I posted about this over in the Kickstarter thread in Tech Talk, but I thought it deserved its own thread. OUYA is a upcoming Android based open video game console. There are no developers fees and anyone can create content for it. There are still several slots open to snag a pre-order at $99, but after that the price can, and probably will go up or the first run of consoles could sell out.

It seems to be quite an ambitious project, and if it succeeds, it could change the way we think of console gaming. If it fails, at least it will be a really kick ass way to play emulated NES games on your big screen TV.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ouya/ouya-a-new-kind-of-video-game-console



Specifications:

Tegra3 quad-core processor
1GB RAM
8GB of internal flash storage
HDMI connection to the TV, with support for up to 1080p HD
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth LE 4.0
USB 2.0 (one)
Wireless controller with standard controls (two analog sticks, d-pad, eight action buttons, a system button), a touchpad
Android 4.0

7/10/2012 8:28:17 PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_Entertainment

7/10/2012 8:45:51 PM

So in other words it's like an xbox 360 that only lets you play games on the XBLA and not real games.

Shit even the controller looks like a straight rip-off "we really looked at what gamers want, turns out they like the xbox controller"

Will it support Netflix and Hulu? I can see myself trying one if it stays around 100 bucks and also plays streaming content. Might be a decent "second tv console"

[Edited on July 10, 2012 at 8:51 PM. Reason : ]

7/10/2012 8:49:09 PM

I already have a GoogleTV

7/10/2012 8:50:48 PM

I do love Brian Fargo though, and Wasteland 2 is one of the only things I've backed on Kickstarter.

7/10/2012 8:53:36 PM

Yeah, with those specs it sounds like it would just be useful to play decades old emulated games.

The video makes it sound like they are in the same mindset as the angry birds dude that was convinced that AB would mean the end of consoles. I'm fine with being tethered to a TV/monitor, I don't feel the itch to have handheld games because they usually come at the price of a small screen and represent a more simplified version of a similar game that already exists on a console.

That said I am in the "get off my lawn" age group of gamers. Maybe that translates to: you kids and your handheld POSs dumbed down my favorite game series because now they have to make sure that every new game that comes out can run on people's cell phones. Anyway, maybe portable is what the kiddies want... can't run the risk of getting separation anxiety from their games.

Still if handheld is the wave of the future I'd rather see a client that remote connects to your PC with provides the muscle. Longer battery life on the device because you aren't pushing a lot of hardware, better games because you're not limited by hardware.

\/ How about that... so if that exists then what is the purpose of this particular console?

[Edited on July 10, 2012 at 9:07 PM. Reason : -]

7/10/2012 9:01:28 PM

that's called OnLive

it's already on the GoogleTV and other products

7/10/2012 9:04:15 PM

yeah, onlive is a million times better than this, which is basically a controller for a (failed) googletv

7/11/2012 12:31:22 AM

they need sub model like http://www.thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=629075

7/11/2012 1:34:12 AM

1gb ram?

I'm Krallum and I approved this message.

[Edited on July 11, 2012 at 3:30 AM. Reason : its 2012... i'm pretty sure condoms have like 32gb ram]

7/11/2012 3:29:57 AM

Quote :

"So in other words it's like an xbox 360 that only lets you play games on the XBLA and not real games."

If you insist on dumbing it down with a simile, it's more like a midrangeish smartphone that uses your TV screen instead of a 4 inch screen in your pocket. Plus the addition of a controller gets rid of the worst aspect of mobile gaming, which is the lack of physical controls. And I don't know how you classify a "real game", but it's pretty ignorant to say that a game isn't real just because it doesn't push eleventy billion polygons and have nine times anti-aliasing tech and realistic water reflections. Yes, this isn't going to compete with the next gen, or even current gen hardware on a graphical level, but a lot of the games that are being produced for mobile devices are pretty good looking. I guess if you're the kind of person that prefers pretty graphics over good gameplay, this isn't going to be for you, but I'd much rather play Plants Vs Zombies than about 3/4ths of the crapware that passes for a AAA titles these days anyway.

Quote :

"I already have a GoogleTV"

This isn't even remotely trying to be the same thing. True, it will probably take about 6 seconds for it to gain all of the functionality of a Google TV (only hopefully not suck ass), but the fact that it's primarily being marketed as a gaming device, and not a media device is massive.

