OUYA: A New Kind of Video Game Console

psugrue · 10-07-2012 06:46PM #1

came across this on reddit, kickstarter for a new game console powered by android, seems to be taking off extremely fast

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ouya/ouya-a-new-kind-of-video-game-console

ShadowHearth · 10-07-2012 06:57PM

interesting, but no mentioning of spec etc. it might be just a little box that has as much power as your mobile phone...

so 100 bucks to play angry birds on TV and not on your mobile phone? if i am not mistaken some android tablets and phones can be already connected to TV?

psugrue · 10-07-2012 06:59PM

ShadowHearth wrote: »

interesting, but no mentioning of spec etc. it might be just a little box that has as much power as your mobile phone...

so 100 bucks to play angry birds on TV and not on your mobile phone? if i am not mistaken some android tablets and phones can be already connected to TV?

specs here for ya,

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

Corkfeen · 10-07-2012 07:03PM

The lack of an independent graphics card could pose an issue. But to be expected given the price.

Twilightning · 10-07-2012 07:12PM

So instead of playing games on a tablet or smartphone, people can pay $150 to play upscaled Android games on a TV with a controller? Amazing! Not.

ShadowHearth · 10-07-2012 07:16PM

Twilightning wrote: »

So instead of playing games on a tablet or smartphone, people can pay $150 to play upscaled Android games on a TV with a controller? Amazing! Not.

that was my initial thought too.

if it works out in the end of the day, then why not, but iwont be putting my money in to it.

cherryghost · 10-07-2012 07:43PM

Corkfeen wrote: »

The lack of an independent graphics card could pose an issue. But to be expected given the price.

Tegra 3 has one of the finest android GPUs money can buy

Here's some games running Tegra 3. tbh for the price its fantastic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBl-goBrWno

calex71 · 10-07-2012 07:45PM

My phone does this already, connected to TV with hdmi and wii classic controller connected via blutooth but the price of this set up would be attractive for casual gamers and as a kind of cheap smart tv / media player / internet in one.

psugrue · 10-07-2012 07:45PM

Twilightning wrote: »

So instead of playing games on a tablet or smartphone, people can pay $150 to play upscaled Android games on a TV with a controller? Amazing! Not.

you're assuming everyone has a tablet/smartphone to play games on tho, myself i do not and the controller aspect of this makes me very interested. in saying that still not willing to back $120 for it but if it does get built i might have to pick it up at retail

psugrue · 10-07-2012 09:17PM

dam, already passed the $1 million mark in less than a day, hoping they give an update about it soon

Twilightning · 10-07-2012 09:24PM

Enjoy.

the groutch · 10-07-2012 09:44PM

spotted this on Kickstarter and not sure what to make of it

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ouya/ouya-a-new-kind-of-video-game-console

seems very popular (already funded after 8 hours), but would be interested in what everyone else thinks first

richymcdermott · 10-07-2012 10:03PM

But will it blend , thats the question ? :pac:

Mr E · 10-07-2012 10:03PM

OUYA threads merged.

AlmightyCushion · 10-07-2012 10:15PM

Can they really make it for this price though? The Nexus 7 is the same spec and it's $199 and people reckon Google are selling it at a loss for that. The Ouya doesn't have a screen or a battery and doesn't need to be crammed into such a small casing so that will reduce the cost but still. Either way, I can't see myself buying this.

hooradiation · 10-07-2012 10:33PM

Twilightning wrote: »

Enjoy.

*snip*

Hmm, well that image does have nothing but wild speculation on it, seems legit.
Y'know, like when there were loads of similar images telling us that Onlive would never work ever.....

Duggy747 · 10-07-2012 10:40PM

Rather than a straight up games console it'll probably find life as a cheap alternative to a HTPC if it doesn't succeed in it's original intentions.

It's focus isn't to play the latest stuff like Crysis but rather the simplicity of having something dedicated like this through the TV. People can do this with their own Android tablets and phones but the hassle of constantly hooking it up would give this an appeal.

