Gamevice

Gamevice, Inc.
Headquarters Suite 200, 685 Cochran Street, Simi Valley, California, United States[1]
Website www.wikipad.com

Gamevice, Inc.[2] (formerly Wikipad, Inc.)[3] is a Simi Valley, California based tablet and tablet peripherals manufacturer specialising in gaming products.

The debut product was the Wikipad 7, a proprietary Android tablet hardware engineered for mobile gaming, which featured a detachable controller. Gamevice dropped the Android tablet and came to market with a peripheral only product which supports a range of mobile phones and rebranded under the name Gamevice.[4]

The current president of the company is Fraser Townley.[5]

History

Wikipad

Wikipad
Developer Wikipad, Inc. (now Gamevice, Inc.)
Type Tablet
Release date June 11, 2013 (2013-06-11)
Introductory price US$249
Controller input Detachable
Connectivity Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, HDMI out, Bluetooth 4.0
Online services Google Play, PlayStation Mobile
Website www.wikipad.com

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on January 10, 2012, the Wikipad was shown with both a 2D and a glasses-free 3D-enabled device, although 3D is no longer mentioned on Gamevice's website.[6] In May 2012, Gaikai, a Cloud gaming service which Sony acquired a month later in June 2012, partnered with Wikipad, Inc. to integrate its streaming service to the tablet.[7] On September 26, 2012, Wikipad's president of sales, Fraser Townley, said that mobile and cloud gaming streaming service would be the new norm and replace the present structures around game buying.[8]

The Wikipad was originally scheduled for an October 31, 2011 release date, but was delayed indefinitely on the day it was originally supposed to be released on.[9] The Wikipad was released on June 11, 2013 in the United States with a price tag of $249.[10][11] In June 2014, OnLive cloud gaming support was added to the Wikipad.[12]

The Wikipad features an included detachable controller with standard controller D-pad, triggers, buttons and dual analog sticks.[13] The controller is a dock that allows the tablet to slide in and lock, so the device retains the form factor of a standard tablet.[14]

Reception

Eurogamer praised the design and open nature, but noted the lack of compelling Android games and launch price.[15]

IGN gave the Wikipad poor reviews taking into consideration the lack of games in its library, flimsy construction, and software that was considered dated, even at the time of the device's release. It concludes that "The Wikipad is a mostly failed attempt at turning an Android tablet into a gaming handheld."[16]

An aggregation of reviews done by Engadget shows the average review score of the Wikipad to be 59/100.[17]

Gamevice controller

In January 2014, Wikipad Inc. announced their Gamevice controller for ODM manufacturers to bring mobile console gaming to all OS platforms for smartphones and tablets,[18][19] and a Game Mapper tool to automatically map all touch screen controls to the included hardware, allowing games such as FIFA 14 (EA) and Call of Duty (Activision) to be played using the integrated controller.[20] On January 31, 2018, A new Gamevice controller was released for the iPhone 7 at a price tag of $99.[21]

In August 2017, Gamevice filed a lawsuit against Nintendo in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, alleging that the design of the Nintendo Switch conflicts with its patent on the design for the Wikipad. The lawsuit sought damages on existing Switch sales and banning further sales of the console.[22] The lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed by Gamevice on October 23, 2017.[23]

However, in March 2018, Gamevice initiated a second patent infringement lawsuit on Nintendo related to a different set of patents. Gamevice also sought action through the United States International Trade Commission related to patent infringement under Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, and was seeking to block imports of the Switch into the United States.[24][25][26]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Gamevice Inc: Company Profile - Bloomberg". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  2. ↑ "Nintendo's Long History of Beating Patent Lawsuits". Kotaku UK. Retrieved 2018-07-01.
  3. ↑ "Wikipad, Inc.: Private Company Information - Bloomberg". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  4. ↑ "No Joy-Con for Gamevice as it Files Patent Suit Against Nintendo Over Switch Controller". Shacknews. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  5. ↑ "No Joy-Con for Gamevice as it Files Patent Suit Against Nintendo Over Switch Controller". Shacknews. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  6. ↑ "WikiPad ties up glasses-free 3D with game controls, all in a happy Android ICS package". Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  7. ↑ Tweet (2012-05-02). "Gaikai partners with Wikipad tablet | GamesIndustry International". Gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved 2012-09-18.
  8. ↑ "OnLive and Gaikai functionality still on board for Wikipad". Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  9. ↑ "Wikipad hit with a delay on launch day". SlashGear. 2012-11-01. Retrieved 2018-09-15.
  10. ↑ "Wikipad finally arrives, gaming tablet goes on sale June 11th for $249.99". The Verge. Retrieved 2018-09-15.
  11. ↑ "Wikipad gaming tablet resurrected, arriving June 11 in the US". SlashGear. 2013-06-04. Retrieved 2018-09-15.
  12. ↑ "Wikipad adds OnLive to gaming tablet and Gamevice controller". SlashGear. 2014-06-17. Retrieved 2018-09-15.
  13. ↑ Gyko Games. Geeky Gamer: June Edition.
  14. ↑ "Wikipad announces detachable mobile controller, Gamevice". Polygon. Retrieved 2014-07-25.
  15. ↑ McFerran, Damien (2013-09-15). "Wikipad review •". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 2014-07-25.
  16. ↑ Clark, Matt (4 September 2013). "Wikipad Gaming Tablet Review". Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  17. ↑ "WikiPad 7-inch review". Engadget. Retrieved 2014-07-25.
  18. ↑ Robert Nelson. "Wikipad Gamevice controller teased for Android and Windows 8". SlashGear. Retrieved 2014-07-25.
  19. ↑ "Wikipad announces detachable mobile controller, Gamevice". Polygon. Retrieved 2018-09-15.
  20. ↑ "Wikipad drops to $199 in the U.S., adds game control mapping tool". Android Central. Retrieved 2014-07-25.
  21. ↑ "The Gamevice is an iPhone 7 controller that brings back the headphone jack". The Verge. Retrieved 2018-09-15.
  22. ↑ "Nintendo faces lawsuit over the Switch's detachable controllers". Engadget. Retrieved 2018-05-26.
  23. ↑ "Gamevice, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd. et al". insight.rpxcorp.com. Retrieved 2018-05-26.
  24. ↑ "Nintendo faces Switch patent infringement investigation in the US". Engadget. Retrieved 2018-05-26.
  25. ↑ "Nintendo sued by peripheral maker alleging Switch design infringes patents". Polygon. Retrieved 2018-05-26.
  26. ↑ "USITC Institutes Section 337 Investigation of Certain Portable Gaming Console Systems with Attachable Handheld Controllers and Components Thereof | USITC". www.usitc.gov. Retrieved 2018-09-01.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.