, announced it is working with technology company Pivos to bring the XBMC media software to the thumb drive-sized gaming device. XBMC is an open-source video platform that enables users to stream media from their computers or from websites like Hulu and YouTube.

“We are delighted to partner with PlayJam, the visionaries behind the Android micro-gaming console, GameStick,” XBMC project director Cory Fields said in a statement. “This unique partnership provides us the opportunity to extend our XBMC development beyond its world-leading media-management capability with an established gaming platform.”

This XBMC functionality, along with access to Netflix and more, turns the $79 GameStick into a competitor to the Roku, which is a puck-sized box that streams Internet video.

The latest product from Roku, which features some motion games like Angry Birds, starts at $100. GameStick and Ouya could make a compelling case for anyone in the market for a dedicated streaming box to go with the hardware that can also download Android apps and play real games.

“Working with Pivos and the XBMC community to integrate a world-class media center into GameStick is a major step forward in our ambitions,” PlayJam chief executive Jasper Smith said. “Likewise, extending the reach of our games platform via XBMC fulfills our underlying goal of accelerating the affordable TV games market. Combining the two is very much the holy grail.”

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GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here!

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We may see four or more new consoles launch in 2013 — two from hardware veterans and two from a couple of small companies looking to disrupt everything.

One of those disruptive consoles, the GameStick, is available for preorder starting today. The Android-based microconsole is the size of a thumb drive and plugs right into a television’s HDMI slot. GameStick costs $79 and begins shipping in April.

GameStick, like its competitor Ouya, started as a Kickstarter campaign. The project raised over $600,000 on the crowdfunding website. PlayJam, the developer behind GameStick, will have to fill its Kickstarter orders first before it can start shipping out preorders made on its website.

“January was a pivotal month for GameStick with the success of the campaign ensuring that we could bring the device to life,” PlayJam chief marketing officer Anthony Johnson said in a statement. “Since the campaign closed, we have received thousands of emails from individuals keen to ensure they remain one of the first to receive the product. By continuing to offer GameStick on preorder, we will be able to maintain momentum ahead of our planned retail activity.”

PlayJam didn’t announce its plans for retail. Retailers like Target and Best Buy will begin selling the Ouya in June. It wouldn’t surprise us to see GameStick follow suit.

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GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here!

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PlayJam, which recently drew a lot of attention on Kickstarter for successfully raising money for its tiny GameStick portable console, has partnered with a major Korean and Japanese hardware manufacturer to introduce its TV games in the Asian market.

Under the white-label deal, PlayJam will provide its TV games platform technology to power Avantis’ new console for Korean and Japanese markets. The partnership is PlayJam’s first licensing deal as a part of a wider strategy to form the backbone of multiple devices beyond its GameStick device, which plugs into a TV and lets you play casual games on it.

In an interview with GamesBeat at the Casual Connect Europe game conference, PlayJam chief executive Jasper Smith (pictured) said that the TV games ecosystem is rapidly evolving, with more TV and set-top box makers preparing to enter the market. PlayJam’s Games Platform is an open environment that gives developers a set of tools to enhance, promote, monetize, and distribute games over connected TVs. It has features like worldwide billing, leaderboards, tournaments, ads, and analytics.

Avantis is licensing PlayJam’s network, not a hardware device, so that it can deliver games on the TV via Avantis hardware.

“We offer a game network that can plug into any device,” Smith said. “In Asia, we can go into the market with something that is disruptive.”

K.J. Yoo, the president of Avantis, said the alliance with PlayJam allows it to deliver games on a TV at a fraction of the cost that it would otherwise require to do support and network management.

PlayJam also recently partnered with controller maker Green Throttle Games, which also wants to bring Android games to the TV.

PlayJam’s backers are GameStop, Adobe, Endeavour Ventures, London Venture Partners, and others. PlayJam games are accessible on 150 TVs from Samsung, LG, Panasonic, and others. That means PlayJam’s games are already accessible to more than 60 million homes.

PlayJam also raised more than $600,000 on Kickstarter to manufacture its GameStick device. The GameStick device makes sense in part because the quality of the game experience on TVs is hampered by the input device and the availability of memory.

GameStick plugs into a TV’s HDMI slot and comes with a Bluetooth-based game controller (pictured at top). You can snap the USB stick into the controller when you want to take it on the road. You could easily play this on a hotel room TV while traveling. PlayJam’s executives say they will sell the GameStick for $79. The project was born from the belief that consoles and games are still too expensive and aren’t open enough when it comes to content options. As such, it is a rival to the Ouya console scheduled for this June.

That project, featuring a three-inch by one-inch hardware device, drew intense support during the Kickstarter campaign, which helped raised the profile of PlayJam and helped its cause in promoting its game network. Multiple major retailers also stepped forward to sell the GameStick.

“We got great PR and marketing out of that campaign,” Smith said. “Getting all of the retailers fired up to support us is not something we could have predicted.”

