A new challenger! Yet another company wants to bring Android games and physical controllers to your living room, and PlayJam's even looking to fund its GameStick in a notably OUYA-esque way: Raising funds through Kickstarter.
Despite the similarities, there are some notable differences between OUYA and the GameStick, most notably in physical design. While OUYA's basically a box, the GameStick more closely resembles a flash drive or the MK802 II "Android-on-a-stick" device, slotting directly into the HDMI port on your TV or monitor. In fact, it's so small that Engadget reports the entire stick can be stored in the GameStick's gamepad when you're not conquering virtual worlds, which would make it an enticing option for gamers on the go.
The OUYA's quad-core Tegra 3 processors outguns the GameStick's 1.5GHz dual-core Amlogic chip, but the ultra-portable GameStick sports a $79 Kickstarter price point, making it a full $20 cheaper than the $99 OUYA—assuming it makes it to the fulfillment stage, of course.
Speaking of, PlayJam claims to have been working on the GameStick for more than a year, and says it's raising these funds for last-minute testing and development considerations. In fact, the company hopes to start shipping units to customers on April 1st.
Do gamers have the cash and desire to splurge on the development of another potential Android gaming console so soon after dropping millions on the OUYA? The GameStick has already snagged $85,000 towards its $100,000 funding goal with 28 days left to go, so all signs point to "Yes."