But, like any console, it can only be as good as it's software from 3rd party developers.

Mr E · 10-07-2012 10:43PM

Twilightning wrote: »

Enjoy.

*snip*

I'd say after writing that (spelling and grammar mistakes and all - "architechture", "Your devices already does it"), he went back to teabagging people on COD.

I could pull that critique apart line by line, but I really couldn't be bothered.

johnny_ultimate · 10-07-2012 10:49PM

I think a console that is purposefully designed for everything but the 'double A' (to borrow a typo from the dodgy rant above) games is a potentially promising and gamechanging concept. Removing the barriers of entry for developers is always a positive thing. Supporting the genuinely inventive and interesting games out there with an easy to use, universally specced device.

As a concept it is sound, but it all depends on whether it actually picks up a significant level of support from developers and gamers.

hypersquirrel · 11-07-2012 12:44AM

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

I think a console that is purposefully designed for everything but the 'double A' (to borrow a typo from the dodgy rant above) games is a potentially promising and gamechanging concept. Removing the barriers of entry for developers is always a positive thing. Supporting the genuinely inventive and interesting games out there with an easy to use, universally specced device.

As a concept it is sound, but it all depends on whether it actually picks up a significant level of support from developers and gamers.

Have to agree with pretty much everything here. I don't think anybody is expecting this to replace the next gen from the heavy hitters but it has the potential to be a great thing in it's own niche.

Anything that allows new developers to put their work out there without having to sell their souls to the big shots is great and at that price it's a fair bit cheaper than any tablet.

Shiminay · 11-07-2012 09:22AM

It's a completely open device based on what is the most popular mobile platform in the world using the top end of hardware that's currently available to it (Tegra 3 is the best ARM based graphical solution around ATM). It's gonna have all the more popular streaming services supported out of the box and will function as a media player for any content you have at home already. It'll let you play some extremely fun but ultimately not "AAA serious" games on your telly and there's already a huge market-place full of very enjoyable titles. All that and it's only going to be $99 and will include the controller?

What on earth is not to love about this?

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar · 11-07-2012 09:24AM

yeah the streaming thing is pretty cool as well be very handy for people without laptops/tablets who can't be bothered bringing their desktop into the big tv to watch something

K.O.Kiki · 11-07-2012 09:45AM

It has Minecraft.

It will sell.

And I can't wait to see how it develops.

cherryghost · 11-07-2012 10:23AM

Shiminay wrote: »

It's a completely open device based on what is the most popular mobile platform in the world using the top end of hardware that's currently available to it (Tegra 3 is the best ARM based graphical solution around ATM). It's gonna have all the more popular streaming services supported out of the box and will function as a media player for any content you have at home already. It'll let you play some extremely fun but ultimately not "AAA serious" games on your telly and there's already a huge market-place full of very enjoyable titles. All that and it's only going to be $99 and will include the controller?

What on earth is not to love about this?

I was blabbering on in a post last night but I fell asleep so I didn't post it. Pretty much exactly what Shim said.

You get the added pleasure of using the thing as a media box too, and to top that off Onlive is on Android so you can stream AAA games to the box should you wish anyway, WITH A CONTROLLER!

K.O.Kiki · 11-07-2012 05:18PM

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

Can they really make it for this price though? The Nexus 7 is the same spec and it's $199 and people reckon Google are selling it at a loss for that. The Ouya doesn't have a screen or a battery and doesn't need to be crammed into such a small casing so that will reduce the cost but still. Either way, I can't see myself buying this.

Considering that battery & screen make up at least half the cost of a tablet, and that the Ouya won't have to fit all the parts into a tiny case - yes, I can see them being profitable at that price.

I mean, the Raspberry Pi sells for $25...

