UPDATE: Open Gaming Console For Developers & Hackers Alike

Published on 07-11-2012 06:53 AM

69 Comments

UPDATE: A new buzz has hit the internet regarding a Android gaming console which one could purchase for as little as $99. OUYA (pronounced ooo-yah) in a single day has been backed by the gaming community and developers with pledges exceeding $2 000 000. Anyone can contribute and by doing so you could reserve your username for as little as $10 or pledge $10 000 to get onto the "Angel List" and believe me some already have. The idea around this gaming console is to provide free content to it's user base, be it free demo's or completely free full games, it's up to the game developers to decide.

The developers behind OUYA also welcome hackers. Going as far as offering hackers their hardware design also rooting the device does not void warranty. Many suggest that by the time the device is released in March 2013 the hardware capabilities would be outdated or at least inferior. Many comments made on the kickstarter site suggest exactly that, that many agree that the device would benefit with more RAM, an extra USB port, increased storage space via SD slots, Ethernet port and upgraded WIFI.

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

Tranced thoughts: I'm looking forward to see what will come of this. We here at psx-scene have seen various handheld's which bare no fruit, (although this is not a handheld) forgotten in time, but never before have I seen such a public backing for a new system. This could be a great device for the likes of ThatOtherPerson (ThatOtherDev) since each console comes with a built in dev kit. Whats your view on this system? Do you think we could have a OUYA section here one day?

Reading over the comments many of you have had some heated exchanges regarding this console. In the meantime I have acquired some more info for those finding this device rather interesting.

A brief Q&A with Tiffany Spencer, Communications for OUYA:

Will the March 2013 deadline be met since $2 400 000 is surely enough to start production?
Yes! We are marching towards our first-quarter launch date!

Will you consider the hardware changes made in the comments section of kickstarter?
We will, and we have been listening to our backers attentively. We've been collecting everyone's awesome ideas and arranging them by most popular. We aim to apply them to our stretch goals. We'll keep everyone in the loop as things develop.

What, if any, suggestions have you considered. Hardware additions/changes and game requests?
The ethernet port was a great idea, and we've set to work on building it into the design. That suggestion had a lot of support, so we jumped for it!

When can we expect more images showing the complete design of the system?
TBD. Right now are still in the design process, and our Kickstarter funding will take us from prototype to final product.

Will you be releasing units to websites for review?
We understand the importance of a hands-on review, and we're committed to staying open.

I was also sent some PDF files which provided some info. (Linked below)

An extract:

Will play great games – from AAA to indie – including hardcore and more mainstream titles
Can support other Android apps – will launch with TwitchTV (live-streaming for games, watch games like StarCraft and League of Legends on your TV)
Supported by respected developers: Notch (Mojang), Brian Fargo (inXile), Adam Saltsman (Canabalt), Ed Fries (original Xbox team), and others
Any developer can publish a game – every console includes an SDK, no extra fees
Founded by Julie Uhrman, who started in the video game industry 10 years ago (GameFly, IGN, Vivendi Universal)

PDF Source: Dropbox
News Source: kickstarter

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_{Tags :

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69 Comments

bobbintb - 07-11-2012, 01:38 PM
- Reply
the other thing is the way i see it, video gaming in general is progressing backward somewhat. the biggest push historically has been towards better graphics, which means better processors. but lately graphics are so good and processors are so much more efficient, that there hasnt been much room for improvement. you can only make something look so "real". so improvement in graphic quality isnt making these huge leaps that they used to. it has leveled off significantly, yet processors have gotten faster and more efficient. not only that but the focus has shifted from better graphics to gameplay. the market for casual games is huge. also there are the big $60 games that have huge backing behind them and tons of development and there are games like minecraft, angry birds and such. i think this console would be a good opportunity at capturing that middle ground

Goku1992 - 07-11-2012, 01:43 PM
- Reply
So you guys really think these guys are going to use 2mil on some hand-held? I mean REALLY? When they originally asked for 950K? I bet you this thing wouldn't even have Nintendo ds graphics. I've followed EVREY scene and I have YET seen any development that have atleast and I mean ATLEAST ps1 graphics down pack. You need OVER a million dollars to even make ps2 like games. God dont get me started on Ps3 games on how much they cost to develop.

Btw if they are charging $99 per unit that means they only spent alteast $30 making it. Lets not going to forget who is REALLY going to buy a $99 dollar hand-held that has the graphics/playability of an 80's computer I seen the most work that devs did to make games. I will not give my opinion on the work they do/give but all I can say it's nowhere near passed Ps1 like graphics but hey these guys are robbing people blind. Next few weeks you will see a delay in making the hand-held LOL damn I need me a get rich idea hmm

Strizay - 07-11-2012, 01:47 PM
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Anything new is always welcome I guess. Time will tell if this is another Atari Jaguar or not.

yes159 - 07-11-2012, 01:48 PM
- Reply
Originally Posted by Tranced

@yes159 Good point again. Suppose one would have to wait and see. I'm sure that after recent events the OUYA specifications will be changed to suit user demand. FYI So far today in 9 hours they have acquired $500 000. That is something.