PlayJam has its own publishing platform on Android for Smart TV games, and it has a network of hundreds of developers. PlayJam has 65 employees and has been around for six years.

“Our view is Android is penetrating into the TV, and it’s starting from the bottom up, from developers,” he said. “Our strategy is to make sure those things meet and we can be in a dominant position.”

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GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here!

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It didn’t make as much as the first big Android-based microconsole, but GameStick ended its crowdfunding campaign today with a lot more than its $100,000 goal.

The tiny thumb-drive-sized Android gaming console from developer PlayJam raised $647,658 on the crowdfunding website Kickstarter. The device, which plugs directly into a television’s HDMI input, comes with a controller so gamers can play Android titles on a big screen.

The system begins shipping to backers in April. Those who didn’t get in on the Kickstarter can still preorder the system on the company’s website for $79.

“We are overwhelmed, excited, grateful, thrilled, and everything in between,” said PlayJam chief marketing officer Anthony Johnson. “The campaign has been an incredible success with support from thousands of backers worldwide, but this is just the beginning. The feedback from the Kickstarter community has been invaluable in shaping the final product, and we will continue to seek input from those that supported us to ensure continued innovation ahead of a global retail launch.”

The hardware team recently redesigned the system and controller based on feedback from contributors.

PlayJam will work with developers to bring controller-optimized games to the GameStick. The device has its own distribution store, so the platform-holder can feature titles that work best on a television. At the same time, it’s fully hackable, so savvy users can load the Google Play market and any other Android app that they choose.

As I mentioned earlier, GameStick isn’t the most successful console of its type on Kickstarter. The Android-based Ouya raised more than $8 million in July.

We have a full rundown of console alternatives that can explain in more detail the position Ouya and GameStick occupy in the market.

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GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here!

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Kickstarter isn’t just for crowdfunding. The website also provides an ample platform for crowdsourcing decisions about a project.

That’s what developer PlayJam did with its Android-based GameStick microconsole. It has little more than 60 hours left to gain additional funds on top of the $517,000 it already raised. To drum up excitement in the final hours, the designers of the thumb-drive-sized game console revealed the product’s final design. A lot of the changes came from backer suggestions.

“The Kickstarter campaign has been a roller coaster of a ride and one which has given us more feedback than we could ever have possibly imagined,” PlayJam chief marketing officer Anthony Johnson said in a statement. “We have been able to take that input and literally better shape our product to give our backers a truly bespoke creation — one which has been designed by the Kickstarter community that backed it.”

Here’s what’s different:

• GameStick’s controller now has slightly extended grips and a tapered shape for better ergonomics.
• The HDMI stick now nests into the top of the controller rather than the bottom.
• The stick now has a slot for a microSD card.
• GameStick now has a dock with support for peripherals (keyboards, mice, microphones, and camera) and the ability to charge the controller.

“The GameStick Dock is a prime example of how we have moved rapidly to innovate while still in the preproduction phase,” said Johnson. “It has made for a ‘hairy’ 30 days, but we think the results are worth it, and we are delighted that we have been able to tailor the product as much as we have in such a short time frame.”

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GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here!

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Normally, we video game guys don’t have to work too hard when it comes to covering consumer electronics. We have a few consoles, a few handhelds, maybe a few peripherals here and again, but it’s nothing like crazy world of phones and tablets … or at least it wasn’t.

This year, something happened: We started getting video game consoles from companies other than Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft.

These alternative gaming devices, sometimes called microconsoles, come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors. You want to stream your games like Netflix? You can do that. Want to play Android-based games on a tablet with controls built into a handle? That’s a thing. Want Valve’s Steam experience on your television? It’s happening.

But it’s damn hard to keep up with everything. How do they work? What kind of games will they run? How much do they cost? OK — I’m panicking now just thinking about putting all of this information together for you … but I did.

We’ll try to keep this easy. Let’s get started.

Android-based microconsoles

Ouya

Price: $99
Release date: March (preorders)/April (retail)
Website: Ouya.tv

The Ouya is the single biggest reason I’m explaining all of this. When the tiny console box launched on Kickstarter — and raked in over $8 million from backers — it created more questions about the future of gaming than it answered.

Ouya’s basic concept is to bring the open platform of Android gaming to the television. It accomplishes this by providing a cheap box that has the guts of a smartphone but doesn’t rely on touch-screen controls. Instead, it comes with a physical controller with buttons, analog sticks, and everything else that gamers require to rack up a dozen headshots in a first-person shooter.

The console plays Android games, most of which aren’t designed for a controller, so Ouya is also a digital-distribution platform that will showcase original games (and Android games that the developer redesigned for physical controls).

On top of that, Ouya’s creators also promise the device is completely open to hacking. That means emulators and piracy. A good chunk of consumers may get something like Ouya just to play classic Super Nintendo games on one of the many Android emulator apps. A bunch more might get the system and pirate Android games (not that the developers can’t fight that on their level with authentication).

