Kickstarter project puts an Android game console in a two-inch stick

The $79 GameStick draws power and sends data through a TV’s HDMI port.

Kyle Orland – Jan 2, 2013 12:50 pm | 25

The console actually fits inside the controller. Credit: PlayJam

The Ouya is no longer the only Android-based TV game console Kickstarter project out there. Today, the world met the GameStick, an extremely small, $79 wireless console built on top of Jelly Bean.

The GameStick might be the first ever completely wireless game console concept. The two-inch long device, shaped like a USB flash drive, plugs directly into a TV’s HDMI port and uses that connection for both power and video and audio output. The console will work with any bluetooth controller that supports HID, including a prototype, pocket-sized dual-stick controller that can actually house the entire console when it’s not in use (shown above). Players will also be able to use a wireless mouse and keyboard with the system, while a Wi-Fi connection will let players download games to 8GB of on-stick memory.

While the GameStick’s Android-based architecture means it could technically be compatible with over 700,000 current Android games (and completely open to future developers), most of those titles are designed for touchscreen devices and wouldn’t necessarily be an easy fit on a TV console. The GameStick developers say they’ve identified 200 Android games that will be “great to play on GameStick,” and they say they’re working with a network of developers to bring more to the device.

Working off of an Amlogic 8726-MX processor with just 1GB of RAM means the GameStick will be significantly less powerful than the Nvidia Tegra-powered Ouya. Still, the team has posted a video of a prototype version of the console running a complex 3D third-person shooter like Shadowgun quite capably.

GameStick is the creation of PlayJam, a software developer previously focused on bringing free-to-play games to SmartTV platforms. After designing the console for about a year already, PlayJam is seeking $100,000 in crowdfunding to get the final system out to customers by an April 2013 target. As of this writing, they’ve raised just under $25,000 of that goal from about 300 backers in less than a day.