The Ouya: The Fourth Gaming Console?

Salix Babylonika · 2012-07-04 19:36:38

I found this interesting.

Basically, you spend a hundred bucks on the box, and every game on the system is free to play.

I like the concept. It gives developers access to a higher quality of tools than your standard PC free-to-play, so I think it could potentially work really well.

I'll be saving my pennies, for certain.

Corporal Forsythe · 2012-07-04 19:44:49

I like the idea of a console that's open to development, even more so for one that costs only $99. The only thing that worries me is they don't show what the controller looks like. Here's hoping they stick with the accepted design and not roll out the system with jacked-up controllers -- like the Jaguar, the Xbox, the 5200, the 7800, the Colecovision, the Intellivision, the Saturn, etc

Salix Babylonika · 2012-07-04 19:46:07

What's wrong with the Xbox's controller?

Other than it being very large. But, meh.

Unknown · 2012-07-04 21:19:59

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Tre · 2012-07-04 22:52:54

My hacker friend and I would have a field day with this thing... >:D

Looks cool though.

Salix Babylonika · 2012-07-04 22:53:35

Can you really "hack" it if you're supposed to be able to tamper with it?

Tre · 2012-07-04 22:56:01

I guess not.

But still, paradise for those of us who have always wanted to toy around with game consoles (or in his case, already do so).

Corporal Forsythe · 2012-07-04 23:07:31

Super Lazuli said:
Can you really "hack" it if you're supposed to be able to tamper with it?

To find out how hard you can throttle the hardware. I really don't play video games anymore but one thing I do enjoy is reading up and researching on softwares that pushed a hardware to its limit. For instance, Hard Drivin' for the NES got up and running with a working demo at a CES about 20 years ago which is incredible considering it's Hard Drivin' on the NES. Eventually a gameboy version got released which is about as decent as you can expect for polygons on the old handheld.

inkblot · 2012-07-04 23:07:34

So I'll be able to play such acclaimed mobile games as Modern Combat 3, Gangstarr: City Of Saints and Starfront. Yay!

Seriously though, this sounds like an awesome idea. It'll be like the Wii, where indie devs or professional companies that can't afford "AAA" games will still be able to compete.

Icalasari · 2012-07-05 13:33:57

How long until somebody ends up getting it to support the other consoles remotes and gets the Ouya able to emulate ganes from as many systems as possible?

...Seriously, that's going to eventually happen and then companies will attack it even if only a tiny fraction of people use it to pirate

Tre · 2012-07-10 16:22:18

New report from Ars.

That interface... oy, they're skirting Microsoft's Metro territory with it, but I like it.

Also that is a sexy controller. Rrrrow.

Misery · 2012-07-10 16:23:36

Interesting.

Spacey · 2012-07-10 16:28:06

do want

Tre · 2012-07-10 16:36:13

Apparently if you pledge $225 to their Kickstarter you get one on launch day (before it's in stores!), your username gets reserved and they'll etch your name into two controllers that come with the console.

BRB finding $225.

Unknown · 2012-07-10 17:12:34

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Salix Babylonika · 2012-07-10 18:37:29

One thing bugging me (and it's literally the only thing), they should add some kind of other distinguishing feature between the controller's buttons. One won't be able to tell them apart if they're color blind.

Unknown · 2012-07-10 19:47:02

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Salix Babylonika · 2012-07-10 19:56:55

They all look like circles to me.

Tre · 2012-07-10 20:01:50

Yeah, but the OS screenshot has instructions for "O", "U" and "A" buttons that roughly correspond to three of the four button colors, so it seems.

I'm sure that they'll add some sort of identifier onto the face buttons themselves on the final release.

Tre · 2012-07-10 20:05:15

Also the Kickstarter fund has already raised $50,000 over its goal within 24 hours, with 29 days to go.

This project's already a big win.

Salix Babylonika · 2012-07-10 20:06:44

Wow.

That is impressive.

Salix Babylonika · 2012-07-10 20:07:43

also

And while games will be the primary focus for the system, non-gaming apps will also be available on the store, including game-focused live video streaming service Twitch.TV.

I wonder if this means I'll someday be able to watch Toonami on my Ouya.

inkblot · 2012-07-10 22:19:48

Apparently you're not going to get free games, just free-to-play ones.

Spacey · 2012-07-10 22:20:34

...Goddamnit.

inkblot · 2012-07-10 22:22:15

Additionally, it looks like most of the launch titles are iOS/Android ports, like Minecraft, Shadowgun and Dead Trigger.

You can get a TV out adapter and controller for your phone for much less than $100.

Spacey · 2012-07-10 22:27:30

:|

Salix Babylonika · 2012-07-10 22:59:26

inkblot said:
Apparently you're not going to get free games, just free-to-play ones.

Wasn't this expected?

I kind of figured it would happen.

inkblot said:
Additionally, it looks like most of the launch titles are iOS/Android ports, like Minecraft, Shadowgun and Dead Trigger.

Well durr? It runs on much of the same software Android does.

Or are we gonna do this thing where we try to out-pessimism each other? Because I hate that.

Are we really gonna complain that this thing doesn't have the next Halo at launch? What did you expect the launch titles to be?

The very idea of a malleable, essentially, open source console is more than enough to warrant the price tag.

I'm sorry if I seem rude here, I just don't like it when people do this thing where we get hyped for something, and then the minute we find out it doesn't live up to every expectation we suddenly think it's doomed to failure.

Tre · 2012-07-11 00:04:57

"I'm sorry if I seem rude here, I just don't like it when people do this thing where we get hyped for something, and then the minute we find out it doesn't live up to every expectation we suddenly think it's doomed to failure. "

QFT.