For Ouya to succeed, it will have to build a library of games that convince a portion of the audience to get their software directly through the new microconsole. This is possible.

Ouya is about to ship out to consumers in just a few months. It could easily launch with games like Minecraft Pocket Edition and others that already have full controller support.

The little Android has a few months to prove it’s worth the HDMI input it’s taking up on your television, otherwise people are likely to forget it as the new consoles come pouring down and wash it away.

GameStick

Price: $79
Release date: April
Website: Gamestick.tv

Take everything I wrote about Ouya and apply it to GameStick. It’s nearly all the same, but the GameStick is smaller than Ouya and $20 cheaper.

This thumb-drive-sized HDMI device uses Android. It has smartphone-like components. It comes with a physical controller. It has its own digital distribution platform.

The main difference between Ouya and GameStick is that PlayJam, the company behind this tiny device, is a game developer first. That could mean the GameStick will have better software support.

GameStick’s Kickstarter still has nine days left. So far, 4,240 backers contributed over $450,000.

Android-based tablet-controller hybrids

Project Shield

Price: ?
Release date: Q2 2013
Website: Shield.nvidia.com

Now things start getting weird. We went full hands-on with Nvidia’s Project Shield Android handheld at the Consumer Electronics Show. That’s when we discovered Project Shield is an impressive gaming device with some seriously cool features.

Nvidia’s handheld looks like an Xbox controller with a TV jammed into it. It features the company’s next-gen Tegra 4 processor and a 5-inch touch screen that flips up during gameplay.

It’s another controller-focused take on Android gaming. It has an HDMI port, so gamers can plug it into their televisions and use it just like Ouya. Developers are gonna have a lot of options if they want to make a mobile game that supports physical buttons.

But Project Shield has something Ouya and GameStick do not: The ability to stream games from your PC directly to the portable unit. This doesn’t mean you’ll be playing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on the bus, but your PC could feed games to the system if you’re sitting on your couch. In that way, the device is a lot like a Wii U GamePad controller for the PC. Only instead of New Super Mario Bros. U, gamers can tap into their entire Steam libraries.

If Nvidia prices Project Shield competitively, it will take a lot of the oomph out of the impact that the other Android alternatives will have.

Wikipad

Price: $499
Release date: 2013
Website: wikipad.com

Wikipad is the name of the company and the product. The device is a 10-inch Android-based tablet that comes with a game-controller dock. This shell adds analog sticks, face buttons, and shoulder buttons to what is otherwise a pretty standard Android slate. Those controls, however, allow for precision in games from both the Google Play market and the PlayStation Store.

Sony provides a lot of classic PlayStation titles on its Android store, and a system with physical controls is the ideal way to experience them. Only Sony-approved devices can access its store, so hopefully GameStick, Ouya, and Project Shield can get on that list.

Wikipad should have launched its tablet in late 2012, but it delayed it. It still isn’t available, and the tech grows old. Tegra 3 is capable, but Tegra 4 hardware is due out as early as April and will likely blow it away.

Windows-based tablet-controller hybrid

Razer Edge

Price: $999 (base)/$1299 (pro)/$1499 (pro + gamepad)
Release date: Q3 2013
Website: Razerzone.com

OK, enough Android. Perhaps you prefer your console/handheld alternatives to have a PC flavor? Gaming equipment company Razer might have what you need.

It’s called Razer Edge. It’s a 10-inch Windows-based gaming tablet with screaming hardware. The $999 “basic” version starts with a Intel Core i5 1.7 GHz processor that can overclock to 2.6 GHz. It has 4 GB RAM, 64 GB SSD, and a GeForce GT 640M graphics card all packed into something not much bigger than a standard tablet. The $1299 Pro model upgrades the system to a Core i7, 8 GB RAM, and 128 or 256 GB SSD.

A rig with the Edge’s specs can run Skyrim at around medium to high settings. That’s not bad for a portable device.

Add $200 to the price and it comes with a controller dock similar to the Wikipad. Razer Edge also has a keyboard dock for traditional gaming and a living-room dock with a plethora of inputs and outputs. Just like most things on this list, the Razer Edge can connect to your TV, work with wireless controllers, and replace your console.

Valve-approved Windows/Linux-based Steam Box things

Xi3 Piston

Price: $999
Release date: March
Website: Xi3.com

The Steam Box is something much more nebulous than the Xi3 Piston micro PC, but it gives us a good idea of what Valve wants.

Valve is pushing the idea of a TV-connected gaming PC pretty hard. The Xi3 is a result of that. Valve put some money into Xi3 and is definitely experimenting with the company’s hardware. We’ll get into what exactly Valve is doing with the Steam Box as a whole in the very next section, but let’s explain the Piston first.

