GameStick shipping to developers next week, will make first public appearance at GDC

Developer kits for the GameStick portable Android console will begin shipping next week alongside the hardware's first public appearance at the 2013 Game Developers Conference, PlayJam announced on the GameStick Kickstarter page.

The kit, or DEV unit, is a pre-production prototype slightly larger than the finalized design and includes debugging components, special loading apps and a Type A USB slot for hooking up keyboards and mice. According to PlayJam, more than 500 developers including "many great indies and a number of major publishers" are in the lineup to receive kits.

The software development kit will support C++, Java, Marmalade and Unity on day one, and will be available to developers later this week ahead of the hardware.

Backers who pledged $300 and above and participated in beta testing the GameStick user interface will receive their special "designed by me" DEV hardware later this month.

Playjam wrote that companies worldwide have expressed interest in carrying GameStick at retail, including major distributors in the U.S., Europe, China, Africa, Australia and Scandinavia. The company also stated it has a "number of announcements" planned for next week.

The 2013 Game Developers Conference will be held in San Francisco March 25 through 29, and Polygon will be in attendance providing coverage throughout the week.