"The attraction for game developers is in Ouya's ability to offer the best of both worlds: an open platform allowing just about anyone to publish a game, much like a modern smartphone, along with a traditional game controller and television display."

Is this really the best of both worlds? Or is it the worst of both?

It makes no sense to call this open when you can't charge what you want for games, nor when the approval process is shrouded in mystery. At this point there's no difference between this and Apple's App Store, except on the App Store you can charge whatever you want.

Disruptive? Sure (if they can get the ball rolling - which involves more than just finishing their Kickstarter successfully). Open? No way.

I'm not sure what to think of this yet (I'm a little skeptical that they can really deliver at that price), but to play devil's advocate:

- Free-to-play isn't the same thing as pay-to-win. Give the first level away for free and make people pay for the rest, and it's pretty much just a demo model.

- If they really can deliver as advertised, this is one hell of a sales pitch: a home console, with controller, full of free games for $99. It's their game to lose at that point.

- There's not a great place for small, indie console-based games now. This could succeed where XLBIG largely failed, which could be good for everyone.

Not going anywhere. Make a real console not a mobile device console.

Consumers can already play the "best of" indie games on the 360. And on their pcs too. Many are on our mobile devices as well.

So there is little reason to own this.

As a developer of games that work best with a controller (mostly), I'm intrigued. A standard console-based platform that would (likely) work with Unity and has an iOS-like low barrier to entry sounds cool to me. I'm not quite ready to spend $700 for early access though.

Of all the approval processes I've dealt with, I actually prefer Apple's model for iOS over others (Steam, XBLA, XBLIG, etc), so I hope it's something similar to that (but maybe a bit more stringent to prevent rip-offs). Working with Desura has also been quite enjoyable and gives developers a high level of control over how games are presented and sold.

As for how games are featured and discoverable, that's an issue that no one has solved very well. Having a weekly featured section (similar to Apple) works ok as one part of the solution, but beyond that there should be more ways to recommend and find games.

Hmm. I need more info on this before I donate.
Or to put it in a joking/sadly apt way: how many times do they expect to get sued by patent trolls before their project collapses?

Best of luck to them, Hardware is tough, to try introduce a new hardware platform and get market penetration and a foothold is a tall order. But hey I hope they prove the odds wrong.

Yeah, despite my earlier comment, it does sound like an interesting project, and it may be good to have an alternate console out on the market. I'd certainly develop for it.

This device is useless, it doesn't do anything you can't do with a Tegra 3 tablet or phone and an HDMI output.

This article could be updated. The Kickstarter reward tier for a cheaper console was $95 and it looks like that has sold out already as of this morning.

seems like they are aiming too low. a $200 dollar machine capable of better games would make more sense for a home console. this just seems like a shovelware box.

Contributed at the $99 and looking forward to it. Deep in talks with my fellow team members (we're working on a KS-funded game) about buying in at the $699 level. Doing some more research.

As strictly a fan, though, I love the philosophy driving this and hope it works out.

It is my intention to support this as a gamer and a developer, I'm all for an open game console. I'd support mobile but I don't care for touch controls for most games and mobile doesn't really offer gamepad controls so this solves my problem.

I'm curious how they are going to deal with hacking if hardware and software modding are openly supported by the platform.

I'm also curious how rooting doesn't void the warranty. Couldn't somebody just continuously brick their device and demand new hardware?

Wonder if we say to the player on a tutorial: "Good Job! Now press O to continue..."
(All buttons are "O") rofl. Or tell a color-blind person: "Press the Blue O button..."

But well, once again, another platform. I wish them best of luck; They will need.

I'll call it right now.


Hello, Phantom. Where have you been? Oh what's that, where are you going?

> Holy Crap:

The Ouya is sitting at $560,000 in funding on Kickstarter at 2:30pm EST, rising at a pace of approximately $50,000 per hour. At this rate the Ouya project is likely to reach its funding goal within a day or two.

Looks like the limited run of $99 donation console packages will run out soon, or already.