The Piston is a tiny little powerhouse. It’s a small cube-like device with a 3.2 GHz quad-core processor from AMD that packs the graphic on the same chip. It has 8 GB of RAM and up to 1 TB of storage capacity.

You’re supposed to plug this thing into your TV and run Steam in Big Picture mode, the interface the company designed for television displays, and that’s it. You have a Steam console.

The Steam Box

Price: ?
Release date: ?
Website: ?

Valve is working on a piece of hardware all their own. It is a Linux PC that will plug into your TV, but the company is also inviting others to do the same. If those companies want Valve’s help, Valve will help.

The software giant is going for a three-tiered strategy with the so-called “Steam Box.” Valve chief executive officer Gabe Newell called it a “good, better, and best” model in his interview with The Verge.

The “good” solution involves streaming devices. Not something like OnLive or Netflix that streams the data from some centralized location out to your house, but something that streams the games from your gaming PC to your television. Nvidia revealed a graphics card called Grid that is capable of something like that at CES.

The “better” solution is the one that Valve will release. It has a dedicated CPU and GPU. It doesn’t have a physical-media player. It’s small and quiet. It runs Linux, it has its own controller, and Valve will sell it itself.  It is a lot like the Xi3 Piston.

The “best” solution is the craziest, most expensive rigs you can think of. They have all the bells an whistles. They run big, hot, and loud. They aren’t even really Steam Boxes.

Games-streaming service

OnLive

Price: $99.99
Release date: Available now
Website: Onlive.com

OnLive is still a thing.  In August, GamesBeat reported that OnLive went through restructuring that saw its assets sold to another company. It’s still operational, and users can still play games on the service.

For those that don’t remember, OnLive is Netflix for video games. Gamers can stream full console games, like BioShock or Saints Row: The Third, to their PC, tablet, phone, or television without any serious hardware.

For the television, OnLive released a microconsole that can zap the digital platform right to a television. It works surprisingly well, but it the occasional lag is enough to keep it from fully replacing a dedicated gaming system.

Turns out your phone is already a console

MHL cables

Price: $7.65
Release date: Available now
Website: Monoprice.com

The thing about the Ouya and the GameStick is that they’re just focusing on a feature that your Android smartphone is already completely capable of. The Ouya plugs into your television and is compatible with a physical controller. You can do that with a Nexus 4, Samsung Galaxy S III, or an HTC DNA.

MHL cables allow people to connect a phone to a television HDMI input. Then some Android apps allow players to use a PlayStation 3 or Wii controller to interact with games. It’s a cheap and easy solution that basically amounts to the same thing as Ouya.

Of course, Ouya may encourage more developers to produce controller friendly games, but those titles are compatible with standard Android phones.

Green Throttle Atlas Controller

Price: $44.95
Release date: Early spring 2013
Website: Store.GreenThrottle.com

Green Throttle takes the idea of MHL cables a step further. The company designed its Atlas controller to work with Android phones. It sells the controllers in bundles with the cables required to connect your smartphone to the television.

Green Throttle wants players to use their phones as a console and they want them to use the Atlas to interact with it. The company has its own proprietary digital-download store similar to Ouya and GameStick. With this device, your phone truly is almost no different from either of those dedicated consoles, and it is probably more powerful than at least the GameStick.

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GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here!

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The typical deal between indie devs and platform holders, like Apple and Google, is a 70-30 split. When game sells for $1, the distributor takes 30 cents, and the rest goes to the developer and publisher.

GameStick plans for a similar business model on its digital-download service when the thumb-drive-sized Android console launches in April. But it wanted to introduce a $249 tier on the GameStick’s still-running Kickstarter to eliminates the revenue sharing for six months.

Kickstarter contacted GamesBeat to tell us that GameStick’s revenue-sharing tier is against the crowdfunding site’s official guidelines. This new tier violates the section that bans financial incentives.

PlayJam, the developer that created the GameStick, introduced the new tier today, limiting it to 250 backers. Before Kickstarter shut it down, developers could join the tier for $249, and then any revenue for games that shipped before the end of July 2013 would all go to the studio.

“In the few short weeks following the campaign launch, we have had hundreds of developers sign up for access to our SDK, from established games studios to smaller indie developers”,  GameStick head of games Sameer Baroova said in a statement. “What better way to repay this incredible support and to accelerate the big screen gaming revolution than with an offer that directly rewards those who were first to support us?”

The GameStick has already secured full funding. With eight days left, 4,291 Kickstarter backers already pledged $463,666. The system will ship out in April.

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GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here!

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We all speculate about the future. For example, I predict that 2013 is the year we get edible game discs (I never said I was good at it).

But then you have prognosticators like Baird Equity Research analyst Colin Sebastian who get paid to make educated guesses about the future of video games. He sent GamesBeat nine predictions for 2013. I listed them below, along with a comment from GamesBeat:

E3 2013 will be the most important game conference since 2000

What Sebastian says: “Given the fragile state of the console game market, we expect the E3 trade show in June will take on added significance, most likely providing the industry with the first public opportunity to examine next-generation hardware.”

