My Opinion: OUYA a Glorified Smart Phone for Under £70 is Storming Kickstarter

Games, Indie Games, News, Opinions 3 Minutes
R.I.P. GameCube.

A new contender is looking to fight Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo for video game market share with a brand new console which is looking to cost lower than most smart phones do alone with out a contract.

OUYA has been built on a custom based Android operating system which is meant to launch next year (March 2013). The console will be open to anyone to allow people to publish their own games more easier. Developers will also set the prices for their own games however every game must have either a demo or some sort of free to play model. The console will also support familiar Android applications and other interesting things such as TwitchTV which comes included with the console for some reason.

OUYA has already secured some private funding but they have also set up a Kickstarter page asking for an additional $950,000 which it only took eight hours to achieve. Money is still being pledged towards the project which currently stands at $4,486,285 with 35,292 backers and 26 days to go. Crazy people.

You can visit OUYA Kickstarter page here.

No real games have been announced for the console but expect a large number of indie developers especially mobile video game developers to support the console heavily. With companies like Mojang already showing some interest.

Mojang said: “If OUYA delivers on the promise of being the first true open gaming platform that gives indie developers access to the living room gaming market, yes that is a great idea. We will follow the development of OUYA and see how it resonates with gamers. I could see all current Mojang games go on the platform if there’s a demand for it.”

Which basically translated to if people want are games on it then we will do it. Well that’s not a surprise is it? Of course you go where the demand is.

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.

The OUYA is looking ok but it be interesting to see if the major third-party video game developers and publishers will support the console seeing as it’s basically giving a lot of the power from them and giving it to the consumer. Also with talk of it being hacker friendly that’s going to make the shareholders and the people in charge feel a bit nervous about how secure will their products be on the OUYA.

Why did I call it “a glorified smart phone”? wells it’s because it’s based on the technology that Android devices use. In the this case its using “Android 4.0” which is also known as the “Ice Cream Sandwich” to the obese. So what you can do on a smart phone you can do on this console? Well probably not everything such as phoning people or taking pictures but because its Android based it will be easier to develop for and less expensive than developing for the other three main console competitors. Using technology that phones use doesn’t mean it will be completely graphically inferior to other consoles games but expect to see a lot of 2D and cel shaded type of affairs. Angry Birds should be banned (I joke) on it thought so there is a save haven from those pesky birds.

I will give some more opinions on the OUYA soon but my advice is hold on to your money you don’t get anything particular unique by giving them your money early. Also it’s not still guaranteed to be coming to shops near you anytime soon or ever.

Some of my other opinions:

Published by King Toko

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