7/11/2012 1:25:46 PM

By and large I don't dislike mobile games because of dated graphics, I just don't like them because the fun factor wears off after just a few minutes of play.

7/11/2012 1:50:54 PM

Honestly, I can say the exact same thing about most xbox/ps3 games these days as well. There's going to be good and bad on every platform.

I do know I've spent at least 10 x more time playing games on my iPad than my xbox in the last year. But I enjoy puzzle games and stuff, so I don't claim to be the typical gamer anymore. But I still think that the argument that you can't have "real" gaming on a device like this is pretty silly under just about any circumstance.

7/11/2012 2:05:51 PM

Quote :

"I guess if you're the kind of person that prefers pretty graphics over good gameplay, this isn't going to be for you, but I'd much rather play Plants Vs Zombies than about 3/4ths of the crapware that passes for a AAA titles these days anyway."

The two aren't mutually exclusive, and to be honest I find that excellent graphics and good gameplay are positively correlated more often than not.


And one of the reasons I compared it with the xbox (although admittedly it wasn't particularly clear in my post) was that XBLA (and PSN) already allows independent developers into the console space without having to spend millions in development fees and royalties, so this thing isn't as revolutionary in that area as the video tried to make it out to be.

[Edited on July 11, 2012 at 2:16 PM. Reason : ]

7/11/2012 2:14:15 PM

As i was reading this thread I kept agreeing with the people making the argument for OUYA but then realized that it was the same person the whole time. I still agree with your comments though El Nacho

7/11/2012 2:50:31 PM

No matter how shitty you think it is, consider that this has been the most successful kickstarter ever. $2.5 million in the first day.

7/11/2012 10:03:07 PM

over $4M

BOUYA

7/12/2012 1:53:43 PM

if they made this into a roku/wd live/whatever that also plays games...i'd want it

though i wonder how good the games can be (ie. how powerful is that processor compared to xbox/ps3?)

7/12/2012 3:21:05 PM

No doubt at all they will add the ability to stream videos from local and internet sources. They'll probably hack on netflix/hulu support as well, but I doubt it will be official due to lack of licensing fees.

The hardware is basically the same as a pretty decently spec'd smartphone or tablet so that should give you an idea of what kind of games to expect. Think PS2/Original Xbox level graphics. Or the Wii

7/12/2012 3:47:03 PM

http://penny-arcade.com/report/editorial-article/the-reality-of-the-ouya-console-doesnt-match-the-hype-why-you-should-be-ske

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2407046,00.asp

Quote :

"I know this because I have seen this happen many times. The most famous "groundbreaking" hardware startup is Fusion Garage, aka the makers of the Crunchpad and the JooJoo, which designed and conceptualized a gorgeous new tablet before realizing that it was impossible to manufacture at the price it promised. Every time you hear Ouya's $99 price, think of how the $199 CrunchPad became the $500 JooJoo."

Kind of reminds me of:


[Edited on July 12, 2012 at 11:04 PM. Reason : sdaf]

7/12/2012 10:56:35 PM

The name just kinda rolls of the tongue

I'm Krallum and I approved this message.

7/12/2012 11:09:04 PM

^^ The AppleTV is $100 and almost has hardware good enough for the caliber of games they seem to be aiming for.

If you consider game consoles have always been sold at losses to make up in game licensing costs, their price point isn't entirely nonviable.

However, they seem to be marketing this as primarily a gaming system targetted for a niche market.

I think they're missing the mark. "Apps" have been the big thing for tablets and phones, and this would be one of the first "apps on your tv" platforms, and could potentially be huge. But they don't seem to be taking this angle.

At this point, they'll flounder and die or become an irrelevant niche player.

7/12/2012 11:20:56 PM

without their own closed store, how do they make any money lost on hardware?
with their own closed store, how do they succeed?

7/13/2012 9:36:58 AM

lets take a look at the failure checklist:
android, check
phone hardware, check
open sores, check
kickstarter, check
set top box, check
grossly under-estimated costs, check

sounds like a winner to me

7/13/2012 9:44:56 AM

Quote :

"If you consider game consoles have always been sold at losses to make up in game licensing costs, their price point isn't entirely nonviable."

What does this monstrosity cost?

7/13/2012 9:58:08 AM

Quote :

"open sores, check"

7/13/2012 10:01:09 AM

Seems pretty cool...

but what would you say the % chance is you won't ever receive a console?