What we say: If the new consoles show up and impress gamers, it will put to bed a lot of the doubts people have about video games. If the new systems disappoint or don’t show up, it will only add to the chorus of critics who claim that Apple is slowly absorbing Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft’s audiences.

New console hardware will borrow from high-end PC components

What Sebastian says: “[The] next-generation console hardware will be largely built from ‘off the shelf’ high-end PC components, along with hybrid physical/digital distribution models, enhanced voice controls, and motion sensing — Kinect integration with every Xbox — and broad multimedia capabilities. Moreover, a PC-based architecture — Intel chips in the case of Xbox — should have a number of advantages over custom-developed silicon.”

What we say: Sebastian thinks this will make the consoles easier for devs to program for, cheaper for consumers, and more flexible for the hardware manufacturers. We’re on board with that prediction because it just makes too much damn sense. Microsoft is obviously the most likely to pursue this strategy.

Console production snags may hamper console launch quantities

What Sebastian says: “Our field checks suggest there may be early production issues with Sony’s PlayStation 4, which, if accurate, could limit unit shipments or regions at launch. While such issues are not necessarily fatal, or even unusual, we continue to believe that Sony needs a strong PS4 launch to counteract positive Xbox momentum. We continue to expect both Sony and Microsoft to host dedicated events before E3 to announce new consoles, with planned launches in October/November, respectively.”

What we say: Most major launches suffer from production snags. While it’s always nice to have a flawless launch, Sony needs to focus first and foremost on the games if it wants to combat Microsoft’s Xbox momentum. If it’s hard to get a PlayStation 4, it won’t matter if a demand for games doesn’t exist.

Challenging revenue trends will continue through this year

What Sebastian says: ”From a revenue perspective, we expect 2013 to mirror the overall challenging operating environment that plagued the console game market since the launch of the iPad. While growth comparisons are ‘easier’ in 2013, we note that increasing consumer anticipation for next-gen consoles may also negatively impact sales and prices on current-gen platforms. In general, we continue to expect top-tier games to sell well — GTA V, Call of Duty, Battlefield — while second-tier and lower-quality titles will struggle to generate meaningful unit volumes.”

What we say: The rich keep getting richer. It’s easy to see gamers sticking with tried-and-true favorites as excitement builds for the next-gen consoles. As soon as Sony and Microsoft reveal the first look at PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 games, this current gen is going to feel pretty old, and people will stop risking money on any game that isn’t a sure thing.

The mobile OS battles shifts to the big screen

What Sebastian says: “After several years of focus on mobile screens and browsers, attention is returning to the living room and ‘big screen gaming’ with the upcoming launches of new consoles from Microsoft and Sony. In addition, and just as important in our view, the proliferation of Internet-connected televisions will allow Apple and Google to make significant inroads into the living room, extending apps to the larger screen format.

“One near-term possibility is that an upgrade to Apple TV will include a [focus on gaming] and encourage other OEMs to accelerate the adoption of Android in their smart TVs. As such, we expect a rapid increase in the number of ‘made for TV’ apps in the coming years. Meanwhile, Ouya, ‘Steam box’ and other new living room gaming platforms are generating some interest in the market, however, we view these as appealing largely to niche audiences.”

What we say: A bunch of studios want at the living room television in a bad way. The number of alternatives to the traditional console (Ouya, GameStick, Steam box) suggest that other companies sense an opportunity to step in and usurp the console manufacturers. It’s impossible to imagine how this’ll shake out, but again, it’s about the games. If developers are doing interesting things on dozen Android-based consoles, gamers are going to check it out.

Tablets and LTE provide another boost to mobile games

What Sebastian says: “Just as smartphones heralded a significant rise in downloads of casual mobile games, there are now a significant number of tablet games in development. With the potential for iOS and Android tablets to become primary gaming platforms and increasingly control the living room experience on connected TVs, we expect that 2013 will also be remembered as the year that tablet games go mainstream. Additionally, we view increasing consumer access to high-speed LTE networks will allow for faster downloads, improved online game-play, and further monetization of users on smart devices.”

What we say: The living room is host to another battle besides the one for the TV. Tablets are fighting for the title of “couch device of choice.” That’s where the tablet battle will continue through 2013 and LTE 4G will have little impact on that.

Digital distribution is nigh, but retail remains relevant

What Sebastian says: ”New consoles and the rise of games for tablets and smart TVs will drive a further shift in industry sales to digital formats and business models [like free-to-play], although we expect that the majority of new console users will still prefer to purchase bigger games on disks. In addition, since console holders remain dependent on retail — and GameStop — for hardware distribution, we expect new platforms to permit used disc sales. As such, the first few years of the new console cycle will likely resemble the current cycle in terms of distribution mix.”

