$99 Android based console on Kickstarter

Azazel90x said:
I think you guys are missing the enormous potential of this console. The fact that it raised 1.2million dollars in less then 12 hours is saying something. People really want this. I want this, Im in for one with 2 controllers.

I just hope split screen is going to play a big part in this.
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They really are missing the point. It is going to be hugely attractive to us indie developers and at 99 dollars sporting a Tegra 3 it will have reasonable power to make sure graphics are attractive to gamers as well. The thing should end up being great for gamers and developers alike. As was said in this thread it has hit the funding levels for a reason! It is now at 3.6 million and climbing.
 
GoldenTiger said:
They really are missing the point. It is going to be hugely attractive to us indie developers and at 99 dollars sporting a Tegra 3 it will have reasonable power to make sure graphics are attractive to gamers as well. The thing should end up being great for gamers and developers alike. As was said in this thread it has hit the funding levels for a reason! It is now at 3.6 million and climbing.
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Do you think devs are going to flock to a platform where games must be provided for free?
 
ocellaris said:
Its a requirement for the Ouya store. Games will be microtranaction hell.
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Wrong. Read the project info. It says there has to be a free version, be it trial, free levels, etc as a demo, etc. The full product is NOT required to be free.
 
I find it hard to believe anyone is even speaking in negative terms concerning this project. Isn't this what we all wanted? An open platform with a fair pricing structure? I mean this actually has some major backing and you can tell by the video that the R&D hasn't been fucking around waiting for Kickstarter funding to get anything done.

You all should be literally nipping at the heels of this Kickstarter for the simple reason that the monopoly of current console manufacturers is actually dulling gaming as a whole with garbage , recycled material. Ouya could be the start of a new type of console that isn't driven by lunatic fucks like Bobby Kotick and franchises like COD.

Seriously guys this could actually be something much more akin to a console of the days past , a platform for gaming in its purest and best form. I put down $100 and can't wait. Don't dismiss it , at least keep an eye on it.
 
Godmachine said:
I find it hard to believe anyone is even speaking in negative terms concerning this project. Isn't this what we all wanted? An open platform with a fair pricing structure? I mean this actually has some major backing and you can tell by the video that the R&D hasn't been fucking around waiting for Kickstarter funding to get anything done.

You all should be literally nipping at the heels of this Kickstarter for the simple reason that the monopoly of current console manufacturers is actually dulling gaming as a whole with garbage , recycled material. Ouya could be the start of a new type of console that isn't driven by lunatic fucks like Bobby Kotick and franchises like COD.

Seriously guys this could actually be something much more akin to a console of the days past , a platform for gaming in its purest and best form. I put down $100 and can't wait. Don't dismiss it , at least keep an eye on it.
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I would compare it to something like the nes where you had 500 million unlicensed titles. Though I don't mean that in a negative light.

I'd be interested to see the publisher response to this because the Big 5 only actually put out a few titles a year. Xbox and Ps3 depend on xbla, PSN and small third party titles for revenue on licensing fees keeping their service active.

If a large number of devs leave (which has been happening gradually since steam opened it's doors.) then Microsoft and Sony could be in some shit.

Nintendo isn't as depedent on third party devs in fact recent interviews stated that Nintendo has been giving the cold shoulder to a lot of small devs for reasons unknown.

EA & Activision will simply go wherever the money is.

Someone would have to correct me but the impression I get is that this being android based actually doesn't mean much. It doesn't mean you'll be playing nothing but phone apps. I Imagine porting unreal 3 titles will be common place since it's Nvidia based.
 
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Idk about "Gaming at its finest", I consider games of today to be quite fine, but then again I'm not exactly a critic. If a game stinks, I'll admit it, and stop playing it, but I won't continue to talk about it day after day.

I'm glad this is coming out now, and I'm hoping some great things are made with it, but I wouldn't necessarily put down today's games that much. Yes CoD is overdone, yes there are 100,000 military shooters, but those aren't the only games out there. As a developer, I like to think I'm making some kind of impact on the game society, no matter how miniscule my part is in a large company. Even if a game isn't critically acclaimed by the fans, it still took a lot of man hours and a lot of energy drinks, pouring over code night after night.
 
Bleh. Consoles were an attempt to make PC's smaller and more affordable for home gaming. The Xbox took that to the next step with the "Direct X Box" philosophy. Now these guys are trying to take a console, and improve it with mobile technology. On top of that, they are pushing free to play, subscription gaming and microtransactions. They are moving in the wrong direction. This is the worst.
 
piscian18 said:
I would compare it to something like the nes where you had 500 million unlicensed titles. Though I don't mean that in a negative light.