TPD · 11-07-2012 06:00PM

I'm thinking I'll probably put down the money for one. From the looks of it there will be quite a large user base from the get-go, which should encourage indie developers to develop for it.
Many of the best games I've played recently have been independently developed, and resource light compared to the latest games from big studios.

KilOit · 11-07-2012 06:34PM

I don't like yer one's face so i'm not interested. as a previous poster said, i'd be more interested to see if it will blend, preferable the prototype

Tiddlypeeps · 11-07-2012 10:00PM

Twilightning wrote: »

Enjoy.
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/3607/1341954414198.jpg

Scam? Are you kidding?

This isn't particularly my cup of tea and I'm not particularly excited about it, but I can see there being a market for it.

None of those points hold up, at all.

Android is open source, it can be and is regularly modified for the specific hardware it's to run on. Meaning it will be designed for it's intended use. Power management? I'm sure it comes with a charger, power management isn't really an issue when your sitting in your living room. Not that I foresee it being an issue anyway, a mobile operating system would have been designed with power management in mind because it's an issue for mobile devices, but isn't for consoles that are plugged in all the time.

The Zeebo, even for it's time was way underpowered compared to top end mobiles phones. It was designed to target South America. It was a nightmare to develop for (I have first hand experience with this) and games distribution was at that time controlled by the various mobile venders, so was in no way open. Developers may well decide that this isn't worth developing for, but if you're targeting Android mobile devices already you would be pretty silly to not do the minor amount of work it would take to target it. It may fail anyway, but it is in no way comparable to the Zeebo.

The hardware is pretty decent compared to most mobiles on the market today. Lets face it that's all they are trying to do, bring casual gaming to your tv. If your looking for a replacement for your XBox or your PC then you're looking in the wrong place, that's not it's intended purpose.

The last two points can be covered in one. So what if you can already emulate games on your PC. When I emulate old games I typically hook my laptop up to the tv, this is a pain in the ass. I'm not willing to pay $100 to remove that pain in the ass but if I was interested in any of it's other features then I might, so I can see there being a market for it.

On a separate note this is setting good precedents for future consoles. It might be a long shot but I'm hoping this encourages other people to develop more powerful consoles with an open ethos like Android. I would like to be able to develop for consoles, but convincing XBox, Sony or Nintendo to give you a license when you're a nobody is next to impossible.

It looks like it's gonna be a good product and I hope they succeed.

Chavways · 11-07-2012 11:01PM

It has Minecraft and Madden. It'll be a huge success.

Zillah · 12-07-2012 02:59AM

Good God they're past 3.5 million already. They can do whatever they like with that, right? Like, pay themselves massive bonuses? Gotta get me some of this kick-starter scamming going.

witnessmenow · 12-07-2012 08:30AM

I took a punt on it and donated the $119, I guess i was feeling pretty generous that evening

.

My thinking behind donating was

Worst comes to worst, It will be a useful low powered media box
If GTA3 can run on phones less powerful than this, it has enough power to make most types of games (obviously not to the same level of graphics as the 360/ps3)
Power is not everything in terms of popularity, Wii out soled everyone despite being much less powerful
People complain there will be no games, there is plenty of games that would work well on this platform that could be ported easily enough. (Super meat boy, Limbo, Altitude etc)
This sould have access to all the android video streaming apps (RTE player, sky go etc)
On top of streaming games wiht onLive, I think there is room for a local stream application. Yuo could render and run the games on your pc and just use this device as the display and controller input. (I would definitly use this)

koHd · 12-07-2012 08:41AM

I was really excited by this. Until I heard the OS was Android.

I reckon there would be a huge market for a Steam console. If they could get a price point of around €150 for the hardware and could handle at least 80% of Steams library. Although Microsoft's high charges for Windows OS to run those games could pose a problem...

But Android games?

Genghiz Cohen · 12-07-2012 09:32AM

koHd wrote: »

I was really excited by this. Until I heard the OS was Android.