What we say: No, what he said. We will feast on our hats if either Sony or Microsoft go without a disc drive in the next console. On the other hand, we’ll be incredibly disappointed if Microsoft doesn’t start providing every major release on its digital store day-and-date with the retail version.

Nintendo shifts to niche category

What Sebastian says: ”We remain concerned that Nintendo’s innovative Wii U console will lack broad appeal beyond the core Nintendo fan base. Following a somewhat lackluster launch and holiday selling season, Nintendo will need to bring to market major first-party releases [like Zelda] and retain the support of key third-party developers to reduce market share losses. In a negative scenario, Nintendo will be forced to prematurely lower the Wii-U price, and over the course of this cycle, we expect consideration will be given to extending first party franchises to other platforms.”

What we say: Nintendo won’t recapture the unconventional audience that purchased a Wii. That doesn’t mean it can’t succeed. This is a company that made a profit with the Nintendo 64. It’s doubtful Nintendo will even consider developing Mario and Zelda for other platforms within the next five years.

Another high-profile game company will be sold

What Sebastian says: “The sale of Take Two or Vivendi’s stake in Activision are two notable possibilities; however, valuations are also declining among mobile and browser-based game companies, increasing the potential for further take-outs among private companies.”

What we say: If you want to buy Take Two, you better make the offer now. The publisher delayed Grand Theft Auto V, but we doubt that’s going to flop. The mobile sector is chaos, so we agree with Sebastian that someone is gonna buy something among all of that mess.

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GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here!

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This week, Nvidia unveiled its new mobile gaming platform Project Shield, the itty-bitty Android console GameStick gets in trouble on Kickstarter, and developer and publisher THQ loses it quick sale request and loan in its ongoing bankruptcy negotiations.

You’ll also find reviews for Anarchy Reigns, Seduce Me, and Noble Nutlings.

News:
The DeanBeat: Nvidia is taking big risks moving into game hardware. Is it crazy or genius?
Skylanders toys outsell Transformers and Star Wars action figures in 2012
Wii U sells 890,000 units in U.S. in first six weeks
The top 10 best-selling games from all of 2012
December NPD: The Xbox 360 dominates another dull month at retail
New wave of Skylanders Giants action figures start hitting retailers
Will you buy this TCL TV for a new way to play Fruit Ninja?
The Walking Dead first-person shooter debuts in March
Kickstarter takes down GameStick project due to intellectual-property dispute (update)
Game developer association to Biden: ‘We welcome more evidence-based research’
GameStick will support the Xbox 360 controller-like Green Throttle Atlas
Entering the ‘free-to-play’ MechWarrior Tactics closed beta will cost you
Fantasy MMO Tera goes free-to-play
Planescape: Torment followup is set in new RPG world Numenera, and a Kickstarter is likely
Hanna writer attached to Shadow of the Colossus film
New Pokémon X and Y details: Legendary Pokémon named
Shaq is back in gaming with ShaqDown on smartphones
GameStick gets more colors and MicroSD support if backers meet new goals
American McGee sees brighter future for year-old Akaneiro: Demon Hunters on Kickstarter (updated)
GameStop’s holiday: Used sales down 15.6 percent, digital up 40 percent
Big Fish’s casual cloud-gaming service headed to Windows 8, brings Xbox Live Achievements
Imprisoned Arma II developer helping DayZ map design from behind bars
THQ equity backer agrees to hear bids for individual titles (update)
DayZ standalone entering prerelease testing soon
Lenovo and Ubisoft deliver cool touch-screen games on giant 27-inch Table PC
THQ denied request for quick bankruptcy sale and loan

Mobile News:
Balrogs! Kabam can’t keep #11 top grossing iOS game The Hobbit live tonight
Point this app at your TV screen and it overlays all kinds of augmented-reality goodies
Mobile-ad platform Chartboost raises $19 million to fund further product development
Moga unveils a console-style mobile-gaming controller
Nvidia unveils Project Shield, an open mobile game console you can play in the living room or on the run

Interviews:
Nvidia CEO’s 7-year journey to make the Project Shield portable gaming device (exclusive interview)

Previews:
Nvidia’s Project Shield: Hands-on demo with the hot portable gaming system of CES (video)
Razer wants to satisfy gamer lust for tablets with the Edge (hands-on video)

Community Spotlight:
Save me: The symbolism of Silent Hill’s save points
The music industry took too long to recognize game music as worthy of the Grammy
Saying farewell to the PlayStation 2 (2000-2012)
Japanese role-playing games on major consoles are dead
The Buddhist teaches players that goals aren’t always necessary
Video games, violence, and religious identity

Reviews:
Anarchy Reigns is the digital version of a big box of mismatched toys (review)
Noble Nutlings is a safe debut from three former Angry Birds developers (review)
Seduce Me makes sex seem really boring (review)

Pieces of Flair:
If Mega Man had a dating site profile
8 button prompts we would like to have seen
10 female characters not featured in their game’s cover (and 10 that are)

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GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here!

