Ouya: The $99 Android-based open-source console on Kickstarter

[Tupin]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...o-game-console

I think it will reach its goal by the end of the day, at least it has a wide variety of publishers signed on for it. It's running a Tegra 3 with 1 GB of RAM. What do you think? Think it will be able to find a niche in the marketplace?

[substantial_snake]

Its certainty an interesting idea, basically a (relatively) unified Indy platform with dedicated controller support. I'm assuming that it will have its own dedicated game store similar to googleplay but I wonder how the vetting process will work with "openness" of both the hardware and software being such an emphasized feature.

At best it could seriously take off and make the major publishers and console makers reexamine how the current industry model can be improved.

At worst it will be a neat little oddity in gaming I can hook up to any TV as a Neflix machine. (or not release at all I suppose lol)

I've thrown down a hundred bucks on much more frivolous things, pledged my support and am interested to see where it will go.

Still the fact that its nearly reached its 950k goal within hours of its kickstarter page opening and expect to start releasing the product by March of next year is very encouraging.

[kupomogli]

It's over a million so it's already hit its mark. While this does interest me, I'll wait until it gets released and see where things go from there. Anyone think it'll be more than $99 or it'll stay that price after it's official release date?

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

While there's clearly MUCH more to do on Android, the OS has a lot of great classic game system emulators developed in its already unrestricted operating environment. If nothing else this could be a great set-top emulation box that requires little to no effort to get going properly, and unlike the Android boxes and "game players" from Hong Kong, it'll probably have better OS updates/customer service/support if needed.

I'll totally pick one up pending decent reviews.

[substantial_snake]

So yeah they are about to hit the 3 million dollar mark.

It seems as if they are using the Kickstarter campaign as a gauge for how many units they might actually sell. The 99 dollar Console+controller tier is definitely the one driving sales and they are continually bumping up the number of "copies" of that particular pricing tier..and it seems to be working so far. My only concern with this and other Kickstarter projects is potentially burning through most of your market with what is effectively a pre-sale of the project your supposed to be funding. Still I suppose that cash can latter be used to reach out to others who may of not been aware of it initially or maybe this is completely intentional on their part.

[Griking]

So yeah they are about to hit the 3 million dollar mark.

It seems as if they are using the Kickstarter campaign as a gauge for how many units they might actually sell. The 99 dollar Console+controller tier is definitely the one driving sales and they are continually bumping up the number of "copies" of that particular pricing tier..and it seems to be working so far. My only concern with this and other Kickstarter projects is potentially burning through most of your market with what is effectively a pre-sale of the project your supposed to be funding. Still I suppose that cash can latter be used to reach out to others who may of not been aware of it initially or maybe this is completely intentional on their part.

I'm curious who will make games for it? Hobbyists who aren't looking to make any money? I certainly don't see any real developers releasing games that will be copied within minutes of them being released.

[eggwolio]

I'm curious who will make games for it? Hobbyists who aren't looking to make any money? I certainly don't see any real developers releasing games that will be copied within minutes of them being released.

Developers already do that. PC gaming still exists. And lots of PC games can be purchased without copy protection. Also, new DS games come out all the time, despite the millions of flashcards which are probably out there, and people still buy them.

[Tupin]

I don't think they were clear about whether all games were free to play or not, but I know for sure that they require demos of every single game. The big companies that jump in probably won't release their big titles, they'll release their titles that will have minimal impact if they're pirated. Similar to GOG, I suppose.

Hopefully the free-to-play is more like TF2 or League of Legends and less like Angry Birds.

[substantial_snake]

I don't think they were clear about whether all games were free to play or not, but I know for sure that they require demos of every single game. The big companies that jump in probably won't release their big titles, they'll release their titles that will have minimal impact if they're pirated. Similar to GOG, I suppose.

Hopefully the free-to-play is more like TF2 or League of Legends and less like Angry Birds.

When you say "free games," what does that mean exactly?
We want you to pay only for the games you love. A “free to play” model works when everyone (gamers and game makers) benefits from directly rewarding amazing games.

For gamers, every game will be free to play: what this means is that there will at least be a free demo, or you’ll be able to play the entirety of the game for free but may have access to additional items, upgrades, or other features that come at a cost.