I reckon there would be a huge market for a Steam console. If they could get a price point of around €150 for the hardware and could handle at least 80% of Steams library. Although Microsoft's high charges for Windows OS to run those games could pose a problem...

But Android games?

...no.

koHd · 12-07-2012 09:41AM

Genghiz Cohen wrote: »

...no.

"No. I wouldn't be happy with just 80% of Steams library in my living room".

Or

"No. It couldn't be done."

?

Genghiz Cohen · 12-07-2012 09:55AM

koHd wrote: »

"No. I wouldn't be happy with just 80% of Steams library in my living room".

Or

"No. It couldn't be done."

?

A Tegra 3 won't run 80% of the games on Steam.
I think.

koHd · 12-07-2012 10:02AM

Genghiz Cohen wrote: »

A Tegra 3 won't run 80% of the games on Steam.
I think.

Ah. Wires crossed. I was talking about wanting somebody to make a new PC based console box for running steam. Purely a fantasy idea and nothing to do with this OUYA console...

IF, and I know it's a big if, it could be sold for around €150, it could be an interesting proposition.

But of course, then there's the issues with a lot of Steams games not supporting control pads, which are kind of a staple of living room gaming...

Genghiz Cohen · 12-07-2012 10:52AM

For the laugh, put a build together, cheap but decent (i3 & 4GB RAM are not the cheapest options on HardwareVerSand) around an Intel core.

Item|Price
Intel Core i3-2100 Box, LGA1155|€106.46
ASRock H61M-ITX, Sockel 1155, ITX|€62.53
4GB Corsair Valueselect DDR3-1333 CL9|€19.14
Seagate Momentus Spinpoint M8 250GB, SATA II|€44.43
Special item: Chieftec FI-01B, 200W TFX, Mini-ITX|€41.04
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€292.59

That chip is a bit mad.
Left 4 Dead gets +100 FPS on max settings at 1680x1050

Mr.Saturn · 12-07-2012 11:12AM

This isn't the first thing of the sort to arise in the last couple of years, is it? I remember there was some buzz for this Gamebox thing, 'til it was revealed it was just a jumped-up android-mabob.

Josey Wales · 12-07-2012 11:14AM

I know it is a silly thing but I think having your username etched into your controller sounds cool.

koHd · 12-07-2012 12:31PM

Genghiz Cohen wrote: »

For the laugh, put a build together, cheap but decent (i3 & 4GB RAM are not the cheapest options on HardwareVerSand) around an Intel core.

Item|Price
Intel Core i3-2100 Box, LGA1155|€106.46
ASRock H61M-ITX, Sockel 1155, ITX|€62.53
4GB Corsair Valueselect DDR3-1333 CL9|€19.14
Seagate Momentus Spinpoint M8 250GB, SATA II|€44.43
Special item: Chieftec FI-01B, 200W TFX, Mini-ITX|€41.04
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€292.59

That chip is a bit mad.
Left 4 Dead gets +100 FPS on max settings at 1680x1050

I wonder what price you'd get at wholesale...

€200 could be a realistic price point. But sure then you might as well just get an Xbox, eh?

Maybe in a few years it'll be more realistic.

EDIT: although, value could be added over an Xbox by having 10-20 top games pre-installed (bought at Steam sale prices). Not to mention the ton of free-to-play games available for PC. But I'm not sure what the legalities of selling pre-loaded Steam accounts is... ?

Genghiz Cohen · 12-07-2012 01:22PM

koHd wrote: »

I wonder what price you'd get at wholesale...

€200 could be a realistic price point. But sure then you might as well just get an Xbox, eh?

Maybe in a few years it'll be more realistic.

EDIT: although, value could be added over an Xbox by having 10-20 top games pre-installed (bought at Steam sale prices). Not to mention the ton of free-to-play games available for PC. But I'm not sure what the legalities of selling pre-loaded Steam accounts is... ?