I'd be interested to see the publisher response to this because the Big 5 only actually put out a few titles a year. Xbox and Ps3 depend on xbla, PSN and small third party titles for revenue on licensing fees keeping their service active.

If a large number of devs leave (which has been happening gradually since steam opened it's doors.) then Microsoft and Sony could be in some shit.

Nintendo isn't as depedent on third party devs in fact recent interviews stated that Nintendo has been giving the cold shoulder to a lot of small devs for reasons unknown.

EA & Activision will simply go wherever the money is.

Someone would have to correct me but the impression I get is that this being android based actually doesn't mean much. It doesn't mean you'll be playing nothing but phone apps. I Imagine porting unreal 3 titles will be common place since it's Nvidia based.
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I understand the trepidation but the Tegra 3 is actually quite powerful and you could do quite a bit with it. The Android OS isn't bloated like Windows so you don't need incredibly powerful hardware to do great things with it. This console has some of the greatest advantages of console gaming (singular platform making it easier for developers , singular coding structure) but with the benefits of a PC like platform as well.

I would say that its graphical power is probably only a bit less than say a 360 and even so this console isn't looking to host $100+ million dollar games , its looking for developers of all kinds to experiment with and create a new platform that can make it easier for developers with less funding per say but not less great ideas.

The potential of this console is massive really. I don't think it'll user in the golden era again of the Nintendo/Sega years of the late 80's early 90's but it will provide a singular platform for developers to create games on (no dev kits are required and this is a HUGE plus) that is well known already thanks to Android. Honestly I'm pretty damn excited (if this isn't obvious) and seriously think this could be a game changer. I'm sure the big console manufacturers aren't paying much attention to it but you can count on them leaving at least a few pairs of eyes to study its progress along the way.

I frankly hope it knocks them off there collective asses and makes them strive for innovation as well in turn instead of rehashed/recycled game play that we've all had to swallow over the last 6+ years.
 
Oh and holy shit it went from 3.5 million yesterday to almost 4.1 million today!!!

This thing is on fire. WOOT.
 
Reposting my post from OCN since I think it fits well here too:

Onex of OCN said:
Expected and not shocked. I knew this was going to be a success considering its modifiable with all the awesome android apps going on it. I mean common you can use it as an HTPC and costing under $100 whats not to love? Just have no idea why people here are so negative on consoles/systems that dont run next gen graphics or have a benchmark a certain way. When did gaming ever come to that?
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This. As both a gamer and developer, I am excited as heck for the Ouya device's potential and likely success. You will surely see plenty of games adapted for it that already exist, but you'll also see a good number of them that are newly-made with this thing in mind as a platform. Some of the graphically-intensive games on Android already would be "relatively" (and I use that term loosely) easy ports and with some tweaking would fit like a glove on this sort of device (Riptide GP anyone? ShadowGun with beefed-up AI to compensate for the better controls? etc.).

As a dev, it is going to allow for a huge level of accessibility to a market that we otherwise cannot easily reach and support well (TV-based gaming). It is reasonably powerful, provides a very nice set of guaranteed specs and control mechanisms available, will be compatible with Unity3D as a target platform (already confirmed) as well as, likely UDK (both of which are going to be a huge boon for gamers, but also are used in quite a number of good indie (and some AAA-type) games), and of course being Android-based things like MonoTouch from Xamarin will be generally usable. Games are not as tough to scale as I have heard people claiming, assuming your design (both idea/gameplay-wise and code-wise) is solid.

I'm having a hard time thinking of many good Android games for example that would be hard to revamp a bit/update the GUI/controls for, to make them solid titles on Ouya. AI can be reworked as can difficulty for games designed with touch in mind, and alternative control schemes aren't terrifyingly hard to add with some creative thinking & proper design in the first place.

Add to all of this the hackability of the device, the streaming/media-type capabilities it will be getting over time from various groups, its low cost with wireless controller, expandability, and solid specs (no, it's not a $2000-gaming PC guys... but it doesn't need to be), and I think this thing's going to take off nicely.
 