In any case, it appears as though Ouya (or perhaps the M.O. of the Ouya) is being embraced by the masses at an incredible pace.

as much as i love the philosophy behind it (as well as the philosophy of "peace on earth") unless this controller is "the next THING in the evolution in video games" i have a hard time with the business proposition.

basically this is a Nexus 7 tablet with
+ controller
+ HDMI out
+ new interface

- no screen
- no battery
- no sensors
- not "portable"

for developers, you have to give them a 30% cut... seriously? (apple might command that, but for a new kid in town, i don't think so). So the developer proposition is:
if you've got an android compatible game
1) mutate it to use a controller
2) make it free to play
3) pay Ouya 30% of whatever you charge (however you charge people)

...if the next iteration of googles tablet (nexus 7+) has HDMI out; this thing is toast. (there are already adequate external controllers available for android phones/tablets)

also, saying how easy this thing can be hacked might interest consumers (free stuff)... but it might also deter developers (piracy, no revenue).

if the controller is revolutionary, and you can make it affordable, kickstart that.

#goodluckwiththat

I'm intrigued, I don't think this is going into the same market as PS3/360 as far as full-retail-priced games go, but given its openness it could provide something that the others don't.

All I do know is that it has all ready hit 800G's in the time it has been up and has 29 days to go. That is not bad at all. I want one just to mess about with. It sound like fun and for gamers who want a piece of the dev action this is a perfect way in.

6,486
BACKERS
$807,143
PLEDGED OF $950,000 GOAL
29
DAYS TO GO

with developers being able to name their own price with their games i can definitely see the draw. the big three hold you to the price they say your game should sell for and that just doesnt work for everyone, of course then you can seek out to sell on steam but their process is just as rough as the others, if this thing is as open as they say it will help a lot of new devs get into a market with a real controller and doesnt have all the red tape

ROFL! They just added more consoles at the $99 level! There are now 10,00 available. Damn, if there are some left this Friday when I get paid I am SO buying one!

They also just hit 850G's. That is some fast cash.

Also, some one on Kickstarter commented on the controller buttons. They are just circles that are colored. What about color blind people? They made a good suggestion that they buttons could spell out the consoles name. O, U, Y, A. That would be sweet!

This is the first console Im interested on in ten+ years... I want to take a close look at it.

I also want to know more about the SDK.

"The SDK is free

A big push of the Ouya is in how "open" the unit is. To that extent, we're told an SDK will be included with every unit. Additionally, much like modern phones, every Ouya box also functions as a debug unit for testing."

How will this work? Do we really just need the console? How will the process work? I know the graphics and such will have to made on a PC or Mac, and the programming as well. But the builds of the games being developed can be tested and de-bugged on the actual console. Am I right?

Also, will this work with Unity? Unity works with Android right? So there for Unity must work with the Ouya. Am I wrong? EDIT: Yep, Android is supported by Unity. Sweet.

I'm intrigued by this. As Mr. Bogost said above, this could either have the best or worst of both worlds in terms of control and how the market will play out. On the App Store, once a high quality game leaves the "featured" page (if it gets there at all) it's lost in the sea of junk unless you find its specific search terms. On the other hand, this is a very exciting prospect for studios launching Android games. It seems that a lot of devs are excited, but I guess we'll see how gamers react...

I'd be pleased to see open controller compatibility on Ouya via the USB jack and Bluetooth, like keyboards/mice/arcade sticks/headsets/headtrackers/zappers, or even third-party controllers with accelerometers.
... heck, even MIDI devices.

7,631
BACKERS
$950,253
PLEDGED OF $950,000 GOAL

Goal made. That was FAST.

EDIT: 1 mils pledged. Goal epicly crushed. I wonder how much more they will be pledged in the next 29 days?

Now at $1,501,965 and counting. Some are saying that they are going to break 50 mils if the momentum keeps going.

How will this system deal with Android Apps that function as emulators for older consoles and such? I can't imagine that Sony or Nintendo would sit idly by while people play old SNES and PSX roms on an open-source console.

But at a price point of under $100, I can easily see this system pulling a Wii. Even more so if it can utilize services like OnLive or Steam.

Man, if they do things right; It's going to be a historic accomplishment.
Ffs! I wish they make 1kk+ a day.

At 99$ a console how do they make money on this thing. I guess they are following the same model as the traditional players and selling the hardware at a loss.

