GameStop sent out a press release this morning announcing it would begin
accepting Apple's iPad and other iOS devices for trade-in beginning
today. Now we know why: the mega retailer also revealed today it plans
to sell a GameStop branded Android tablet computer designed for gaming.
This morning it appeared that GameStop simply wanted to entice customers to shop at its locations with a huge fall lineup of games on the way. Company president Tony Bartel said as much when he stated, "By trading in iOS devices, GameStop customers have yet another source of funds to put toward the purchase of new and pre-owned games, DLC, digital PC games and more. This is especially significant with the great title line-up slated for this fall."
This morning it appeared that GameStop simply wanted to entice customers to shop at its locations with a huge fall lineup of games on the way. Company president Tony Bartel said as much when he stated, "By trading in iOS devices, GameStop customers have yet another source of funds to put toward the purchase of new and pre-owned games, DLC, digital PC games and more. This is especially significant with the great title line-up slated for this fall."
But now we know GameStop has other reasons for accepting iPads for trade-in: it wants you to swap Apple's device for one of its own upcoming branded gaming tablets.
In an interview with GamesIndustry (by way of Joystiq), Bartel said GameStop is currently testing the sale and distribution of an unspecified Android tablet that will be paired with a dedicated controller peripheral.
The goal, Bartel told GamesIndustry, is to combine the tablet with GameStop's in-development cloud gaming service and just launched digital distribution platform, Impulse. The retailer is even going to far as to work with game developers to create titles specifically for the tablet.
No further information was provided, but Bartel added the device should be ready for launch sometime in 2012.