7/13/2012 10:31:37 AM

On the timeline and pricepoint suggested? 100%

7/13/2012 10:33:20 AM

Quote :

""If you consider game consoles have always been sold at losses to make up in game licensing costs, their price point isn't entirely nonviable.""

Not true for Nintendo.

7/13/2012 12:58:11 PM

If I've learned one thing on TWW over the years it's that if Shaggy likes something it's almost always complete shit. So OUYA really dodged a bullet on that one.

7/13/2012 6:02:50 PM

http://xbmc.org/theuni/2012/07/13/xbmc-for-android/

If nothing else, at least $99 gets you a xbmc box.

7/13/2012 11:49:12 PM

http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/17/interview-ouya-ceo-julie-uhrman/

7/17/2012 2:12:54 PM

OnLive support confirmed at launch.

And here's what the controller will look like:

7/27/2012 10:41:34 AM

Wow, onlive just took this into a new realm.

7/27/2012 1:41:16 PM

This thing just keeps getting better and better.

http://xbmc.org/natethomas/2012/08/07/xbmc-and-ouya-oh-yeah/

8/7/2012 9:39:51 AM

they've changed the buttons to O U Y A

IMO the O and A buttons are in the wrong places... games will say "press O to continue or A to cancel" which is backwards from PS3/xbox

I don't have any suggestions to improve it, except to use different symbols on the buttons... 1 2 3 4 maybe

ALSO: the kickstarter campaign ends tonight at 10PM PDT. step up to $140 and you get a cool dark brushed metal color scheme like that^ instead of boring white

[Edited on August 8, 2012 at 10:12 AM. Reason : .]

8/8/2012 10:09:07 AM

Do Sony/Microsoft have copyrights on controller layout? If so, the O would be too much like the circle button for PS3 and the A button would be in the same spot as the A on the Xbox controller.

8/8/2012 10:14:51 AM

^ doubt it

for the first xbox controller Microsoft basically took a dreamcast controller and added another analog stick to it

8/8/2012 3:43:58 PM

Quote :

"This thing just keeps getting better and better. http://xbmc.org/natethomas/2012/08/07/xbmc-and-ouya-oh-yeah/"

I'll probably get one now just because of this.

8/13/2012 11:44:20 AM

Quote :

"Do Sony/Microsoft have copyrights on controller layout? If so, the O would be too much like the circle button for PS3 and the A button would be in the same spot as the A on the Xbox controller."

Actually the A is in the same place as the A on the SNES controller, I always assumed that Microsoft switched the names of their controller face buttons so as not to get in legal trouble for that but who knows. I'm sure the OUYA developers looked into it before labeling the buttons.

8/13/2012 11:50:17 AM

Quote :

"for the first xbox controller Microsoft basically took a dreamcast controller and added another analog stick to it"

And the PS controller is just an SNES controller with analogs and handgrips.

8/13/2012 11:50:19 AM

Obviously it's old news now, but clearly the onlive compatability is out.

8/29/2012 1:11:35 AM

such a device is meh to me, but I'm not in the market for such devices. Looks interesting to say the least. Whatever happened to the $35 raspberry pi that could do xmbc??

8/29/2012 5:28:27 AM

^^ onlive still exists

8/29/2012 5:33:31 AM

He's implying it's around. This 'thing' can't handle onlive.

8/31/2012 10:55:47 PM

Quote :

"Whatever happened to the $35 raspberry pi that could do xmbc??"

What do you mean what happened to it?

Quote :

"This 'thing' can't handle onlive."

Umm...what?

9/1/2012 9:51:04 PM

I was implying onlive is gone, company folded.

Someone bought them and perhaps they are still operating, but unless the new management can find a way to make a profit they will be gone quickly.

9/2/2012 1:03:28 AM

From a customer facing standpoint, nothing about them has changed. They're still operational.

9/2/2012 1:23:46 AM

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ouya/ouya-a-new-kind-of-video-game-console/posts/339520

Still on track to ship Dev units on time. Looks like a good sign for the original launch date to be met. Now will ship with Jelly Bean instead of ICS.

10/31/2012 3:30:49 PM

Finished internals:


https://twitter.com/alsutton/status/265511192141893632/photo/1

11/5/2012 7:57:06 PM