Dev Kits, Partnerships and Further Updates
Hello everyone,
Jasper has just returned from China and we wanted to give you another update of how things are going in production. The DEV unit is now in production and will ship later this month. It is basically a pre-production prototype with a few different components for de-bugging and loading apps. The device is slightly larger than the final version in order to support a Type A USB slot for keyboard / mouse input necessary for developers. Here’s a picture of it:
The GameStick Controller is nearing readiness for production now. The final controller maps are done, the 3D drawings complete and with the tooling shop for development of the molds for the injection molding machines. Making this controller almost gave the lead mechanical engineer a heart attack but he has worked wonders to fit everything in to such a small space. Have a look here.
Further Updates:
1) Developer adoption
is the key to making GameStick a success. We are pleased to report that over 500 developers have, or are in the process of signing up to GameStick, including many great Indies and a number of major publishers. As promised, we will be making a number of announcements next week during the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco next week so stay tuned.
2) Partnerships
Some great partnerships are being lined up with major corporations that should put GameStick very firmly on the map, including one with a chip designer responsible for the core architecture of 95% of the microchips used in every mobile phone worldwide. In completely unrelated news, if you happen to be at GDC this year, please come visit us on the ARM stand.. Further details on these partnerships to follow.
3) Development of the SDK
The SDK (Software Development Kit) will give developers a single set of tools to bring their games to GameStick with the minimum of fuss. While simple to use, it has involved a lot of work in the background as we wanted to support as wide a code base as possible. From day one our SDK will support C++, Java, Marmalade and Unity. The SDK will be released to Game Developers later this week.
4) Retail
Tons going on here. This could be very big. We have been overwhelmed by the interest from pretty much every major retailer in the world – Australia, Scandinavia, Africa, China, US and Europe.
5) User Interface
This is pretty much done. Its looks awesome and plugs straight into our games cloud. For those lucky few who are ‘designed by me’ backers we will ship you a Dev Unit at the end of the month.
We hope this gives you some more insight into the activity here at GameStick central. More updates to follow.
Love,
GameStick
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DESIGNED BY ME! : Help us to perfect the GameStick User Interface as one of 50 Beta testers with advanced access to a Mark 2 prototype version of the GameStick + GameStick bundle at launch + your name in the 'Designed By' Credits within the UI. (Simple confidentiality agreement required).
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Comments
Creator Sam on March 25
To my sadness, I don't spend as much time playing games as I'd like to (both a good and sad thing, really), so I have a non-game question:
For me, most on my GameStick is probably going to be watching my digital movie collection. Perhaps this was in a previous update (I admit, I haven't read them all), but on the KS home page for GameStick, it says:
"Support for XBMC & DLNA from Sept via optional firmware update."
My question: Does that mean that both XBMC and DLNA are not going to be available until an update in September? One of the two? Or, perhaps, "Sept" without no period at the end to mark it as an abbreviation actually means something else entirely? (I really suspect that's an acceptable typo. Too many "." in things these days anyway!)
Follow up question: Whether or not XBMC is available at launch, is there going to be some media player functionality on the GameStick, even if it can only play files on its local storage, or stored on an inserted SD card or connected drive?
Creator Tanner Lubuk on March 22
Nice to see this update and also glad to see the UI is done
Creator Miguel Isamat on March 21
Thanks, GameStick. That's fine, just wanted to set my expectations before I start buying games for my phone :)
Creator GameStick on March 21
Hello Miguel - as each game needs to be ported to GameStick, they will be chargeable separately. Frankly speaking this is one of the key incentives to get developers on board, it also gives us a viable business model.
Love GameStick
Creator Miguel Isamat on March 20
I'm one to criticize when there is room for improvement, but I'm also one to recognize when someone does a good job. This is exactly the kind of updates I was looking forward to seeing. Thank you for taking the time to write it up.
On an unrelated note. Will I be able to play Android games I've purchased via Gamestick if they are included in the list? Or will I need to purchase them again through Gamestick?
Creator Stu Alsford on March 20
@Ryan Crognale: With the Dock, yes, otherwise, no. I don't think a USB port is worth the extra $350, personally. The dock is cheaper. Isn't as portable then, but will work for your main setup
Creator Cyclops on March 19
Nice! This is the Update I have been waiting for! With Retailers getting on board Gamestick will have wings, as with more units sold, more Game Developers will get on board. In the end, it is all about playability and good games, that will drive people to buy the Gamestick.
Creator Juan Carlos Santana on March 19
Nice update, hows The ETA for this?... I've had too many projects in KS fall way behind hopefully this won't be one of those.. It's frustrating. :p
Creator chris.bocustudio on March 19
Very nice update, thanks! I too am excited about the dev unit; can't wait to give it a go. :)
Creator John Gould on March 19
Can't wait for the dev unit! Huzzah!
Creator Ryan Crognale on March 19
So developers get a version with Usb, and nobody else does? So no way for us to add a flash drive or a 2.8ghz keyboard or mouse? If you couldthrow it in the ddevelopment version, why couldn't you keep it as part of the regular design when my $50 android on a stick from China has it? This should be a basic feature.
Creator aeugler on March 19
Thanks for this Update.
It sounds great!
Creator Chaim Krause on March 19
I pledged at the $155 level. I am also a software developer. I would like to make some games for myself and friends, so I wasn't willing to shell out $500 for the developer pledge level. Will there be a way for me to make games with the "retail" version I am getting?
Creator Ted Kenneth Johansen on March 19
"Some great partnerships are being lined up with major corporations(...), including one with a chip designer responsible for the core architecture of 95% of the microchips used in every mobile phone worldwide. In completely unrelated news, if you happen to be at GDC this year, please come visit us on the ARM stand."
lol.. ^^
Creator Bardia Noohi on March 19
Awesome news and thanks for keeping us in the loop. Any ETA on the delivery of the product itself?