For developers, free to play means that they can set their own prices. Developers know best: There is no better way to sell a game than to have folks that have actually touched the game share glowing reviews with their friends. By allowing some form of free play, we’ll help them do just that. The only reason you used to pay for games before playing them is that you couldn’t try them at the store before you brought them home – it’s a relic of an old way of doing business, and one of the many things about the games business we plan to change.

Last updated: Tuesday Jul 10, 8:59am EDT

This is a question I see pop up frequently about what they mean by F2P, and this was taken directly from their Kickstarter page.

It seems reasonable enough to me and from what I understand its the same way that Xbox Live Arcade's timed demo system works.

[YoshiM]

I want this. Not just to play but to *exist*. Personally I find my modern game purchases fluttering away from the major titles to picking up Indie titles that have been way more fulfilling. Titles like Limbo, Flower and Journey *moved* me in ways games like Mass Effect 3, Uncharted and the like don't. Thanks to the recent boom of Indie gaming on XBLA, the "Indie bundles" on PC and the explosion of mobile gaming, it's looking like a new age of garage developer is coming (or is here depending on how you see it).

With the number of companies already showing interest/backing it, this doesn't look like the "Phantom" machine that was promised years back.

[eggwolio]

I agree with wanting it to exist. I'm excited by the idea of it in general. As an emulation box and a new tier home console, for lack of a better term. I'm excited to see them bridge the gap between the gaming experiences I enjoy on my phone. It's full of potential and at a price which makes it almost an impulse by for a lot of people.

[swlovinist]

I love the idea, and plan to support the system. I hope it succeeds. This is something the industry needs, if anything a wakeup call.

[Bojay1997]

I love the idea, and plan to support the system. I hope it succeeds. This is something the industry needs, if anything a wakeup call.

Although I will admit I supported the project, I'm curious as to why you think it's something the industry needs. Despite their claims to the contrary, it's just another Android based piece of hardware and a not very powerful one at that which will require developers to use their proprietary store system instead of Google Play. Basically, other than the possibility that it can be rooted and some indie developers could release their stuff for free outside of the store (which can already happen on any rooted device today and frankly isn't that common simply because people like to be paid for their work), I'm not seeing how this is different than every other download only piece of hardware out there or why it's better than a PC which really is open to developers and is far more flexible and powerful.

[swlovinist]

The industry in general is not an even playing field. You have the big three(Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft) still doing the standard traditional models of offering often overpriced software after selling overpriced hardware. Indie programmers can release a game, but often it is overlooked and buried. The huge budgets to make many large games has not all been great. Dont get me wrong, I buy and play some great titles, but the distribution system for these games is archaic and outdated. Many great game companies have focused on over bloated game ideas and concepts multiple years only to be released to pay back the millions it cost to make them. I am not expressing that this is the and all be all gaming system, I just think that this could have a bigger impact than "just another android system. You have the gaming industry being controlled by a small number of companies that are controlling how games are distributed, and controlling about every aspect of the game. I just think that it is cool that there will possibly be a system out there that could potentially offer something a little different.
It costs too much these days to experience gaming. This is a model that could seriously open up video games to a different audience that would not pay 200-500 for a computer, console, tablet or something else. Only time will tell what this will be, but for a supporter of all things independent...sign me up.

[darkslime]

YEAH! Now I can play Angry Birds on a TV. The hardware will be outdated by the time its released and it will probably get a bunch of shitty phone game ports.

[DP ServBot]

An anonymous reader writes "We recently talked about the 'Ouya' console — a conceptual Android-based gaming device that's had a massively successful Kickstarter campaign. While most people are excited about such a non-traditional console, editorials at 1Up and Eurogamer have expressed some more realistic skepticism about the claims being made and the company's ability to meet those claims. Quoting: 'Even if we set aside the issue of install base, one of Ouya's selling points could make developers wary of investing in it. Through the pitch video and on the Kickstarter page, Ouya emphasizes the ability to root the system and hack it without fear of voiding the warranty. With a standard USB port and Bluetooth support, it will be possible to use controllers and peripherals with it other than the one it comes with. What this also opens the door for is piracy and emulation. No doubt a chunk of the audience interested in Ouya are those intrigued by the idea of having a box that hooks up to a TV and can run Super Nintendo or Genesis emulators. Others will look at the system's open nature as an invitation to play its games for free; if it's as open as advertised, it should not be difficult to obtain and run illegally downloaded copies of Ouya games.' Ouya CEO Julia Uhrman has responded to the skepticism, saying, 'Ouya will be just as secure as any other Android-powered device. In fact, because all the paid content will require authentication with Ouya's servers, we have an added layer of security. Hacking and openness are about getting what you want to do with the hardware. Rooting the device won't give you any more access to the software.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