Spend a few quid on a graphics card, and it'll probably beat the pants off the xbox.

Hawke · 12-07-2012 02:35PM

Genghiz Cohen wrote: »

A Tegra 3 won't run 80% of the games on Steam.
I think.

If steam bought into one of the many streaming operations or made there own it could be done. Still would just use my PC.

justsomebloke · 12-07-2012 03:05PM

witnessmenow wrote: »

I took a punt on it and donated the $119, I guess i was feeling pretty generous that evening .

Ye stuck my money in this as well will be interesting to see how it pans out. Even it is just ends up being a media client for the TV it's not to bad value

Taltos · 12-07-2012 03:13PM

Happy to admit I have also taken a punt on this.
Best case - a new great gaming console. Worst case - a great present for one of my nephews or nieces.

Really like the idea - know our mobiles can do it - but like the whole idea of this. Still watching their total rapidly climb...

koHd · 12-07-2012 03:16PM

Genghiz Cohen wrote: »

Spend a few quid on a graphics card, and it'll probably beat the pants off the xbox.

Ah yea I know that. But taking into account the price for the entire system v an Xbox...

megaten · 12-07-2012 03:50PM

Seems very interesting but I seriously doubt they can build the box plus create a decent controller for $90.

K.O.Kiki · 12-07-2012 04:52PM

Genghiz Cohen wrote: »

For the laugh, put a build together, cheap but decent (i3 & 4GB RAM are not the cheapest options on HardwareVerSand) around an Intel core.

Item|Price
Intel Core i3-2100 Box, LGA1155|€106.46
ASRock H61M-ITX, Sockel 1155, ITX|€62.53
4GB Corsair Valueselect DDR3-1333 CL9|€19.14
Seagate Momentus Spinpoint M8 250GB, SATA II|€44.43
Special item: Chieftec FI-01B, 200W TFX, Mini-ITX|€41.04
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€292.59

That chip is a bit mad.
Left 4 Dead gets +100 FPS on max settings at 1680x1050

See, this is the problem with geeks -- they can't see that "only 3 times the price" (realistically 4-5x once OS & peripherals are figured) MAKES THIS A DIFFERENT, NON-COMPETING PRODUCT!

Additionally, it's 2-4x the size, sucks up more power (yes, even at 200W), and doesn't even have wireless!
Plus: Windows. No. Thank you.

If I had the money, I'd put it into the Ouya right now.
Excites me more than the WiiU.

gizmo · 12-07-2012 04:53PM

And I thought people had unrealistic expectations of Oyua before this list was released...:pac:

K.O.Kiki · 12-07-2012 05:06PM

Assassin's Creed
Bastion
Battlefield
Battletoads
Call of Duty
Dungeon Defenders
Fez
FIFA
Final Fantasy
Grand Theft Auto
League of Legends
Limbo
Mass Effect
Minecraft
Need for Speed
Skyrim
Super Meat Boy
Terraria
Timesplitters
Torchlight

The only games I'd think would be hard to do would be Mass Effect, Skyrim & GTA -- and only because they're large-data games.
Everything else is possible.

Though half are sequels/franchises I'd rather just fúcked off.

gizmo · 12-07-2012 05:17PM

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

The only games I'd think would be hard to do would be Mass Effect, Skyrim & GTA -- and only because they're large-data games.
Everything else is possible.

Though half are sequels/franchises I'd rather just fúcked off.

What are you basing possible on? While Android supports native applications built in C/C++, you still have the rather significant task of rewriting your renderer so that it supports OpenGL ES. Nevermind the fact that your game may be based on an engine that doesn't even fully support Android yet.

Hell, that's also ignoring the fact that a whole bunch of those games are based on IP owned by publishers who will have little interest in creating low cost and free to play enabled ports of their games.

K.O.Kiki · 12-07-2012 05:22PM

A good few have low-cost ports on iPhone/iPad...

OUYA: A New Kind of Video Game Console

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