Princess Alice · 2012-07-11 00:17:40

Hmm...it runs Android, so you know it's just a matter of time for someone roots this thing so you can run any damn app you want on it. That would be fun, if a bit pointless.

Sometimes I wonder what Linus Torvalds thinks of the fact that the project he started has gone on to dominate as much as it has. I mean, personal computers run Linux, web servers run Linux, cell phones run Linux, and now this thing's running it too...

Salix Babylonika · 2012-07-11 00:48:22

"you know we'll be getting a Linux distro about five microseonds after it hits the shelves"

--one of htose articles

inkblot · 2012-07-11 01:33:21

Central Avenue said:
Hmm...it runs Android, so you know it's just a matter of time for someone roots this thing so you can run any damn app you want on it. That would be fun, if a bit pointless.

Sometimes I wonder what Linus Torvalds thinks of the fact that the project he started has gone on to dominate as much as it has. I mean, personal computers run Linux, web servers run Linux, cell phones run Linux, and now this thing's running it too...

The developers are encouraging people to root it, actually.

I'm not being pessimistic. If you have a Tegra-based Android device, this console is redundant, and even iDevices and OnLive's console can do practically anything the Ouya can.That kind of limits the market for this, and therefore the odds any good exclusive games will come out for this.

RocketRunner · 2012-07-11 02:12:28

Supposedly, the point is that you can hack it, which is kinda why it uses Android (since Android is apparently derived from that champion of the open-source software world, Linux).

Salix Babylonika · 2012-07-11 02:18:36

Supposedly, the point is that you can hack it,

That is indeed the point.

That kind of limits the market for this, and therefore the odds any good exclusive games will come out for this.

Not really.

Think about the demographic of people who currently own Android stuff, and the demographic for this.

Now think about how little they overlap. This is primarily targeted to people with an interest in DIY stuff, as opposed to standard Android stuff, which is marketed to the same people all mobile devices are.

Further, the console's not even out yet. We don't know what it can do.

And even beyond that, it's not even about how much it can do, it's about how much people think it can do. That's what moves units.

RocketRunner · 2012-07-11 02:33:46

Also, if anyone's wondering why one doesn't just get a laptop instead of this, one factor is that Android's rather unlimited with regards to screen size and processing power, as opposed to PC where there are various specifications and resolutions.

inkblot · 2012-07-11 02:47:11

That's really only useful if you're going to attach a custom screen to the Ouya, and even then only if the screen is in a non-standard resolution.

Super Lazuli said:
Further, the console's not even out yet. We don't know what it can do.
And even beyond that, it's not even about how much it can do, it's about how much people think it can do. That's what moves units.

We know pretty much exactly what it can do. It's a Tegra 3-based cellphone in a box. It won't be a weakling by any means - it'll be able to run games that look like this:

And it'll be able to run any Android game without a problem. Which causes a problem: Why not get an Android tablet with a TV adapter, since they can pretty much run the same games?

Salix Babylonika · 2012-07-11 02:50:01

Because Android's tablets are A) not legitimately hackable and B) horrible.

Princess Alice · 2012-07-11 02:55:11

inkblot said:
And it'll be able to run any Android game without a problem. Which causes a problem: Why not get an Android tablet with a TV adapter, since they can pretty much run the same games?

If the $99 price point is to believed (though I've learned to be skeptical of pre-release pricing for any gadget), it sounds significantly cheaper than most Android tablets. The Google Nexus 7 is $199, for example, and that's for comparable hardware.

That said, personally I would just suck it up and spring for the tablet, since that's of more use to me.

^ "Android tablets are horrible"? That's a pretty big generalization, isn't it? It's not as if we're talking about one manufacturer's products...

Salix Babylonika · 2012-07-11 02:59:59

Central Avenue said:

inkblot said:
^ "Android tablets are horrible"? That's a pretty big generalization, isn't it? It's not as if we're talking about one manufacturer's products...

Judging by the general reaction I've seen to any Android product that's not a phone (tablets included), yes.

I should clarify that I do not actually own any Android products other than my phone, though.

inkblot · 2012-07-11 03:08:23

It depends. They run the gamut between $60 resistive tablets that can barely run Angry Birds and have a 2 year old version of Android, and $600+ devices that make the iPad look like a cheap toy.

Salix Babylonika · 2012-07-11 03:16:25

Well there's the issue. The cheap tablets aren't the good ones.

With the Ouya you have something both relatively affordable and relatively good. Also it has the inherent advantage of being a console.

Tre · 2012-07-27 18:17:58

this just in: OnLive is being optimized for the Ouya

In a way, that kind of makes Onlive's Microconsole a bit redundant but still, great news for the Ouya.

Unknown · 2012-07-27 18:34:35

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Füschlatz · 2012-07-28 05:37:07

Back when I first got onto the You-Know-Where fora, I made a thread asking why this sort of thing hadn't been done before, and I was immediately met with negative responses in the vein of "what's wrong with an actual computer" and "80% of the app market will be shovelware".

I have a good feeling about this, though, mainly due to the console's low stated price and the sheer ambition of the project as a whole.

lee4hmz · 2012-07-28 05:50:03

The main problem with an "actual computer" is cost of entry; the hottest new games typically won't run well on a cheap supermarket computer, and tricked-out gaming systems can easily run into 4 digits. Intel and ATI are trying valiantly to close the gap (HD Graphics has gotten to be really good on Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge), but for now, you're still going to pay more for a decent gaming PC than you would a console.

As for shovelware...90% of everything is crap. This is a hard and fast rule, even if people try to pretend it doesn't exist. Back when they still sold software mostly in stores, quite a bit of it was bargain-basement shovelware by the likes of SoftKey and such.

The Ouya: The Fourth Gaming Console?

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