A Review on Archos GamePad

Archos GamePad Quick Look

Archos GamePad

Archos Gamepad, an Android device dedicated to gaming. What really sets it apart from OUYA and Nexus 7? Read the full review to find out.

Description

The description of Archos Gamepad includes:

  • Dual core 1.6GHz processor
  • Android 4.1operating system
  • 8GB internal storage and an expansion slot for external memory
  • 8mm length; 118.7mm width and 15.4mm thickness
  • A display of 0 inches and 1024 x 600 pixels display resolution
  • It weighs 330g
  • Price of £130

Build

The good points:

  • The design of the GamePad is good.
  • There is a selection of control buttons along the edges of the GamePad. A D-pad is present on both sides.
  • Moreover, there are an L2 and R2 button and 2 buttons for Select and Start function.
  • A pair of shoulder buttons is also present along the edge.
  • A smart button mapping utility allows you to you map touch screen controls onto buttons, so things can be adjusted just the way you might like them.
  • There is a slot for HDMI along the edge.

A3

The points that need improvement:

  • The build quality does not feel very durable, the physical material is plasticky. It seems almost cheap.
  • In short, the GamePad creaks at some of the corners.
  • Weighing 330g it might be a little heavy for hands.
  • Moreover, the buttons are not very responsive. Sometimes the buttons need to be pressed more than once which is frustrating.
  • There are two speakers on each side of the screen so that the music might be clear. Unfortunately sound quality is not very impressive.
  • It is a little difficult to map the touch screen controls to all the buttons
  • For actions like arc type the D-pad is not very good either.
  • In fact, some of the games are just not designed for buttons.
  • It might be tough to reach the shoulder button and D-pad at the same time.

Display

  • The 7-inch screen is large enough for gaming; it offers 1024 x 600 pixels of display resolution, which is not very good for a gaming device. As shown above, the resolution should have been high for the more graphically enhanced games.
  • Moreover, the colours of the screen are not as vibrant and crisp as they are supposed to be.

A1 (1)

Processor

  • The dual-core 1.6GHz processor zips through most of the games.
  • In fact, 1 GB of RAM is a little disappointing considering the size of games now-a-days.

Memory & Battery

  • The 8GB of internal storage is accompanied by a slot for microSD card; though the amount of built-in storage is slightly less for heavy games.
  • The GamePad has a mediocre battery. As a result, it is really not sufficient for power hungry games.

Features

  • The Archos GamePad runs Android 4.1.
  • The features of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are also present.
  • The GamePad can also be used as an Android Tablet, but this feature does not work very well.

Conclusion

The offered specifications are not very bad but you can get better gaming devices at the same price. Google Nexus 7 is a bit more expensive than Archos GamePad but it offers much better features. Moreover, Archos Gamepad does not work very well with some of the heavy games. Finally, Archos has really wasted an opportunity at producing an excellent gaming device.

A4

Have a question or want to share your experience?
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AK

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