OUYA: $99 Game Console

[still1]

OUYA is on Kickstarter and it has already got pleaded half the Goal in just few hours.

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

ABOUT THIS PROJECT

We love console games.

There's something about a big HD TV and digital surround sound that fills up a living room. Shooters, platformers, sports games, arcade classics and experimental indie games just feel bigger on a TV screen. It's how most of us grew up gaming.

But maybe people are missing out.

We get it ? smartphones and tablets are getting all the new titles ? they're "what's hot.? The console market is pushing developers away. We?ve seen a brain drain: some of the best, most creative gamemakers are focused on mobile and social games because those platforms are more developer-friendly. And the ones who remain focused on console games can?t be as creative as they?d like.

Deep down, you know your best gaming memories happened in the living room.

You busted your ass just to find out the princess was "in another castle." You fought bosses that told you repeatedly how much "you suck." You taped a blanket to half of your screen so your friend couldn't see where you were. You traded the best players onto your team just so you could have the perfect season. And you did it all on the TV.

It's time to upend console gaming.

Let?s open this sucker up! It's time we brought back innovation, experimentation, and creativity to the big screen. Let?s make the games less expensive to make, and less expensive to buy. With all our technological advancements, shouldn't costs be going down? Gaming could be cheaper!

We're handing the reins over to the developer with only one condition: at least some gameplay has to be free. We borrowed the free-to-play model from games like League of Legends, Team Fortress 2, Triple Town, and many others. Developers can offer a free demo with a full-game upgrade, in-game items or powers, or ask you to subscribe.

OUYA: The revolution will be televised

OUYA is a new game console for the TV, powered by Android.

We've packed this little box full of power. Developers will have access to OUYA's open design so they can produce their games for the living room, taking advantage of everything the TV has to offer.

Best of all, OUYA's world-class controller, console, and interface come in one beautiful, inexpensive package. All the games on it will be free, at least to try.

Great games come from great developers.

Developers can wave farewell to the roadblocks of bringing a console game to market. Anyone can make a game: every OUYA console is a dev kit. No need to purchase a license or an expensive SDK. It's built on Android, so developers already know how it works.

That doesn't mean OUYA is an Android port. You can create the next big title in your bedroom ? just like the good old days! Who needs pants!?

OUYA could change AAA game development, too. Forget about licensing fees, retail fees, and publishing fees.

And developers agree:

"This has the potential to be the game developer?s console. It's about time!" --Brian Fargo (founder of inXile)

?Who wouldn't want a beautiful piece of industrial design that sells for $99, plugs straight into your TV, and gives you access to a huge library of games?" ?Jordan Mechner (creator of Prince of Persia, Karateka)

?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.? ? Mojang (developer of Minecraft)

"I'm excited for OUYA! I am a firm believer that there is always room to challenge the status quo." -- Jenova Chen (thatgamecompany, creator of flOw, Cloud, and Flower)

?The prospect of an affordable, open console -- that's an idea I find really exciting.? -- Adam Saltsman (Semi Secret, creator of Canabalt)

"Our games will work so well on a TV, we just need an easy way to get them there. OUYA could be it." -- Marek Rabas (Madfinger Games)

"An open game console that gives independent game developers the flexibility to experiment with their games and business models on the TV, is something that's long overdue." ? David Edery (Spry Fox, creator of Triple Town)

Design matters.

We believe a great console requires a great user experience. We are working with the award-winning designer, Yves Behar, and his firm fuseproject (designer of the Jambox).

We designed the controller to be a love letter to console gaming. It has everything you've learned to love: fast buttons, triggers, laser-precise analog sticks, a D-Pad ? and we've added a touchpad for any games making the trek from mobile or tablet to the TV. It's just the right weight. Everything just works. We call it 'the Stradivarius of controllers,' and we hope developers will be inspired to take gameplay to a new level with it.

Hackers welcome.

