Wii U GamePad Lookalike On the Way
Posted by Thomas Whitehead
No surprise, really
One thing is guaranteed when a new high-profile gadget arrives in the market: within months it'll be heavily copied for a tablet device. It happened with the PlayStation Vita, and now it's the turn of the Wii U GamePad.
The culprit this time is Chinese company JinXing with its SMART S7300 Console, described as a Dual Core HD GamePad2, which is due to arrive by mid-January 2013. Now it's not a rip-off, because it's put '2' after its name, nor is it a rip-off due to its shell, button layout — ABXY are coincidentally in the same order as on Nintendo's controller — and of course the general design and placement of the D-pad and analogue inputs are completely unique and innovative. Oh, all right, it looks like a bit of a clone.
We do like the fact that Circle Pad-style analogue controllers are used, which is of course the original prototype design of the Wii U GamePad shown at E3 2011. It does have some design variations, such as the fact it has a 7.0 inch capacitive screen and operates with the Google Android operating system. The gaming aspect is focused on titles from the Google Play platform, as well as 'Simulator' games, which we assume means emulators; the image for this article is from the marketing page, showing Super Mario Galaxy 2, even though Android and the system can't emulate Wii — or it's certainly not listed alongside the usual suspects such as Neo Geo.
Devices like these are relatively common, and if these manufacturers see the GamePad as a desirable form to copy, Nintendo must be doing something right.
[via nintendoeverything.com, jxd.hk]
#1
kitsunetails8 said:
ha ha ha ha ha lolwut
#2
MeloMan said:
Ugh... with a co. by the name of "JinXing", it' can't be that good. I'll pass on that.
#3
NImH said:
The cycle never ends. Nintendo innovates, others imitate. Repeat.
#4
The_Fox said:
Oh, China. Is there anything you won't release a knockoff of?
#5
sak904 said:
Lawsuit in 3... 2...
#6
Azikira said:
Attack of the Clones!
#7
TruenoGT said:
This is actually pretty interesting. There haven't been many tablets with game controls (much less any good ones), so it could be a fun multi-purpose game machine. If Nintendo won't let us play our Virtual Console games on the Wii U Gamepad, this might a good (though legally questionable) workaround!
#8
Void said:
Looks like an iPhone with buttons.
#9
Rod64 said:
Isn't that the new PS4 controller?
#10
HawkeyeWii said:
I started a thread about a week ago saying how it would only be a matter of time until someone cloned it, hey look someone cloned it and it only took a month after the release of the real deal.
#11
bulby1994 said:
Lawsuit incoming!!!
#12
NGamerZero said:
lulz
#13
Volmun said:
lol the person who did the photo-shoping on this has messed up look at yoshi's hand the line of the screen dips
#14
Volmun said:
in-between yoshi's hand and Mario's leg*
#15
ReshiramZekrom said:
Here's the test: can it serve as a Wii U GamePad?
#16
WanderingPB said:
Hysterical! It was only a matter of time i wonder what the will copy from Nintendo next?
#17
SanderEvers said:
@bulby1994
It's Chinese, so they won't sue as it's hopeless (no laws against it, there)
They will copy anything if they think it will sell.
#18
Liquidus said:
You're actually wrong. The Wii U gamepad is a rip off of a chinese emulating device known as the JXD S7100, which came out before the Wii U was even announced. It is a tablet, with bootleg psx controls, it's also bigger and has a bigger screen, a multi touch one at that too. Things like Dingoo A-320's, yinlips, canoo, Gemei, all devices that emulate multiple consoles such as NES,SNES, Colecovision, Atari 2600/7800, CPS1, Neo Geo, Master System, Game Gear, Genesis, GB,GBC,GBA, N64, PSX, All in one device by loading emulators and roms on to them. Emulation is not capable of going over psx and n64 graphic limits, atleast last time I checked. I will invest when Dreamcast is fully functional on one of these kinds of devices, it hasn't been done yet. The device pictured above is most likely an answer to JXD's S7100, I haven't heard of JinXing before. The chinese take their bootleg stuff very seriously.
