ARCHOS GamePad availability update: ready for Christmas?

Announced by ARCHOS exactly 3 months ago, the GamePad Android portable game console still hasn’t hit the shelves. Pixmania online shop in France had the GamePad in pre-order with a release date of November 23 which hasn’t been met and the product is actually not listed anymore on their web pages. A French e-tailer specialized in gaming jeuxvideoandco.com has recently changed the release date to early 2013, while ARCHOS is just giving some vague information on their Facebook.

ARCHOS GamePad in pre-order at jeuxvideoandco.com, announced for 3rd of January, 2013.

ARCHOS Facebook comments on GamePad availability

Earlier this week, ARCHOS commented on their Facebook page to clarify about the situation about some rumours on potential copyright problems with the name GamePad (also used on latest Nintendo Wii U console) They also gave a vague update on the product release in the “next couple of weeks”.

“Everyone, chill out. There are no copyrighting problems on the name GamePad. The Archos GamePad will be releasing in the next couple of weeks. We decided to hold the launch to squash some last software bugs.”

ARCHOS GamePad specifications

Operating System	Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
CPU	ARM Cortex A9 Rockchip RK3066 CPU @ 1.5 Ghz Integrated GPU: Quad-Core Mali-400
Flash Storage Memory	Capacity: 8 GB
System Memory	1024 Mb
Additional storage	Micro SD slot (SDXC compatible up to 64GB)
Display	1024×600 Expected (TBC) Capacitive MultiTouch
Bluetooth	No (TBC)
Wifi	802.11 b/g/n (TBC)
Gravity Sensor	Yes
Camera	front facing
GPS	No
HDMI	Yes
Interfaces	MicroSD slot
Android Market / Google Play	Yes
Kickstand	No

Please visit us again, we will post updates on the ARCHOS GamePad availability as soon as we get new information.

Source: ARCHOS World Wide Facebook
open-consoles.com Open Consoles (in French)

Archos GamePad		AMAZON UK	Usually dispatched within 24 hours	£ 114.94
		AMAZON DE	Gewöhnlich versandfertig in 24 Stunden	125.95 EUR
		AMAZON FR	Habituellement expédié sous 24 h	140.99 EUR
		AMAZON IT	Generalmente spedito in 24 ore	128.6 EUR