I know nothing about how to develop a game, nor have I ever been interested in doing so. But after hearing about this console, I'm interested in learning how to develop for the first time in my life. The proposal by the creators of the Ouya gives an 'anyone can do it' feel to the hardware. If things really are being designed to be so approachable, would I give $.30 to the $1.00 for the freedom do make whatever game I want and price it accordingly? Absolutely, and I think that this could very well be the most important gaming platform this century.

I'd venture to say Unity is the ideal development platform to get a head start on things with Ouya-focused Android titles, or if one's goals and resources are healthier, UE3 has matured nicely on the platform.

Both offer strong Tegra3 support and optimization.

Games like Demons' Score, Dead Trigger, Bounty Arms, and Heroes Call are fairly indicative of what the Tegra3 can get away with at the high end. Sonic 4 Ep.II is pretty on Tegra as well.

When folks criticize development or gaming on Android, the most frequent complaint is usually:

"There are so many different Android device specifications out there, so what's my target device and can X game be played on Y device?"

Sometimes followed by: "Screw it, let's get the game on iOS."

This little box offers a 'Standard Spec' for Android developers and users to target, for the first time.

A unified and predictable hardware feature set for games on Android, similar to what iOS developers experience through Apple's closed hardware standards.

Ouya offers a standardized hardware spec to hit for Android games, but within an unconstrained development environment.

Presumably NVIDIA is on board as an investor/partner, since the Ouya could become one of its Tegra-equipped champions if it builds momentum and permeates the mainstream.

I wish OUYA and the developers they selected for launch the best of luck. In the meantime gamers (people who actually make the market attractive to developers) will continue to play the indie games featured on the video on their iPhones or PC/Mac browser. Honestly their pitch is to developers and home brewers, not the consumer who wants to play Gears of War or Mario. How far will they get without mainstream marketing and distribution?

Hmm... will this be the first Android device without a touch screen? I have a half of a library of Android books which all mention that touch screen is an assumption on every Android device and so you don't need to check if it exists the way you would with a front facing camera, GPS, Bluetooth, keyboard, etc. Maybe this is just too simple a concern and it is already covered, but if not pretty much every game not designed specifically for the Ouya will crash instantly... so no pre-existing game library to help spur the launch.

My major hope here is that Epic looks at this device and says, "Yeah, UDK will work well on that," so they start supporting Android.

I feel like such a dork. The system is called OUYA... the four buttons are O, U, Y and A. I am going to retire my brain now.

Ok, NOW I'm interested since it has already gotten past the goal mark :P

One thing that I did not find answer for (or I might not have looked hard enough), but will you be able to root it in some way that you can run a side store from the official one and, lets say, that one only take 5% from devs that publish on it? Or charges nothing at all?

I'm not too excited about the business model. For one, I'm not sure what they are going for here. They have clearly targeted the developer market. They didn't speak much about communicating their vision to the general public, or hint at the level of interest the general public would have in this product. Sure, glossing over these details makes sense when your goal is to get money from developers, but when speaking to an experienced investor, things like a plan are important.

They didn't mention how they plan to get this product to consumers. Will these be sold exclusively online? With game purchases being made online, there isn't much incentive for retailers to stock the console. With the Wii U coming out this Fall, we'll have 6 gaming machines (4 consoles, 2 handhelds) cluttering shelves. The Kindle did well for an online only product, so it's not a gamebreaker, but it would be nice to know what the plan is.

How different is it from Xbox Live Indie Games, apart from game visibility and marketing? By next March the 360 Arcade could be at a comparable price point. All it takes is a more focused effort from MS (which, I'll admit, is not in their DNA) to render the OUYA largely redundant. Yes, there are constraints with XBLIG, but looking at the most popular Android and iPhone titles out there, those constraints wouldn't have prevented those experiences from being created on the XBLIG platform.

What experiences will move the console? Angry Birds didn't sell iPhones. The experience of the iPhone (and Android smartphones) encompasses the ability to surf the web, make calls, organize your life, take notes, social networking, etc. and the value proposition to customers was apparent. When people had this platform, it made sense to purchase software relevant to their interests including games. Will there be an experience on the OUYA that will push the console to skeptics? Is there even a hint of a system seller? It seems that most people here are attracted to an "open console" but that is a value proposition most of the general public do not understand.

