Microconsole Recommendation

[dgdgagdae]

I'm looking for recommendations on a good microconsole to connect to my TV. Something in the class of the Ouya. I think I might already have a good solution. I have a Shield Portable, and I can buy the Shield Controller for $70 and hook the portable up to my TV with an HDMI cable. Is anyone else here doing this? Do you already have a competing product that you love?

[otaku]

I work for google doing android support and we carry the razer and nvidia's new console. See store.google.com along with our own nexus player all have xbox or wii classic controller type controllers. For basic gaming a razer or nexus player will do just fine and come in at 80-150 right now the razer is the better buy as it comes with a controller and I believe HDMI and has a bit more power for gaming. The nvidia allows pc gaming to be done and streaming the games which is pretty slick but its not fully launched yet. good luck I've not bought one yet myself but am also interested

[Tanooki]

I've been looking at the same thing lately. I very much enjoy android and have a nice selection of apps/games I like for it, but I'd also think it would be great to tap into this on a TV. I've got the troubled nexus 7 2013 model that seems to like to overheat fairly easy and in turn lock itself repeatedly randomly too which is infuriating. As such the nexus player is NOT even on my radar as ASUS is 2 for 2 with me now on disappointment (my last laptop being the other as if you try and sleep/hibernate it it flips out and requires a restart.) Anyway, the shield or the razer I find most interesting. I think one you clearly save some dough on, but with the Shield you're getting a goodly larger amount of space along with that added GB of ram for processing. Also looking at the tegra x1 vs the krait 450 chipset, the razer is not badly but at least notably weaker so it may need replacing sooner.

I'd bank on the Shield. Even the base shield at $200 has the better parts +1GB of RAM. And that's just $50 more than the Razer which is weaker with less RAM and the same 16GB of total storage for apps/games.

The higher end Shield, same specs, but comes with a 500GB storage module inside of it. $100 more, is that worth it to you? $100 doesn't seem bad for a 1/2 TB of space and not having to always swap out apps if you load it up as 16GB doesn't go far. I've got a moderate amount of stuff on my Nexus7 which is a 32GB and it's over and been over 16GB for quite awhile. I have Bards Tale on there which is 3 1/2GB alone and GTA Chinatown is another 900MB. If you're curious, I find a lot of my game apps eat up around 400-600MB each (Afterburner, FF3, FF4, Duck Tales, Pinball Arcade with just 2 seasons). Quite a few others seem to fall into that 30-100MB size. Do the math, 16GB really isn't much especially since that includes the OS and required programs as well.

[retroman]

I would wait and see what this new Apple TV is all about.

[dgdgagdae]

The Nvidia Shield pro does look nice. Like I said, I have a Shield Portable, and I can spend the $70 to get the external controller and mini HDMI cable. I just wonder if it would be worth it to spend that much more on an older piece of equipment. Considering that I'm going to use it mostly for emulation, having the latest processor isn't necessary.

[o.pwuaioc]

I had an Ouya—kickstarted it of all things—but it's up for sale. I think these microconsoles are just not for me. Perhaps I expected too much, and so it might depend on what you want out of it. What are you looking to do with yours, just Netflix and chill? Android games? Emulation?

[Satoshi_Matrix]

To OP - A Microconsole depends on what kind of gaming experiences you're looking for.

The Ouya is a fantastic option if you're looking for interesting indies and emulation of anything pre fifth gen. It's bloody awesome to have something so small be able to play virtually any game for NES, Genesis, SNES, Sega CD, Neo Geo, GameBoy Advance and many other systems.


If you want more modern stuff with a touch of retro, the PS Vita TV is also a great way to go. There are a lot of really excellent Vita games that make for great console-like experiences and plus, the thing can play PSP games and PS1 games.

I personally own both of these options and if you're a retro and modern gamer like I am, you might want to consider buying them both.

[Tanooki]

Satoshi I think you're dead wrong on most of that post.

You do realize the Ouya is dead. The assets of the company were bought up, but the new owner wanted nothing to do with the hardware. So unless someone wants an out of date older parts cube it's not a good idea. And the PS Vita TV is equally as bad for about the same reason. Look at the upcoming vita releases, and the fact it's a closed Sony format (not android which allows side loading.) You'll be limited to what is out there on card or download, and what Sony will even allow of the Vita games to run too which is just a percentage (and much of the best games don't run.) Now hopefully someone screws Sony and hacks it to run the rest, but that's added work and an IF too.

Best option is since he likes his shield handheld would be either to just buy the controller and stay with it. Or he could buy the controller, and when the shield is too old for its own good, the controller will work with any nvidia product so he could get the console (and have a spare) or get the shield tablet and already have the controller ready to roll (as the tablet comes with a stylus.) Also since emulation is key, maybe not even the shield tablet would be best, but just the console. 16GB should be more than enough for emulation so the $200 option is viable. Applying the $70 for a controller+hdmi cable and adding $130 more maybe better since the hardware is improved leaving more room for more emulation.

[kai123]

I'm looking for recommendations on a good microconsole to connect to my TV. Something in the class of the Ouya. I think I might already have a good solution. I have a Shield Portable, and I can buy the Shield Controller for $70 and hook the portable up to my TV with an HDMI cable. Is anyone else here doing this? Do you already have a competing product that you love?

I have a shield portable that I have been doing this with for a very long time. I bought mine about a year after release and just use a PS3 controller. I use Retroarch for all of my systems since it has some very nice filters that can be applied. I really like the CRT filter for it. You can also get a converter to plug a HDD up to it if needed. Anyways it sounds like you already have what you are asking for. It isn't the latest and greatest but it is rock solid for me and I can unplug it and take it with me and play without the TV. Also if you have a PC with Nvidia graphics you can stream and there is a hacked APK for PS4 remote play they all work fine for me.

