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

[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.

[Jorpho]

Wouldn't anyone that interested in emulation already have a reasonable HTPC hooked up one way or another?

[dgdgagdae]

Wouldn't anyone that interested in emulation already have a reasonable HTPC hooked up one way or another?

Not necessarily. I'd love to have one of these for emulation. It's $100, and it's a console that will have the outputs for a TV. I'm not going to go to the trouble to setup a separate PC with all that entails, as well as converting the video to something I can connect to my TV. It's too much trouble, it's too clunky (where am I putting this PC in my entertainment center?), and it's too expensive.

[Jorpho]

and it's too expensive.

Not really. Two hundred, tops, I reckon. Also, weren't modded XBoxes really big for that sort of thing a few years ago?

[kainemaxwell]

Comes out in 10 days. I'm definitely interested in this depending on reviews now.

[The 1 2 P]

There have already been a few of the early kickstarter-backed editions of these showing up on my local craigs list over the last few weeks.

[kainemaxwell]

Noticed a few prelim reviews on youtube also, among the shipping complaints for the kickstarter editions on their facebook page.

[jeffg]

I got one of these from a guy on craigslist. traded a couple games for it. it isn't too bad, good for emulation of snes, nes, genesis, sms on my tv. some of the games are good, there is a bomberman sort of type game which is a blast.

[kainemaxwell]

This was released officially yesterday right?

[Bojay1997]

This was released officially yesterday right?

Yes. My local Best Buy even had a couple on the shelf. Unfortunately, as a backer, I already stupidly purchased and own one. Probably my biggest Kickstarter disappointment thus far.

[JSoup]

I got one of these from a guy on craigslist. traded a couple games for it. it isn't too bad, good for emulation of snes, nes, genesis, sms on my tv. some of the games are good, there is a bomberman sort of type game which is a blast.

Hmm, might look into one, then. I keep seeing them on eBay for $60 and my local craigslist for under that.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Amusing how quickly people are selling off a system that will very likely have system and game improving updates rolling out in the near future.

[Bojay1997]

Amusing how quickly people are selling off a system that will very likely have system and game improving updates rolling out in the near future.

There's nothing that can be done for the badly designed controller and the outdated Tegra 3 unfortunately.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

There's nothing that can be done for the badly designed controller and the outdated Tegra 3 unfortunately.

Well, a Tegra3 is what was promised and Tegra3 performance is what people should have expected.

Also, the system syncs with a PS3 controller right out of the box.

Not unreasonable to assume it'll eventually sync with a PS4 controller via firmware update to get the one thing that the PS3 controller is missing (touchpad).

[Bojay1997]

Well, a Tegra3 is what was promised and Tegra3 performance is what people should have expected.

Also, the system syncs with a PS3 controller right out of the box.

Not unreasonable to assume it'll eventually sync with a PS4 controller via firmware update to get the one thing that the PS3 controller is missing (touchpad).

Fair enough, but the fact that you can buy a $50 PS3 controller to use in place of the broken junk they included with the system isn't really a valid response to the problems. The Tegra 3 wouldn't have been as much of an issue if they had figured out a way to really optimize the TV output in a way that covered up the poor resolution and lack of detail. Unfortunately, they cut every corner possible to get this thing out the door undoubtedly in the hopes that they could release a better follow-up device using the funds from the Kickstarter presales and retail sales. Given the almost universal bad reviews and disappointment from people who backed the Kickstarter, I can't really see this thing going beyond the initial device launch even if they somehow make some software improvements.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Fair enough, but the fact that you can buy a $50 PS3 controller to use in place of the broken junk they included with the system isn't really a valid response to the problems. The Tegra 3 wouldn't have been as much of an issue if they had figured out a way to really optimize the TV output in a way that covered up the poor resolution and lack of detail. Unfortunately, they cut every corner possible to get this thing out the door undoubtedly in the hopes that they could release a better follow-up device using the funds from the Kickstarter presales and retail sales. Given the almost universal bad reviews and disappointment from people who backed the Kickstarter, I can't really see this thing going beyond the initial device launch even if they somehow make some software improvements.

Sure, I wouldn't run out and buy a DS3 or Sixaxis JUST to pair with this, but if you have one, that's a plus.

Android is generally pretty flexible and while a lot of early software may hit the wall in terms of bad optimization I'd like to see what comes down the pike this year before I write it off entirely.

Worst case scenario, it's a decent $100 classic console emulator.

[YoshiM]

There's nothing that can be done for the badly designed controller and the outdated Tegra 3 unfortunately.

Badly designed controller? I dunno, it feels pretty good to me. Good weight, decent response time after a firmware update. Don't care if it doesn't have rumble.

I just don't get the expectations. We're people looking at some other device called Ouya or is it because it's a console therefore it should be along the same lines as the Big Boys?

I knew what I got into with the Kickstarter. I knew what to expect. There were updates, Reddit posts, you name it that showed what was coming or what could be done. I don't care that it may get "phone" games because I don't game on my phone. I don't like it so the Ouya fits me. And the controller-sure it's $50 but we're talking about a small-fry company compared to a Sony or Microsoft.

[Tupin]

So, no store around me actually carries it. Why is that?