Have at it: It's easy to root (and rooting won't void your warranty). Everything opens with standard screws. Hardware hackers can create their own peripherals, and connect via USB or Bluetooth. You want our hardware design? Let us know. We might just give it to you. Surprise us!

Specifications:

• 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
  

It's entertainment beyond gaming.

Because OUYA is based on Android, any app developer could publish their Android app to OUYA. The possibilities are limitless, and conversations with potential partners are already underway. Here?s our first: do you like watching StarCraft, or League of Legends? Watch Twitch.TV on your OUYA.

We've come a long way already. The user interface and industrial designs are far along. Our prototype is up and running. What we have left to do is simple, but it's expensive. (We?re looking at you Mark Cuban! Woz! Help us out.)

All we need is you.

With your help, we need to:

• Convert our prototype to production-ready models and get all the regulatory approvals (yeah, we need these to sell them)
  
• Deliver developer kits (for early developers so we can have games on day one, though every console will include an SDK once we launch)
  
• Place our first production orders (we are working with a manufacturing firm with lots of game hardware experience, but we need to know how many to make!)
  
• Ideally, fund some initial game development (i.e., 1st-party games)
  

And if you?re international, we want your help too?gaming is global, and we willget you OUYA. We still have a lot to figure out in regards to rights and countries, but it can be done. Look what we've accomplished already!

[TheLegendOfMart]

I saw that, get quite a lot of power for the price.

The downside is that apps have to be adapted to work on the system because of its custom interface so its not like you can just jump on google play, buy a game and have it work with the joypad.

The custom interface is nice though, I was going to buy one but I'll keep my eye on it, see what kind interest it gets.

[still1]

I saw that, get quite a lot of power for the price.

The downside is that apps have to be adapted to work on the system because of its custom interface so its not like you can just jump on google play, buy a game and have it work with the joypad.

The custom interface is nice though, I was going to buy one but I'll keep my eye on it, see what kind interest it gets.

OUYA developers say its hacker friendly and It's easy to root (and rooting won't void your warranty).

wouldn't it be easier to install play store on it (and make it available through Console)?? I think it matter of time before some hacker do it.

I own 2 PS3 and there is no free games available for it. heck I have spend about $400 for games alone.

I think it would be amazing.

[S00N3R FR3AK]

Yeah I think I'll jump on board with this. I like the idea of what it can do and think it is worth the $100 investment.

[spacer]

2 Questions.

1. The one rule a game must adhere to for this console is to have some form of free gameplay, and then they go on to mention that you can have a demo, in-game items, or a subscription. Since when is "subscription" equal to "free"?

2. If it's easy to root, and rooting doesn't void the warranty then why do we have to root in the first place? Why not just have the console be totally open, up front?

edit: THREE questions.

3. How do you pronounce "OUYA"?

[threetonesun]

2 Questions.

1. The one rule a game must adhere to for this console is to have some form of free gameplay, and then they go on to mention that you can have a demo, in-game items, or a subscription. Since when is "subscription" equal to "free"?

2. If it's easy to root, and rooting doesn't void the warranty then why do we have to root in the first place? Why not just have the console be totally open, up front?

edit: THREE questions.

3. How do you pronounce "OUYA"?

1. I have no idea, they're whole marketing scheme is pie in the sky.

2. Again, a bunch of nonsense, unless you're talking about crap games like Angry Birds. You think anyone wants an Xbox that's "easy to root?"

3. Oooh yah! .... I imagine.

[fmanchu]

You pronounce it "OOO-yah"

They already hit their kickstarter goal!

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

[Knife Party]

2 Questions. 1. The one rule a game must adhere to for this console is to have some form of free gameplay, and then they go on to mention that you can have a demo, in-game items, or a subscription. Since when is "subscription" equal to "free"? 2. If it's easy to root, and rooting doesn't void the warranty then why do we have to root in the first place? Why not just have the console be totally open, up front? edit: THREE questions. 3. How do you pronounce "OUYA"?