True, only time will tell =)

Yep, since they got a lot more money than they first asked for, and since a retail price is not set, it could be that they will upgrade the hardware some.

Originally Posted by Goku1992

Btw if they are charging $99 per unit that means they only spent alteast $30 making it.

Most of the costs come from all the work being done before they get the system out in production.

Mathematician - 07-11-2012, 04:00 PM
- Reply
Originally Posted by Goku1992

So you guys really think these guys are going to use 2mil on some hand-held? I mean REALLY? When they originally asked for 950K? I bet you this thing wouldn't even have Nintendo ds graphics. I've followed EVREY scene and I have YET seen any development that have atleast and I mean ATLEAST ps1 graphics down pack. You need OVER a million dollars to even make ps2 like games. God dont get me started on Ps3 games on how much they cost to develop.

Btw if they are charging $99 per unit that means they only spent alteast $30 making it. Lets not going to forget who is REALLY going to buy a $99 dollar hand-held that has the graphics/playability of an 80's computer I seen the most work that devs did to make games. I will not give my opinion on the work they do/give but all I can say it's nowhere near passed Ps1 like graphics but hey these guys are robbing people blind. Next few weeks you will see a delay in making the hand-held LOL damn I need me a get rich idea hmm

God damn... I have been a member of PSX scene for almost 2 years and I have not seen anything less intelligent.

Where did you read it was a handheld? This is a console... This shows your negligence.

It runs an Android OS which means it should be able to run Android apps, this includes Netflix along with a large number of other ones... This shows your ignorance.

Your whole post centers around graphics... This shows your age.

What are you? Are you a mistake?

bobbintb - 07-11-2012, 04:02 PM
- Reply
Originally Posted by Goku1992

So you guys really think these guys are going to use 2mil on some hand-held? I mean REALLY? When they originally asked for 950K? I bet you this thing wouldn't even have Nintendo ds graphics. I've followed EVREY scene and I have YET seen any development that have atleast and I mean ATLEAST ps1 graphics down pack. You need OVER a million dollars to even make ps2 like games. God dont get me started on Ps3 games on how much they cost to develop.

Btw if they are charging $99 per unit that means they only spent alteast $30 making it. Lets not going to forget who is REALLY going to buy a $99 dollar hand-held that has the graphics/playability of an 80's computer I seen the most work that devs did to make games. I will not give my opinion on the work they do/give but all I can say it's nowhere near passed Ps1 like graphics but hey these guys are robbing people blind. Next few weeks you will see a delay in making the hand-held LOL damn I need me a get rich idea hmm

wow. so much i dont even know where to start. first off, "wont even have ds graphics"? really? you dont think a tegra 3 can churn out graphics better than a DS? and what does the console homebrew scene have to do with this? there is a big difference between one or two people tinkering with their closed console in their spare time to make some spiffy little snake game or *maybe* an FPS just for fun than an open-source android development team making a full game for profit. and one of the main points of this system is to address the fact that it does cost developers so much to make a game. it doesnt cost "over a million dollars" to produce a game because its so expensive to make better graphics. it's mostly costs from the hardware developers: dev hardware, sdks, licensing, and such. on an open source system like this, it is far less. and in any case, what does the cost of developing a game have anything to do with this kickstarter? they are kickstarting the hardware. where does it say anything in there about them using this kickstarter to make games? did you even read the article or are you one of those people that read the title and comments as if they are a person of authority on the matter? the level of ignorance in your statements is astounding.

Dragonborn - 07-11-2012, 04:42 PM
- Reply
So it's an android device that let's you paly everything available on android, and uses a gamepad.

. . . Isn't that what an Xperia PLay (PlayStation phone) is?

Am I missing something?

Kenzya - 07-11-2012, 05:01 PM
- Reply
Originally Posted by Dragonborn

So it's an android device that let's you paly everything available on android, and uses a gamepad.

. . . Isn't that what an Xperia PLay (PlayStation phone) is?

Am I missing something?

You are not. You are looking at an incredibly marked up "console" that is no more powerful than an iPad 2. It's disgusting in my eyes.

Mathematician - 07-11-2012, 05:25 PM
- Reply
"Ins't that what an Xperia Play is? It is no more powerful than an iPad2..."