GoldenTiger said:
Reposting my post from OCN since I think it fits well here too:



This. As both a gamer and developer, I am excited as heck for the Ouya device's potential and likely success. You will surely see plenty of games adapted for it that already exist, but you'll also see a good number of them that are newly-made with this thing in mind as a platform. Some of the graphically-intensive games on Android already would be "relatively" (and I use that term loosely) easy ports and with some tweaking would fit like a glove on this sort of device (Riptide GP anyone? ShadowGun with beefed-up AI to compensate for the better controls? etc.).

As a dev, it is going to allow for a huge level of accessibility to a market that we otherwise cannot easily reach and support well (TV-based gaming). It is reasonably powerful, provides a very nice set of guaranteed specs and control mechanisms available, will be compatible with Unity3D as a target platform (already confirmed) as well as, likely UDK (both of which are going to be a huge boon for gamers, but also are used in quite a number of good indie (and some AAA-type) games), and of course being Android-based things like MonoTouch from Xamarin will be generally usable. Games are not as tough to scale as I have heard people claiming, assuming your design (both idea/gameplay-wise and code-wise) is solid.

I'm having a hard time thinking of many good Android games for example that would be hard to revamp a bit/update the GUI/controls for, to make them solid titles on Ouya. AI can be reworked as can difficulty for games designed with touch in mind, and alternative control schemes aren't terrifyingly hard to add with some creative thinking & proper design in the first place.

Add to all of this the hackability of the device, the streaming/media-type capabilities it will be getting over time from various groups, its low cost with wireless controller, expandability, and solid specs (no, it's not a $2000-gaming PC guys... but it doesn't need to be), and I think this thing's going to take off nicely.
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I'm pretty psyched to do some game coding on the weekends (I get enough game coding the other 5 days...it get's migraine-inducing), will be fun with some buddies. Most of all, it's affordable.
 
Netrat33 said:
mmm.. I'm super skeptical on this. Leaning more towards "Nope"

http://penny-arcade.com/report/edit...e-doesnt-match-the-hype-why-you-should-be-ske

Says it perfectly. PC already has these tools. I don't understand but whatever.
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The nope is pretty much over and done with, they are already quadra-funded. PA while I respect them they can be heat seeking dickheads at times.

Microsoft still controls and takes a massive chunk of the profits from XBLIG.

If it was beyond a prototype/idea stage there wouldn't be a kickstarter. Penny Arcades whole article is basically "What they aren't an established console? Fuck that!" Which is exactly the attitude that killed the Dreamcast.

They left it openended with no Developers officially signed on based on the OUYA kickstarter page. Hopefully the OUYA people will be smart enough to pick up on the article and respond, but who knows they already have funding I don't know that they'd care.

I'm not really for or against OUYA, but again if you look at the donation numbers this is isn't idiot gamerkid funded. Some big pockets put money down on this. All the console reserve donations don't add up 1 million much less 4.
 
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This thing could be cool. Honestly if all it did was emulate SNES/Genesis/TG16 and stream SC2 I'd be pretty happy for $99.
 
piscian18 said:
The nope is pretty much over and done with, they are already quadra-funded. PA while I respect them they can be heat seeking dickheads at times.

Microsoft still controls and takes a massive chunk of the profits from XBLIG.

If it was beyond a prototype/idea stage there wouldn't be a kickstarter. Penny Arcades whole article is basically "What they aren't an established console? Fuck that!" Which is exactly the attitude that killed the Dreamcast.

They left it openended with no Developers officially signed on based on the OUYA kickstarter page. Hopefully the OUYA people will be smart enough to pick up on the article and respond, but who knows they already have funding I don't that they'd care.

I'm not really for or against OUYA, but again if you look at the donation numbers this is isn't idiot gamerkid funded. Some big pockets put money down on this. All the console reserve donations don't add up 1 million much less 4.
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My "Nope" is refering to support and being a good system. Has nothing to do with the kickstarter being funded. Being funded doesn't equal a good system or even a supported by both devs and customers afterwards.

Have you ever been on XBLIG? Pretty damn open system if you ask me for how many trash/clones there are. To my understanding, patching games XBLIG does not cost money, it's on XBLA, the featured channel, where it costs money to patch. That's to encourage developers to make a game bug free, right or wrong. But like the blog said: PC is already a huge open market.

I think it's great PA spoke out valid concerns on this. Without a prototype, investments on just an idea obviously can be bad/dangerous. So they say "March Launch" but they don't have an actual system. They are throwing around a lot of buzzwords, but what's the actual plan? "Big pockets" doesn't mean anything. Because some big pockets invested doesn't mean everyone should have. Investors fail too.