1. not sure let's see how this pans out

2. Yes its based on android. My guess would be they leave it off by default to avoid confusion, or to anyone who might not have that experience. Having the simple option to root tho is brilliant, open source baby!

3. I think its something like 'Boo ya' :laugh:

[S00N3R FR3AK]

2 Questions.

1. The one rule a game must adhere to for this console is to have some form of free gameplay, and then they go on to mention that you can have a demo, in-game items, or a subscription. Since when is "subscription" equal to "free"?

2. If it's easy to root, and rooting doesn't void the warranty then why do we have to root in the first place? Why not just have the console be totally open, up front?

edit: THREE questions.

3. How do you pronounce "OUYA"?

The others have been answered but in regards to 1 it has to have some form of free content. And then after that it could be a item shop, a flat fee or a monthly sub to get everything.

After finding out how to say the name did anyone say it in this guys voice from

?

[still1]

2 Questions.

1. The one rule a game must adhere to for this console is to have some form of free gameplay, and then they go on to mention that you can have a demo, in-game items, or a subscription. Since when is "subscription" equal to "free"?

2. If it's easy to root, and rooting doesn't void the warranty then why do we have to root in the first place? Why not just have the console be totally open, up front?

edit: THREE questions.

3. How do you pronounce "OUYA"?

1. I think they are trying to bring more free games like freemium.. developers have to make some money. game development is not cheap.

2. security issues. root can have a lot of security risk so for average users it come locked but geek hackers can easily root it too.

3. OOOO YA!

[Noir Angel]

2 Questions.

1. The one rule a game must adhere to for this console is to have some form of free gameplay, and then they go on to mention that you can have a demo, in-game items, or a subscription. Since when is "subscription" equal to "free"?

2. If it's easy to root, and rooting doesn't void the warranty then why do we have to root in the first place? Why not just have the console be totally open, up front?

edit: THREE questions.

3. How do you pronounce "OUYA"?

Because leaving it root as default opens it up to potential security risks. Users that know what they're doing can root it, users that don't won't need to.

[Twiddle]

2 Questions.

1. The one rule a game must adhere to for this console is to have some form of free gameplay, and then they go on to mention that you can have a demo, in-game items, or a subscription. Since when is "subscription" equal to "free"?

2. If it's easy to root, and rooting doesn't void the warranty then why do we have to root in the first place? Why not just have the console be totally open, up front?

edit: THREE questions.

3. How do you pronounce "OUYA"?

All of these answers are in their FAQ.

1. When you say "free games," what does that mean exactly?

We want you to pay only for the games you love. A ?free to play? model works when everyone (gamers and game makers) benefits from directly rewarding amazing games.

For gamers, every game will be free to play: what this means is that there will at least be a free demo, or you?ll be able to play the entirety of the game for free but may have access to additional items, upgrades, or other features that come at a cost.

For developers, free to play means that they can set their own prices. Developers know best: There is no better way to sell a game than to have folks that have actually touched the game share glowing reviews with their friends. By allowing some form of free play, we?ll help them do just that. The only reason you used to pay for games before playing them is that you couldn?t try them at the store before you brought them home ? it?s a relic of an old way of doing business, and one of the many things about the games business we plan to change.

2. When you say OUYA is ?open,? what does that mean exactly? Can I do anything I want with it?

When we say, ?open? we mean it. We?ve made many decisions based on this philosophy:

Launching on Kickstarter ? this isn't just a way to raise funds. It's our way of involving supporters from the get go. We want your feedback as well as your support.

For gamers, we believe that OUYA will be more open than any platform on the market to a broad range of content that is really new and interesting, from the best known names in games to exciting indies that you may be getting to know for the first time.

For developers, open means that any developer can publish a game ? if you've got a game, you can put it on OUYA. You can price your game however you like ? it's your game! We just want to help you bring it to life on the TV. Just make some part of the experience free to the OUYAs. We use open-source software and standard chipsets ? we're on Android because developers are speaking the language. Our chipsets aren't proprietary or secretive ? open OUYA up and have a look! We?ll even publish the hardware design if people want it.