[otaku]

I work in a call center where we work with android most of the day and people are super excited about this the amount they've put into the kickstarter campaign is nuts and I am very skeptical of the hackability-it'll be a warranty/service support nightmare. The price is about right although I'm thinking it might need to be a bit higher to really keep up and keep in mind in the android eco system hardware becomes outdated very quickly.

[YoshiM]

I'm honestly fascinated that so many people have posted similar sentiments to this on many other forums. I supported the project, but frankly only because I think it will be a weird historical footnote. There is no reason to believe this will lead to more or better indie games. If you really want to support indie games, take that $100 and buy lots of indie games with it. There are plenty of other outlets like the iTunes store, Google Play and regular old PC downloads on various services that allow developers to engage in the same truly indie development and sales to the general public. This is just a way for this group of business people, backed by significant venture capital by the way, to start their own closed store no different than iTunes or Google Play. Their pricing model for developer share is even identical to those existing stores and while it's a bit of a novelty that you can play these games on your TV, it's not going to jumpstart indie development anymore than it has already been jumpstarted by every other platform out there. It just seems really odd to me that people consider this to be some kind of edgy truly open platform when it couldn't be much further from that.

There is no reason to believe that it won't lead to more or better indie games, either.

While I should refrain from posting stuff late at night when the brain is tired, i don't think the Ouya is going to be a panacea of gaming. It's another option that's fresh-other than being promoted as an "indie" platform there's no real predisposition on it (not a kiddie console, not an FPS haven, not a Blu-ray player that plays games...I kid, I kid..). In my mind I see it as a VCS or an NES as it has the potential of playing a variety of different genres, something that hasn't been the norm in quite a while in the mainstream circuit.

And you're right, I could have tossed that cash to a bunch of indie developers but at the end of the day I'm more console gamer than PC gamer. I like to hop on the couch or slide into my old rocking chair to play my games on a TV with a controller. Maybe it's just the "old way of thinking" but I see my computer as a work device more so than entertainment. I'm more likely to balance my checkbook, tinker with some video or just surf the web than play a game. I know that's all my doing but that's how my mind works sometimes.

I realized in that the hardware specs of the Ouya are pretty much what you find in a tablet, I'm not big on handheld gaming either. I have two games on my iPhone and a DS that doesn't see much action these days except for when I get a bout of insomnia.

And why couldn't this system kick indie development in high gear? Gaming on a tv, and not just hooking up a smartphone to your widescreen or even your laptop, is what I think is considered the "big time", like an actor going from community theater to Broadway. Here's some decent hardware that's standard with no real voodoo needed or an expensive dev kit required. If a game like Minecraft can burn up XBLA, purchased by people who could probably have gotten the superior computer version, what's to say other quality titles couldn't do the same on a dedicated platform?

[kupomogli]

There's going to be mass amounts of piracy on this sucker and every person backing this system knows it. That's why most people are backing the console. Not because of more indie games, but because games are going to be easily pirateable and tons of emulators in the form of a console rather than a computer.

There might be other people buying it for legitimate reasons, such as the possibility of good iOS games coming out for it, or maybe all around entertainment machine that can not only is a cheap alternative of watching Netflix, but can also play games. But yeah. Most people are buying it because of the ease of piracy and it not being a computer.

[Bojay1997]

There's going to be mass amounts of piracy on this sucker and every person backing this system knows it. That's why most people are backing the console. Not because of more indie games, but because games are going to be easily pirateable and tons of emulators in the form of a console rather than a computer.

There might be other people buying it for legitimate reasons, such as the possibility of good iOS games coming out for it, or maybe all around entertainment machine that can not only is a cheap alternative of watching Netflix, but can also play games. But yeah. Most people are buying it because of the ease of piracy and it not being a computer.

I agree and I think it's this piracy angle or the free rider (i.e. people that just see it as a way to play free video, music and games) that will kill this concept very quickly. I doubt many people are going to actually use it as the developers hope - to buy optimized versions of existing Android games that can be played on a TV with a controller.