Yes you read that right, BlueStacks new games console, available this winter, has an impressive edge over its leading rival Ouya, another Android based console - it will play iOS apps.
While they're keeping details of exactly how they've achieved this feat close to their chests they have revealed that they use API virtualization to make the iOS applications run on GamePop, their Android games console, and that it doesn't use a single piece of Apple code to do it - meaning that unlike other companies famously pursued by the Cupertino company, such as Samsung and HTC, BlueStacks should be safe from legal action.
With a number of Android and iOS developers already signed up as partners, and 500 Android games ready at launch (plus an unspecified number of iOS games) this interesting entry into the gaming world may already be tempting you to dig deep into your wallet, or purse, but the surprise is that thanks to the companies new approach to gaming you won't have to dig as deep as you might expect.
BlueStacks want to be the NetFlix of gaming so the console is priced low, with a monthly subscription being charged to play the games. Yes rather than buy games here and there you get to play all of them any time for just under $7 (around £4.50) a month.
Pre order a console before the end of June and the console itself is completely free (though you do have to pay postage). Leave ordering a console until after June and it will set you back a not so staggering $129, that's around £83 for one console with one controller.
BlueStacks is making a bold but clever move here, you pay a low price for the hardware and then a subscription each month that lets you access every game they have. You don't have to choose which game to spend your hard earned money on, because you get all of them, an all you can eat (or should that be all you can play?) buffet.
In a world where the top Android and iOS games often have impressive graphics and gameplay a console that can play top end Android and iOS games on your tv makes sense and while they haven't yet revealed the hardware specs involved the company claim it will run games as well as a high end mobile device which should guarantee a quad core, possibly octa-core (though unlikely for such a low price), system with developers tweaking their applications to take full advantage of whatever hardware is involved.
While GamePop plans to be the NetFlix of gaming you don't need to worry about being online to play your games, whatever games you choose are stored locally on the console itself rather than having to stream them, so no buffering issues should you have a sometimes slow broadband connection.
GamePop isn't going to challenge the next gen console giants Sony or Microsoft, they don't intend to, what they are doing is a little more shrewd than that.
Look at your favourite high end mobile game and chances are the graphics are pretty impressive. Mobile devices are now powerful enough that they are on a par with current gen games consoles and if you've ever connected your phone or tablet to a HDMI enabled TV you'll know that they can look just good on the big screen, so technology is at the point where an Android games console is now practical rather than just a flight of fancy.
A low cost games console, paying a few pounds per month for all its games rather than having to pick and choose which you can afford, and being able to plug it into your tv and play films on it too is a no brainer, a lot of people will jump at the opportunity, and understandably so.
It's a bold move to make, but one that just might pay off for the company - and consumers.
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