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Update (1/10/13 @ 11:31 a.m.): The GameStick project is back up on Kickstarter after the creators made a quick edit to its video.

Our Kickstarter is BACK! Check this out! Love, GameStick: ow.ly/gHY3I

— GameStick (@Game_Stick) January 10, 2013

Update (1/10/13 @ 10:50 a.m.): PlayJam, the developer that created GameStick, claims the infringement has only to do with a game in its pitch video that it did not have the rights to.

Hi! Our IP issue has NOTHING to do with our product/design. It was an oversight in our KS video. We’re editing it to get back up and running

— GameStick (@Game_Stick) January 10, 2013

The company is posting further updates on its Facebook page.

Original story:

Moments ago, Kickstarter removed the GameStick project from its website due to a dispute over intellectual property.

The tiny Android-powered GameStick console’s Kickstarter page is no longer accessible. The crowdfunding site replaced the page with a notice that the project is under dispute and released this statement to backers:

This is a message from Kickstarter Support. We’re writing to inform you that a project you backed, GameStick: The Most Portable TV Games Console Ever Created, is the subject of an intellectual property dispute.

The law requires that we remove the project from public view until the process is complete or the dispute is resolved. If we are not able to re-post it within 30 days, we will cancel the project, all pledge authorizations will expire, and the project will be permanently unavailable.

If you’d like to manage your pledge, you can do so through the project page:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/…ever?ref=email

If you have any questions, we encourage you to message the creator directly. You can also do this from the project page.

Thanks so much for your patience and cooperation,
Kickstarter

GameStick is a thumb drive-sized console that runs the Android operating system. It plugs into a TV’s HDMI input and is so small that it fits into the nook on its own controller.

Backers had already pledged more than three times the GameStick’s goal. The project had more than $300,000 in pledges with around three weeks left to raise more.

This device is similar to Ouya, which is a small Android console that raised over $8 million on Kickstarter. Both units are part of a current wave of “microconsoles,” which are systems that plug into a TV but aren’t necessarily as powerful or as expensive as the traditional products from Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft.

While Kickstarter removed the GameStick project, that doesn’t mean PlayJam is guilty of any infringement. From Kickstarter’s copyright information page:

If Kickstarter receives a DMCA notice about your project, our policy is to remove the infringing material or disable access to your project until the dispute is resolved or the DMCA process is complete. You will receive an email from Kickstarter attaching the alleged copyright owner’s notice and providing instructions for filing a counter-notification. Kickstarter will process DMCA notifications and counter-notifications that it receives, but we cannot adjudicate these disputes.

So the clock is ticking. PlayJam has 30 days to resolve the dispute or else Kickstarter will cancel the project.

We’ve contacted GameStick for comment, we’ll update with any new information.

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GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here!

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The thumb-sized GameStick console from developer PlayJam is adding new features as its Kickstarter campaign rages on.

PlayJam announced today that its teeny tiny Android-based console will support Green Throttle Games’ Atlas Bluetooth controller. GameStick comes with a dual-analog pad of its own, but it’s compact and doesn’t look very ergonomic. The Atlas, on the other hand, is basically an Xbox 360 controller with Bluetooth functionality.

“PlayJam is an innovator in gaming on TV through smart TVs and their upcoming GameStick,” said Green Throttle Games chief executive officer Charles Huang in a statement. ”When you add this to our analog Green Throttle Atlas controller, any Android game developer can now become a ‘console’ developer and bring their game to new audiences of TV gamers.”

The Atlas isn’t just a controller to Green Throttle. The company is (separate from this GameStick business) the controller as a simple way for gamers to transform their phones into a TV-enabled console.

Where something like Ouya or GameStick are Android consoles, Green Throttle wants players to just plug the smartphones they already have into their TVs and use the Atlas as the controller. To this end, the company sells the cables required to connect a smartphone to an external display, and it has its own curated app store for controller-optimized Android games.

“[This year] promises to be truly exciting and defining with a wide range of Android-powered devices targeted at the TV due to launch in the coming months — such as Ouya, Nvidia’s Project Shield, and of course GameStick,” said PlayJam chief executive officer Jasper Smith. “By working openly and in collaboration with other visionaries in this space, such as Charles Huang of Green Throttle Games, we hope to support mass-market user adoption at the most affordable price point possible. At $79, we think we have achieved this.”

That Android-powered, TV-targeted market is getting crowded fast. I think its time we all go out and buy stock in the companies that make HDMI ports.

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GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here!

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GameStick’s Kickstarter surged past its $100,000 goal a mere 30 hours into the campaign. Now, PlayJam — the developer behind the Android-based gaming console — has some new plans up to $560,000 in its sights.

GameStick is a teeny tiny thumb-drive-sized HDMI device that fits into a television input. It then operates as a full gaming console for Android games. It’s similar to the Ouya console, which raised north of $8 million on the crowdfunding site.

