GameStick starts tiny console Kickstarter

GameStick isn't the first Android-powered low-cost games console to hit Kickstarter. It isn't the first to promise an open environment for developers and competitors alike with freely available manufacturing specs and development kits. It may be the first one to cram the system into a flash-drive-sized HDMI stick which can fit in its own controller.

TV gaming company PlayJam, which previously developed a Smart TV gaming network, says it's in the last stretch but needs at least $100,000 from backers to push the tiny console into full production. Working prototypes for GameStick and its white Jony Ives-ian controller are already in use, and PlayJam hopes to start distributing the consoles in April.

PlayJam is prepared to receive myriad comparisons to Ouya (like, for instance, the first paragraph of this article) but the company believes its experience in the TV games sector and portability set it apart.

"Ouya ran a fantastic campaign but it would be premature to assume that they will own the market with their offering," PlayJam CEO Jasper Smith told GamesIndustry International.

"Competition is good and we're the proof. In the short time that Android games consoles have started to come through, we have been able to push the manufacturing boundaries further than before to create a powerful yet more affordable solution at a fraction of the size, capable of supporting hundreds if not thousands of games."

The Kickstarter campaign will run until February 1, and if you want a GameStick of your own you'll need to pledge at least $79.