The attitude of "not an established developer" didn't kill Dreamcast. PS2 did and the hype machine around it. Sony did a great job of that. That and all the fumbles that Sega did with all the cd systems being crap.
 
RIPATI said:
This thing could be cool. Honestly if all it did was emulate SNES/Genesis/TG16 and stream SC2 I'd be pretty happy for $99.
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I guess I just don't get it. Don't you already have a PC that does this?
 
Netrat33 said:
I guess I just don't get it. Don't you already have a PC that does this?
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Potentially I could build one, but $100, it comes with the controller, it plugs right in and has a TV friendly interface, maybe it has a decent app store, etc. I can see the value in it is all I'm saying.
 
piscian18 said:
The nope is pretty much over and done with, they are already quadra-funded. PA while I respect them they can be heat seeking dickheads at times.
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heat seeking dickheads?

they merely are pointing out that OUYA isnt being very honest with alot of their statements.

kinda of a buyer beware piece
 
I wonder why this thing has gotten such an enthusiastic response. Is it because of Android? The Linux heads busting nut over a Linux console finally being made?
 
my first kickstarter project that i supported

specs is quite good for the android device.
 
haunter said:
heat seeking dickheads?

they merely are pointing out that OUYA isnt being very honest with alot of their statements.

kinda of a buyer beware piece
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Plus, by "they" I am assuming he means the founders of PA, who didn't even write this article. PA is a fairly substantial team at this point.

I also agree with the article, especially regarding the ship date of March 2013. Either they will meet that date and it will suck, or it will be delayed FAR beyond that.
 
RIPATI said:
I wonder why this thing has gotten such an enthusiastic response. Is it because of Android? The Linux heads busting nut over a Linux console finally being made?
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I highly doubt that it's doing so well because of Android/Linux. I'm sure some people did jump onboard soley because of that, but many people (like myself) see this as the future of console gaming (hopefully). A system that you own and are free to tinker with, upgrade or pretty much do anything your heart desires without fear of a lawsuit (Sony). Also something that your average joe programmer can create content for without the license fees and restrictions of Xbox, Nintendo and Playstation

I really don't care too much about the OS, although, it's nice knowing that a library of games and entertainment already exist on the platform,
 
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this money that people invested....i'm curious: you aren't guaranteed to get the product right? you get one if the project is a success, right?

i mean, 3 million is mind blowing for a few day old kickstarter, but how much money went into developing the nintendo, 360 and xbox? and how much is this going to cost retail? because yes, for $100 this console looks neat and fun, but if it sells for a few hundred bucks when it comes out, and no one buys it, no one will support it and it will die just like many others. i'm not trying to troll or anything, just wondering what the actual chance of success is.
 
Dome said:
this money that people invested....i'm curious: you aren't guaranteed to get the product right? you get one if the project is a success, right?

i mean, 3 million is mind blowing for a few day old kickstarter, but how much money went into developing the nintendo, 360 and xbox? and how much is this going to cost retail? because yes, for $100 this console looks neat and fun, but if it sells for a few hundred bucks when it comes out, and no one buys it, no one will support it and it will die just like many others. i'm not trying to troll or anything, just wondering what the actual chance of success is.
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I don't know all the details but I'm pretty sure one a project is funded the person/company behind it has an obligation/contract to fulfill. If they fall back on it there have to be consequences.

Meaning you'll get your console, but as far as the long term success, no one knows.
 
Such is the case with venture capital, backers are not guaranteed anything.

It is the responsibility of the project creator to fulfill the promises of their project. Kickstarter reviews projects to ensure they do not violate the Project Guidelines, however Kickstarter does not investigate a creator's ability to complete their project.
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If any of those involved want to remain a part of the industry, they will try their best to deliver, however, there is technically no legal obligation to do so.
There are a few instances of Kickstarter projects going south after successful fundings, but KS does try to vet them on a case by case basis to lessen the risk.

For a consumer product type of project like this, the most likely fail state is that everyone who contributed the proper tier will get a console/unit, but the support and intended network for it never takes off.
 
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MavericK96 said:
From what it sounds like, it's not actually a complete prototype. Plus none of the software is done.
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If it were complete, it would be a demo unit, not a prototype. Prototypes do not typically include complete functionality or all the final parts.
 