With 22 days left to raise money, the Kickstarter campaign sits at over $270,000. That prompted PlayJam to introduce stretch goals at $320,000; $450,000; and $560,000.

• $320K goal — Users will get a choice of color between black and white.
• $450K goal — PlayJam will add red to the previous two choices and a fourth color based on a popular vote.
• $560K goal — Every GameStick console gets a MicroSD card slot to expand the device’s storage capacity by up to 32GB.

To vote on the fourth color that unlocks at the $450,000 level, head to GameStick’s Facebook page. I’m gonna vote for puce.

Obviously, the big thing here is the MicroSD slot. GameStick already provides owners with unlimited cloud storage in addition to the unit’s built-in 8GB capacity, but gamers were hoping for more. They might not always have full access to the Internet — especially if they’re traveling.

A 32GB card will expand the system’s storage space to 40GB, which is a lot for Android games.

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GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here!

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Over 1,600 backers have contributed nearly $160,000 to a gaming console the size of a thumb drive.

The GameStick Kickstarter project from developer PlayJam asked for $100,000 to help fund production on the tiny Android-based gaming device. It surpassed that goal in just 30 hours. The campaign currently sits at $158,904 with 27 days left to raise contributions.

“The response from the Kickstarter community has been truly overwhelming,” said PlayJam chief marketing officer Anthony Johnson. “We are confident in our product and what we hope it will mean for gaming, but we were taken aback at how quickly the message was adopted. There is no better feeling than having hundreds if not thousands of people endorse your idea.”

PlayJam is one of the largest networks of casual games. It has already done some legwork to get its games on smart TVs that run smartphone-like applications, but with GameStick, it’s hoping to help other developers do the same.

GameStick is an HDMI drive the size of a USB stick. The console is so tiny that it even nests safely inside the included controller for easy portability.

“While we are shipping as a dedicated games console,” said Johnson, “we are keen to ensure that users have the ability to hack the device if they so wish, and [we] will be providing support for XBMC and DNLA via an optional firmware update in September. We encourage users to hack the device — the time for closed, proprietary systems is ending, which bodes well for true innovation.”

In 2011, gaming-based Kickstarters skyrocketed in popularity. One of the most iconic successes on the crowdfunding platform was the Ouya Android-based gaming console. Ouya and GameStick are very similar. They both use Android, both promise to remain completely open for hacking, and both focus on television-based gaming.

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GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here!

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After half a day, PlayJame has already raised $48,000, leaving it nearly halfway to its goal. The campaign runs for 30 more days.

San Francisco-based PlayJam is the latest company that wants to bring games designed for smartphones and tablets to the TV. You can already do this if you have a set-top box with Google TV. But PlayJam intends to couple its USB stick with a game controller that allows you to play touchscreen games with a traditional game controller.

GameStick plugs into a TV’s HDMI slot and comes with a Bluetooth-based game controller. You can snap the USB stick into the controller when you want to take it on the road. You could easily play this on a hotel room TV while traveling. PlayJam’s executives say they will sell the GameStick for $79. The project was born from the belief that game consoles and games are still too expensive and aren’t open enough when it comes to content options. As such, it is a rival to the Ouya game console scheduled for this spring.

The device runs the Jelly Bean version of the Android mobile operating system and uses Amlogic’s 8726-MX processor. That processor uses a dual-core cortex A9 central processing unit designed by ARM and it also has a dual-core Mali 400 graphics processing unit from ARM. PlayJam says the system can run the most demanding Android games now available. The device has Wi-Fi capability and 1GB of main memory and 4GB of NAND flash memory. It also has 8GB of micro-SD memory.

“To date, the most popular route to TV has been via traditional console manufacturers but the associated restrictions and cost make this unviable for the majority of game developers,” said PlayJam chief executive Jasper Smith in a statement. “We want to break down these barriers and open up the big screen to the thousands of developers looking to break into the living room. For the consumer, we want to bring a huge range of affordable games via a unique, highly portable device.”

PlayJam has its own publishing platform on Android for Smart TV games, and it has a network of 250 developers. It plans to tap those developers to make content for GameStick. The PlayJam network is integrated with Smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Panasonic, and Sony.

“GameStick is an important step in what we hope will be an industry-wide, collaborative approach to develop a new open ecosystem for TV games,” Smith said. “To further accelerate this, we offer our underlying platform, user interface, content and expertise to any hardware manufacturers wanting to enter this sector.”

The company has support from Charles Huang, cocreator of Guitar Hero and founder of Green Throttle Games, which is making its own Android-based game controller for TV games. Huang appears in PlayJam’s Kickstarter video voicing his support.

The GameStick is currently in a closed beta test with working prototypes.

“We hope to see games developers everywhere getting as excited about the GameStick and trends it represents as we are and getting behind us on this campaign,” Smith said.

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GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here!

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