The Wikipad which first showed up at CES 2012 in January as an 8.1-inch gaming prototype tablet with a glasses-free 3D display now has shown up again. This time, Gaikai, the streaming game service has launched into a partnership with Wikipad to create what it calls an official “controller-enabled” tablet which is designed to work with an optional “gamepad” type attachment as picture above. This will effectively allow tablet-based gamers to go through their gaming motions with a physical set of buttons and dual analog sticks.
OnLive which is Gaikai’s main competitor has an application that provides tablet-based streaming play but according to reports, since it uses on-screen controls, it apparently doesn’t live up to the potential that the Wikipad along with its attachment might bring to the table. Since it was last seen at CES, the Android gaming tablet has been modified. The manufacturer has expanded its 8.1-inch screen to 10.1-inches, added a quad-core processor, a lighter body and the option of 3G enabled tablets.
Previously, the Wikipad was thought you be released in spring but for now there is no news as to when this tablet will actually hit retail shelves. Given the partnership an assumption that is floating around the internet indicates that all Gaikai games will be compatible with the Wikipad. But then again it looks like we’ll just have to keep our ears and eyes open for something official to come our way.