Kickstarter has pulled the product page for the GameStick, a $79 Android-based gaming console that’s about the size of a USB thumb drive. According to Kickstarter, there’s an intellectual property dispute which led to the action.

If the dispute is resolved, the project should return, but according to Engadget, if things aren’t worked out within 30 days, the project might just be canceled altogether.

Update: And it’s back online. Apparently the problem had nothing to do with the video game console, and was actually just with the demo video. The video’s been fixed and the Kickstarter campaign is back on. 

GameStick

The good news is that while the makers of the GameStick have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in pledges, nobody will actually be charged a dime unless the project is re-instated. That’s because Kickstarter is set up only to accept your money after the fundraising round is complete and the project’s goals have been met.

The GameStick project comes from the folks at PlayJam, a company that makes Android-based video games available on smart TVs. PlayJam’s goal for GameStick was to create a tiny device that you could plug into any TV to run games on a big screen.

It’s also designed to come with a wireless game controller which has a slot for storing the stick when you’re not using it.

The device features an Amlogic ARM Cortex-A9 processor, 1GB of memory, 8GB of storage, WiFi and Bluetooth. It runs Android 4.0 and features a custom user interface designed for accessing video games. PlayJam has also been working with game makers to ensure their titles will work with the GameStick — since most Android games are designed for touchscreens, while the GameStick is instead designed with a controller that has physical buttons.

If the project is canceled, you can always spend $99 on an Ouya box instead. It’s not the size of a USB flash drive, but it’s not much bigger, and also features an NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor.

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2 replies on “GameStick $79 Android gaming console removed from Kickstarter (update: It’s back)”

  1. I’m very curious to see if this is just the equivalent of a rebranded TV stick with a “custom” controller.

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