[Greg2600]

Ouya is great for the older CD and cart systems as well as classic computer and arcade. Can't go wrong.

Stay away from the NVidia Shield/Android TV console, way too restrictive.

[theclaw]

A console for real Android games might be interesting. Not all that fond of touch control.
My Vita TV is just to play a specialized handful of titles. Very awesome on Mega Man Maverick Hunter X and the like.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Satoshi I think you're dead wrong on most of that post.

You do realize the Ouya is dead. The assets of the company were bought up, but the new owner wanted nothing to do with the hardware. So unless someone wants an out of date older parts cube it's not a good idea.

Ouya got bought by Razor, but Ouya isn't dead. that's a misconception. There are still plenty of games coming out for it and the 1000+ games for it aren't going anywhere. And besides, that doesn't address the primarily reason I cited to get one which is for the emulators that it provides for free. Other microconsoles need to be jail broken and run out out of date emulators or force you to pay for them. Ouya doesn't.

And the PS Vita TV is equally as bad for about the same reason. Look at the upcoming vita releases, and the fact it's a closed Sony format (not android which allows side loading.) You'll be limited to what is out there on card or download, and what Sony will even allow of the Vita games to run too which is just a percentage (and much of the best games don't run.) Now hopefully someone screws Sony and hacks it to run the rest, but that's added work and an IF too.

The compatibility could be stronger, but there's a lot of good stuff available for the Vita currently and the Vita isn't dead either.

It all depends on what this person is wanting.

[dgdgagdae]

Greg: what do you mean by the Shield and Android TV being too restrictive?

I'm aware of the Ouya, of course. I was interested in it when it first came out, but I didn't have an HDMI capable TV at the time. Now, I just don't see many advantages to it over the other offerings. One strength is the ability to plug in USB controllers. Since I'm interested in emulation, and I already have USB adapters for many classic controllers, that's a nice plus.

I don't mind paying for emulators. They're usually like $3 or $4, and I have no problem with someone making some money off their work. I've already purchased several from the Play store, and I've been using them for a long time. Does the Ouya have access to the Play store? If not, what's the quality of the emulators?

So far, I haven't really heard a better option than plunking down some dough for the Nvidia or PS3 controller and using the Shield portable. Is there lag with the PS3 controller? It's Bluetooth, and the Nvidia controller connects to the Shield using wifi, presumably to reduce lag.

[Tanooki]

Satoshi the dead comment was about the hardware itself, never said their ouya software panel was done. Razor has some use for it.


Yeah seconding that question, what's restrictive about the sheild tablet/console/handheld? Android allows for side loading stuff through the system settings panel. Did Nvidia remove this???

That would change my tune on being as interested. I've only side loaded winamp on my tablet and also a test version of some game for Piko Interactive I was testing (and I"ll do more in the future I'm sure.) That would be a problem. 99% of what I use though is just googleplay stuff and I have a steelseries free controller and it suits my needs.

I'm still thinking I'd strongly want to have that nvidia system in some format, either the controller/handheld, the tablet, or the big old console. I'd prefer the portability and not being stuck on the TV which the console does, but I can't rule it out. The only reason I even bother with ios junk anymore is due to a phone I have as I really like android but i want something that'll suit my portability (and not) needs that has no issue firing up and using all my googleplay purchases and will not end up being a problem +2 years out needing an upgrade unless I feel the need.



To the post above, last I checked reading stuff Satoshi kept saying, no the Ouya box itself doesn't directly support google play, but there is a workaround to side load it I believe. I'm not sure how happy it would be on there and how touchy it would be about downloading games or not from google play either since they do check for device compatibility through their service before unlocking a download/new purchase.

[dgdgagdae]

I decided to get a shield controller and connect my shield portable to the TV. It works very well. There's lag if I choose console mode, bit it also has a mirroring mode that doesn't have the same lag, strangely enough.

[Tanooki]

My nexus 7 imploded a few days back. I ended up ordering a new (post-recall) Shield Tablet NEW with new case for it on ebay. Can't wait to get that going considering what you said there was part of the selling point. The jack on it doubles as a micro-HDMI port so you can just pop it into the TV and get busy if you don't just want to stream. I have a GTX980M on my laptop so that option is there too. It's nearly as powerful as their console system, just the prior year Tegra chip is all, same 3GB of RAM and so 16GB of internal storage (can add 128GB with a micro SD card though.)

[LaughingMAN.S9]

Which is the best middle ground between price and performance for simply playing emulators? I couldn't care less about native android games just looking for something that will play everything up to dolphin down, any suggestions?

[Tanooki]

Well depending on what you want to run, you need to find a GPU+CPU combo or an all in one (like Nvidia Tegra K1/X1) that has a lot of 3D/2D capabilities built in and a good supply 2 or 3GB) of RAM to back it up. Another and distant, find a tablet without a huge pile of OEM app garbage forced by the manufacturer that eats up resources.

Best of all probably would though be the Shield line of systems as you get the K1 or X1 processor which lines up well against what a moderate PC video card can pull off. The K1 I think I read is fairly on par with what the PS3/360 can or maybe that was the X1 but the K1 isn't far behind it. Having that much power in there you could play all sorts of 2D and 3D games no matter the complexity in emulation.

[dgdgagdae]

The Shield Portable has a Tegra 4 processor, which was top of the line when it came out. I suppose that's a bit old by now, but I can emulate through Nintendo 64 and Playstation 1 without any problem. Sega CD, NeoGeo, and MAME all work great, too.

[Tanooki]

Well if the Tegra 4 is that good (I never looked it up as you said, few years old) then you should have no issues. N64 due to the intricacy of it can be a hog to emulate if you don't halfass it all with cheap hack HLE techniques, and the rest can be a bit taxing too so it's all ok.