For hackers: root it. Go ahead. Your warranty is safe. Even the hardware is hackable. Want to get inside? You?ll need a standard screwdriver and nothing more. Go to town. We have standard USB ports and Bluetooth, so you?ll even be able to create your own peripherals.

As with every platform, though, we have to balance openness with a quality user experience. So we'll have a standard user interface. We'll curate your games in our storefront so they're easy for everyone to get to. And we?ll require that all games we put in our store include a free experience. If you don?t like our choices, root the device and make it your own.

3. How do you pronounce OUYA, anyway?

OOO-yah. Apparently it doesn't have the most pleasant meaning in Swahili.

[DirtyLarry Veteran]

I 100% would have done the $99 backer option, but it is already sold out. So yeah, guess I will have to wait until it is on sale. But really like the overall premise, and the price is definitely right. There is a reason they reached their goal so damn fast. Nothing but the best of luck to them. (Y)

EDIT - NVM, the $95 option was sold out, just did the $99 one. (Y)

[Rudy]

The "free" games thing is a bit of a scam. The developers have to give out a free "demo" but the game can require some form of payment at any point in the game

[ACTIONpack]

Seem like a linux idea. Seem cool at first but everything that will comes on it is second ranted. Interface is a bad rip off from Xbox Metro. The controller is almost the same as PS3 controller. The game graphics looks like it for mobile size. Also, no real good story design and game play will compare with titles with Xbox or PS3. Multi-million budget games vs thousands to 10 thousand budget. At least on Xbox Arcade, they have guidelines for those low budget games. OUYA will not have that. The only reason why mobile games with low to no budget works because it's just for the casual gamer and not the hardware people.

[TruckWEB]

I'm IN! Gonna have a OUYA! Now, what are they going to do with the extra cash on hand?

I hope they use the fastest Tegra3....

[The King of GnG]

I won't touch this "thing" with gloves on. Why? Because I'm with Jonathan Blow on the "free-to-play" "content" real value: these are not games but just cogs deformed to make money. And I'm a gamer since 1989, not a consumer, not a customer, not a "casual" player. A gamer.

http://venturebeat.com/2012/07/10/indie-devs-quality-content-trumps-following-trends-free-to-play-is-kind-of-a-slum/

[Twiddle]

Nevertheless, Blow said that he wants to do a free-to-play game at some point. However, it won?t have premium items like ?hats.? He instead envisions a system in which players pay a dollar for a level to explore with a friend. According to Blow, ?That?s a respectful way to treat players. Tweet this game to your friends is not a way to treat players.?

What? And you listen to this guy?

That is an even more disrespectful way to treat a gamer. Charge them a dollar to unlock more of the "free to play" game. I'd rather have the option to buy a "hat," then be forced to pay for extra levels, to play the game.

This guy is a kook.

[PALMERx64]

Noo! You beat me to it. I was going to post this the other day but I waited. :p

The concept of it sounds awesome... But we'll see how good it is when it's more then just a prototype/concept.

Hopefully it does well, because I'd like to see something new as opposed to the usual corporate greed dominating the market.

P.S. Open source FTW :D

[HawkMan]

2 Questions.

1. The one rule a game must adhere to for this console is to have some form of free gameplay, and then they go on to mention that you can have a demo, in-game items, or a subscription. Since when is "subscription" equal to "free"?

2. If it's easy to root, and rooting doesn't void the warranty then why do we have to root in the first place? Why not just have the console be totally open, up front?

edit: THREE questions.

3. How do you pronounce "OUYA"?

1. it's basically XBLA in a dedicated console. there won't be free games, there will be demos just like XBLA. and i doubt you'll see much more advanced games, soif you have an xbox, it's useless.

2. because regular people don't root, don't need it, and it should't be rooted. it's as stupid as running windows XP as admin. rooting is only marketing to the geeks. if they actually sell this thing in reasonable numbers. the amount of people that will root, hack and mod it, will be a mere fraction of the userbase.