#19
Liquidus said:
WAIT NEVERMIND, JinXING is JXD. Just got that LOL. They are ripping them selves off then, their tablet came out first.
#20
Liquidus said:
@bulby1994 Impossible, didn't happen with the Famicom which was direct thievery, won't happen with this as Nintendo did in fact rip off this design. My friend brought a S7100 over last time he visited in 2010. He lives in Hong Kong. It was available world wide the following year after a moderate advertising campaign.
#21
GameLord08 said:
No. This is China. Clearly, the Wii U GamePad is the imposter here.
#22
Raghav said:
How dare you copy Nintendo! Welll now yopu guys are almost identical twins.
#23
Demonsloth said:
A "Chinese company"?
I. am. so. surprised.
#24
krunchykhaos said:
@Rod64 actually it would be more likely the new Xbox controller considering they said theirs is the most "innovative ever"
#25
krunchykhaos said:
@Liquidus ripoff huh. I think you mean the shape. Im sure the chinese model cant do what the gamepad can.
#26
TourianTourist said:
Actually... I think this looks a lot better than the real deal. I prefer the slide pads for some reasons.
#27
Blaze said:
I actually prefer the design of this thing to the Wii U.
#28
warvad said:
Oh my god this thing is so beautiful. I hope this is what Nintendo's next handheld looks like.
Seriously.
#29
RupeeClock said:
Frankly I just enjoy the fact that someone has thought to produce an app-device with a full set of button controls.
As opposed to your usual app-devices that lack buttons in general and are just one large touch-screen.
#30
CosmicMii said:
Got nothing better to do so they make their own try hard game pad. They are losers.
#31
x-mas_mii said:
I want that is phone-sized and can double as a phone!
#32
Zetchzie said:
I smell a major sue coming
#33
Koto said:
Buttons are taken from Nintendo consoles, so rip-offy.
#34
Yellowhare91 said:
Well, the Chinese market is quite infamous for plagiarized products such as this, anyway...
#35
DarkNinja9 said:
honestly i like the way it looks o_o course just cuz it looks nice doesnt mean its comfortable like the wii u game pad
to bad they cant sue since its in china as usual -.-
#36
Lobster said:
It looks like it was ripped from the old prototype version of the controller... you know, the old, uncomfortable prototype?
#37
grimbldoo said:
@Rod64 #9
Ouch
#38
Nintenzo said:
Wait, this has a capacitive touch screen and... run ANDROID?! This actually sounds... better than the gamepad... ~shudder~
#39
Jaz007 said:
@Liquidus Somehow I just doubt nintendo saw and copied what you talked about.
#40
Lopezdm said:
It's a piece of ...
#41
Hardy83 said:
@Nintenzo lol no Kidding.
I still want a Wii U, but this and/or that Archos gamepad thing don't sound half bad.
Too bad we'll never see this one over here.
#42
Trainer_DJ said:
Oh China, China, China, why you so low you always copy off the good stuff?
#43
FyreeTSG said:
here's the amusing part of things like this---ANYONE ever notice companies only typically knock-off what NINTENDO does? and NOT sony??
the countless lawsuits from companies claiming Nintendo's "this or that" is infringing on their patent(s)---
WHY? Because they know NINTENDO sh*t sells!! Why not capitalize on Nintendo's success....too bad Sony still can't sell the Vita
#44
Hardy83 said:
@FyreeTSG If you look at their site, you'll find a bunch of PSP and Vita looking knockoffs.
So no, it's not just Nintendo that people copy, or at least this company copies. lol
#45
Void said:
@FyreeTSG Dude, if it exists, China has made a knock-off of it.
#46
Gameday said:
Seriously how is this possible lol
#47
MadAussieBloke said:
Yeah the rip-off Vita actually sells better than the legit one