A new Android-based mini-console is trying to one up Ouya and the rest of the competition by adding support for iOS games as well.
The new mini-console, GamePop is produced by BlueStacks. The company uses its proprietary virtualization software, "LookingGlass," to allow GamePop to run iOS apps without modifying their source code.
"Developers really like this because it gives them another way to monetize," said BlueStacks CEO Rosen Sharma. iOS developers interested in having their games run on GamePop are welcome to work with the company to make that happen.
BlueStacks has made sure that its virtualization technology doesn’t use any Apple code, but does that mean that Apple won’t sue the mini-console out of the market? "I don’t know," Sharma said. "That’s the honest answer."
BlueStacks is giving GamePop console and one controller to those who order before the end of June. When the mini-console launches later this year, a subscription service will be available for $6.99 per month, giving access to "hundreds of iOS and Android games."
In our expert judgment, BlueStacks’ claims feel too-good-to-be-true. And as the old saying says: "when it feels too good to be true, it usually is." Even if LookingGlass managed somehow to emulate the iPhone with 100% accuracy, we have to question if the mini-console’s CPU will be able to run those games smoothly in emulation mode.