[DirtyLarry Veteran]

I won't touch this "thing" with gloves on. Why? Because I'm with Jonathan Blow on the "free-to-play" "content" real value: these are not games but just cogs deformed to make money. And I'm a gamer since 1989, not a consumer, not a customer, not a "casual" player. A gamer.

http://venturebeat.c...kind-of-a-slum/

Wow. So okay, since you felt the need to mention it, I have been gaming since 1979 when the Atari was first introduced by my father in my house. Have owned pretty much every major console since, a Commodore 64, the list keeps going and going. Only mention it because you do. So tell me, what does the invention of this console have anything to do with that at all? If anything, it should mean you know that smaller games can still be good. But apparently you have forgotten games from 1989 and remember them as some glorious productions.

And what the hell are you on about? Not a consumer? WTF does that even mean? If you have ever owned a console, any hardware, or purchased any software or games, you are a consumer. Maybe because you are leet press you get your video games for free now, but you have no doubt been a consumer at some point, or else you would have never been able to be a gamer.

Oh I get it, you mean you hate games that only want you to spend money. So if a game has a model that it requires micro transactions in order to get the most out of it, then simple, do not purchase it. That has been my approach on things. But you make it out that all of these games are set up on that model, when that simply is just not the case. Some of them are going to be absolute rubbish, but again, you make it out like they are only cash grabbers? Really, a game like Minecraft revolves around microtransactions? Same with Canabalt?

Not only that, if you have been gaming for so long, then you should be the first person to know big budget and graphics do not mean jack ****. It is the gameplay. And these smaller games have the potential to have great gameplay and be inexpensive. And who is to say people will not start releasing $15 games on this console? people keep misconstruing the whole free thing without realizing all that means is at the very least all games are required to have a demo version, just as XBLA does. So yeah, way to blow that out of proportion.

And I am actually not the biggest fan of the whole mobile gaming craze, I have gone on record stating that multiple times, but to make it out like this console is some awful machine, when it seems to me the intent is to allow smaller developers to get away from just being on the smaller screens of mobile/tablet devices and get them into what is more the gaming experience of the larger screen, seriously, what is so bad about that? That is why I funded it, for the potential it has to get smaller developers more recognition. And I also personally purchased it because I believe once rooted it is going to have crazy potential.

Honestly for $99 even if it winds up being a flop, that is a chance I am willing to take as it is still less in price then 2 retail full console games. It is the spirit behind the console that I support. And I really am not sure why anyone who calls themselves a gamer would not support that spirit. because there are no doubt going to be games that are just money grabbers? Those games exist on every platform do they not?

[Twiddle]

Up to nearly $4 million dollars.

Wonder what they will do with the overflow :p.

That is awesome though. A lot of people have support in this thing. :laugh:

[still1]

Up to nearly $4 million dollars.

Wonder what they will do with the overflow :p.

That is awesome though. A lot of people have support in this thing. :laugh:

The support is for low price and open hackability. with free contents.

All, MS and Sony do is rip us off with games. I really regret buying those $50-60 games.

[HawkMan]

How is more money to the hardware makes going to lead to more free content from independent game developers...

As I said, this will just be an XBLA box. if you have an xbox it's worthless.

[Twiddle]

How is more money to the hardware makes going to lead to more free content from independent game developers...

As I said, this will just be an XBLA box. if you have an xbox it's worthless.

The fact that it is completely open to do whatever you want to it (and still be under warranty) and being as cheap as it is.

I can only imagine what the hacking community or the guys over at XDA are going to come up with for this thing.

I've rooted and flashed my phone multiple times with different ROMs, but this is a console. I really think we are going to see some really, really great content come from this thing, whether it be games, apps, or maybe something no one has thought of yet to do with a console. And like I said, it is so cheap, that bricking it, unlike bricking an (overpriced) phone or tablet, you would be less worried, due to the fact it is so easy to get another one.