It's only a fraction of the cost and runs Android... also frogs have 2 back legs, your argument is invalid

Kenzya - 07-11-2012, 05:45 PM
- Reply
Originally Posted by Mathematician

your argument is invalid

What's invalid about it? It's an underpowered system that runs cellphone games. Voila. I don't really understand their "we want the apple II e crowd" when you can develop on a PC for multiple platforms including Android OS. If you want to play Angry Birds in HD, fine, whatever (though you can already do that on similar HTPC devices including things like RokuHD) but if you want to REALLY dev something why not just do it on a PC. Then you can pander your indie BS to more than just a select Andrid OS crowd. Maybe the SDK is really powerful who knows. I'm not 100% against this "console" just 90% skeptical and 70% realistic.

yes159 - 07-11-2012, 05:57 PM
- Reply
Originally Posted by Mathematician

"Ins't that what an Xperia Play is? It is no more powerful than an iPad2..."

It's only a fraction of the cost and runs Android... also frogs have 2 back legs, your argument is invalid

Xperia Play also runs Android But yeah, the cost of OUYA is much cheaper indeed.

krytonic - 07-11-2012, 06:28 PM
- Reply
Originally Posted by yes159

Xperia Play also runs Android But yeah, the cost of OUYA is much cheaper indeed.

We don't know the cost of it yet so no you don't know that.

User1 - 07-11-2012, 06:46 PM
- Reply
This looks pretty cool. Seems like a tablet with a controller though.

Mathematician - 07-11-2012, 08:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Kenzya

What's invalid about it? It's an underpowered system that runs cellphone games. Voila. I don't really understand their "we want the apple II e crowd" when you can develop on a PC for multiple platforms including Android OS. If you want to play Angry Birds in HD, fine, whatever (though you can already do that on similar HTPC devices including things like RokuHD) but if you want to REALLY dev something why not just do it on a PC. Then you can pander your indie BS to more than just a select Andrid OS crowd. Maybe the SDK is really powerful who knows. I'm not 100% against this "console" just 90% skeptical and 70% realistic.

It was a joke lol, haven't you seen the pictures of something stupid and random (like a frog has two back legs... your argument is invalid)?

But more seriousness; I hate nearly all of today's games. I enjoy something that is short, to the point, something that doesn't suck you in for weeks. There is a good number of people who fit the same category. Maybe they can make an IOS console too?

I'm going to hold back on backing them up for now but I would really like an Android device that's cheap and doesn't require some type of 2 year agreement.

brakk3n - 07-11-2012, 08:42 PM
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I can see this turning into a very cheap yet powerful HTPC and emulator box.

Goku1992 - 07-11-2012, 08:50 PM
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@Mathematician + bobbintb

I just deleted my long response but I will make it short and to the point. This thing cant compete with the 100's of phones/tablets/consoles/hand-helds out there. The only people would look at this is the hacker community and that's it. This thing will not sell and it is bound to fail the end. So tired of the old school gamers... if Graphics doesnt matter why buy a ps3/360 stick to the "classics" god!

Raheemiscool - 07-11-2012, 09:02 PM
- Reply
This is absolutely sickening, they could have made a decent console that ran on it's own OS with 2 million dollars but instead they decided to make an android that doesn't move. They could have been serious competition. They could have been something great. But instead they opted for being bought by ignorant people and the elderly.
You can do everything this can and waaaay more on a low-end laptop from walmart.

Mathematician - 07-11-2012, 09:22 PM
- Reply
Originally Posted by Goku1992

@Mathematician + bobbintb

I just deleted my long response but I will make it short and to the point. This thing cant compete with the 100's of phones/tablets/consoles/hand-helds out there. The only people would look at this is the hacker community and that's it. This thing will not sell and it is bound to fail the end. So tired of the old school gamers... if Graphics doesnt matter why buy a ps3/360 stick to the "classics" god!

Cheap phones require a contract and service
Tablets are meant to be portable and portable does not suit my taste
Consoles cannot play android
Hand-helds cannot play android either
All of the above are significantly greater in price.

To be honest, I have used my PS3 more for retro emulation than anything else. I can't play a PS3 game for more than a day. I get so bored, none of them are adventure or require any skill. FPS all seem alike. Retro games cannot play online or have an achievement system, it feels good 100% completing games nonetheless.

I'm not arguing that this console is going to be good, the idea is good... I'm arguing that your post was just completely beyond stupid.

r1c0la - 07-11-2012, 09:32 PM
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well you wouldnt have to worry about piracy on this thing, since noone will release their big games on it lol

Goku1992 - 07-11-2012, 09:47 PM
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@Mathematician
You missed my whole point. The reason why tablets and etc.. do so well is because of the gaming portion. Which is why graphics are a deal breaker when it comes to the 3rd generation consoles. Online gaming got so big that they weigh more on graphics/gameplay than actual story mode. Why invest 2million into a project that wouldn't do good? Anyways... their project I just think it's going to be a waste of time.