Buying a Videogame Console on Black Friday? Here’s What You Need to Know.

A buyer’s guide to the deals you can get — and the differences among the game consoles — for anyone partaking in America’s consumerist holiday.

News Byte

Android Microconsole GameStick Planned for September 30 Worldwide Release

GameStick, an Android-based gaming microconsole made by PlayJam that plugs into a TV’s HDMI port, will be released on Sept. 30, according to its Amazon and GameStop pages. Liliputing was first to blog about the release dates. The GameStick raised $647,658 on Kickstarter earlier this year — more than six times its original goal — but shipments to backers were delayed beyond the originally expected April 2013 window. According to a post on the GameStick blog, Kickstarter backers should receive their units by mid-September at the latest.

Using Google Chromecast

Walt answers readers’ questions on Google Chromecast.

Review of Google’s New Chromecast

Walt puts Google’s Chromecast device, a rival to Apple TV, to the test.

Google’s Chromecast Offers Another Way to Get Content From Mobile to TV

The approach is built around a two-inch dongle that plugs into a TV’s HDMI port.

Roku and Your TV

Walt answers readers’ questions on the new Roku 3 and the easy-to-use Telikin computer.

Kindle Fire HD Is Better but It Isn’t the Best Color Tablet

Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD is slimmer, lighter and more stylish, but it doesn’t beat the iPad as a tablet.

Bye-Bye, Thrive Tablets; Hello, Toshiba Excite

Toshiba is rolling out a line of new tablet devices, including a giant 13-inch stay-at-home device.

News Byte

Raspberry Pi, a Credit-Card-Sized Computer, Set to Launch

The Raspberry Pi, a credit-card sized computer that plugs directly into your TV via an HDMI input, is launching next month, following five years of research and development. Developed in the U.K. by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, the $35 version of the device runs Linux, has a 700MHZ ARM 11 processor and 256MB of RAM, and features the first-person multiplayer video game Quake 3 Arena; the $25 version has similar specs, but with 128MB of RAM. Videogame veteran David Braben, the brains behind the Pi, has been quoted as saying he originally created the Pi for educational use.

A Guide for PC Buyers Not Looking for a Tablet

Walt’s annual fall laptop buyers’ guide offers tips for wading through the technobabble involved in buying a computer.