The FCC spilled some details on the Archos GamePad 2 and we later saw it briefly appear online. As of today however, Archos has come forward with some official details. We now have an official set of specs, some pricing and word the GamePad 2 will be available for purchase in the US at “the end of Q4.”
Archos has yet to offer anything specific in terms of a date, or even a month for the US release. They have offered a price though, the GamePad 2 will be $199.99. That said, given those earlier leaks some of these specs may sound a bit familiar. The GamePad 2 has a 7-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 and will be powered by a quad-core A9 processor at 1.6GHz.
The system will also have 2GB of RAM, 8GB or 16GB of internal storage and a microSD slot that supports cards up to 64GB in size. Connectivity will be provided by dual-band WiFi and there will also be Bluetooth, a front-facing camera, stereo speakers, HDMI and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
As for the gaming side, the GamePad 2 will have two analog thumb sticks, a directional pad, 6 front-facing buttons and 4 shoulder buttons. Obviously the focus will be on the gaming side, however given this is running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean with Play Store access — it will also serve as a tablet.
In addition to being able to download games from the Play Store, Gameloft is providing a few freebies. Specifically, Asphalt 8: Airborne and Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour. These have both been tweaked to work better with the physical controls on the GamePad. Archos has also improved the Game Mapping Tool for other games. This should allow users to map any touch-screen game.
Otherwise, aside from the US release, Archos has also said the GamePad 2 will be available in Europe at the end of October. The European price will be €179.99 and regardless of location — the system can be purchased from the Archos website.
Not bad.
Where to buy this
when will this come to the us