From the penny-arcade comments, this says all you need to know and is a well-written explanation of things:

Peeple / 53 minutes ago
There is a new type of hardwareout that is basically System on chips they are small computers used for things like media services. Netflix, Hulu, etc

Here is an example: http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/594025266/HDMI_Dongle_Google_TV_dongle_Android.html

OUYA is like that but it's focus is on gaming. It is android based, but unlike phones it doesn't have to run phone, text messaging, etc apps in the background so it will be quite a bit more powerful than it's specs let on. This is also how consoles games are able to look like pc games despite inferior specs. They simply dont have the overhead of a full OS.

Ouya is back by some very well known and savy people. They have one of the highest profile design firms in the world behind it, www.fuseproject.com (google it or search on TED), a Paypal exec as an angel investor, inexile owner (wasteland 2) an investor, the CEO and founder is a high level 7 figure a year exec at IGN and gamefly..the amount of money raised doesn't equal these peoples yearly combined salary, so no worries about it being a "scam". Not to mention NONE of them would ever work in any senior level position EVER again.

There are some nay sayers who say it is impossible to have this console under $100 . They are wrong.There is nothing pie in the sky about the hardware it is all off the shelf.

This is very easily going to cost them less than $100.

You can grind out controllers for $5 a pop. (heres one for $3 http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/543814771/2012_new_hot_good_usb_game.html)

The processor is $25 (http://news.softpedia.com/news/Nvid...-15-25-11-3-to-18-9-Says-Company-236695.shtml)

RAM is $1 (link to 4gig ddr2 if you buy 5000:http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/465823438/39M5791_ddr2_4_GB_tested_pc2700.html?s=p)

What's the board, bluetooth,wifi, and ports? $10 max. (heres a link to something pretty close to OUYA :http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/594025266/HDMI_Dongle_Google_TV_dongle_Android.html for $36)

It's safe to say this console might be costing them $60 - $70 shipped.

Regardless of how successful it is, this is what you can expect in the way of games.

1.Emulators: Emulators are definitely going to support this. You can count on launch support. Whether OUYA allows them or not is another matter entirely. IOS doesn't and Android sometimes takes them down. But being the console is hackable, they'll definitely be there.

2.Android ports: All an android port would require is controller support. Even though OUYA may have a small user base it will still be attractive to those who would like more traction on their games. For big names like Angry Birds it's a no brainer they can afford the cost if for no other reason than presence.

3.3rd party markets: Onlive is on android. Supports a controller so it's pretty likely these guys will port just for the presence.

4.OUYA specific launch titles: Double Fine has said they are on board. Wasteland 2, Inexile owner is an investor. Wasteland 2 is being built on unity 3 which makes a port a matter of using the proper plugin to compile. I know a bunch of smaller guys are on board but they haven't announced anything concrete.

This console is not meant to go toe to toe with the big three. Where it will go toe to toe with them is the Indie, back stock games. If OUYA has any kind of following emulation alone will wipe out the PS1/PS2/Nintendo catalogs. Who's going to buy back dated games at $10 a pop when you can grab an OUYA and get all and more for $100? Even at 500,000 install base OUYA will be as compelling to devs as xbl,android and ios market. The crowd maybe smaller but so will the OUYA market place, easier to get above the white noise.
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Interesting comment, but basically that person is saying it's worth it if you want to pirate a bunch of ROMs for an emulator, lol. Which, I guess yeah, it'd be pretty cool as an emulator. Frankly, though, as many others have said, with my smartphone I could basically do the same thing if I really wanted to. Let alone if you already have an HTPC.
 
MavericK96 said:
Interesting comment, but basically that person is saying it's worth it if you want to pirate a bunch of ROMs for an emulator, lol. Which, I guess yeah, it'd be pretty cool as an emulator. Frankly, though, as many others have said, with my smartphone I could basically do the same thing if I really wanted to. Let alone if you already have an HTPC.
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That's not at all what he's saying.... read the point #'s 2 3 and 4 at the end. Additionally, most consumers do not have HTPC's, and controllers hooked up to their smartphones with tons of games including controller support + hdmi output to their television. That's the point. It's a cheap box that provides great base specs, a solid development platform, and something most people don't do or have. Yes, some vocal people on forums numbering in the whopping tens.... may scream about how people "can" do it already, but you can do a lot of things with tech that 99.9% of people don't until it's made easier.

EDIT: Just to note, just because emulation is available on PC's doesn't make it an unattractive dev platform... it won't for this either.
 
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