There is some potential in this machine being a competent streaming media box. A $99 Netflix box perhaps. But in terms of gaming, you really have to ask yourself what this offers that other machines don't. How "open" do we need our machines to be? How restrictive is Steam (which will likely have its own hardware platform), XBLIG, etc. (both established platforms with millions of users) to the point where those look like platforms that Indies should stay away from?

Look at Dust: an Elysian Tale. It was made by an artist who knew little about programming. He made it on XBLIG because it cost next to nothing to make games for that platform. If people truly want to make Indie Games to play on a TV, we'd be seeing that platform be far more active than it is.

If it boils down to having these experiences on a TV, then it makes more sense to design a "standard" Android controller. Most new Android devices (both phones and tablets) support HDMI out to TVs. There have been over 400 million Android devices sold, let's say 1/8 that can be hooked up to a TV. That userbase is 50 million more than what OUYA has. While I understand the appeal of a standardized set of hardware, the fact is that the hardware will become outdated in a year's time. My new Android phone purchased in 2014 may eclipse this machine.

Maybe I should open up MS Paint, design a BlueTooth controller specifically for Android phones and tablets, and start up a KickStarter project..."Use this controller for all your Android devices!"..."Android developers from all over will make their games compatible with this controller!"..."No need to buy a console, you already own it! Just hook up your phone/tablet to your TV!"..."Forget about licensing fees, retail fees, and publishing fees!".

While this post may read as overly negative, I do want to mention a big positive that it has going for it. While there may be other great alternatives for Indies to publish games to a console, while there may be other Android gaming devices (PS Vita), and while this concept may not be exactly new or novel (Android game development has existed for the past few years), the manner in which this is packaged and presented can be the most important thing. We all know the iPod wasn't the first portable MP3 player out there. It wasn't exactly groundbreaking or new. But it was packaged and presented in a manner that led to wild success. The OUYA can be something like that. If the excitement from developers can trickle down to the gaming market (or maybe even the mass market), they'll have a winner on their hands.

I'm excited just for the controller. It's going to be great fun using it on something else, like a Nexus 7!

Well, to quote their Kotaku interview,

"Obviously if a hacker roots the device, our integrated user experience and game store will no longer be available while the device is rooted — so there is, as always, a tradeoff between customizing your device and enjoying the benefits of standardization. We expect the true hackers to be an elite, but small proportion of the total number of people who buy the box. Most people will probably just use the standard setup."

Which means this thing is about as "open" as an iPhone. Except with a more restrictive store.

(I also have no idea why that's "Obviously" - I've rooted my iPhone and my Android phone and both still have access to their respective markets. PCs are by definition rooted and still have access to Steam.)

Open. Bah. The public barely can handle today's consoles. The talk about rooting the console ....well it was meant to stir up $99 donations from that crowd.

"the interest of this product is clearly for developpers", "what about the audience??"

Yeah sure but... developpers are creating contents... and contents attract people (= audience). So it sounds like a beneficial loop, isn't it?...

... actually the kind of loop that has been lost on console market since the first playstation, but it's just my opinion.

As already said, the way the box is presented is the bullet point. I guess everybody here can't avoid hearing the rope which is vibrating inside when looking at the ad tv show of the product on kick starter.

Success or not, this is a good thing.

Unless I'm missing something what on earth is the point of this? Everyone is talking about the death of consoles for good reason, all content is soon going to be delivered via "start" TV's, add to that next year will probably see new consoles from Sony and Microsoft, so this is not going to be competing at the high end of the market. If it's aiming at smaller games, well devs will be developing these mostly for phones and tablets, and mostly for iOS.

Many years back I liked the idea of bringing a new console to market, it seemed there was space for such a device, but things have changed so much over the recent years that it's not needed anymore.

Having said all that, congratulations on raising the funds, and I wish them well in their endeavours, but you can't help feel that there really is projects that could shake things up and give developers something special to work with that could do with $1.5 mil, but I'm not sure this is one of them.

Odds on this being the first high profile, high fund-raise Kickstarter failure?

So, I wake up this morning and see that all 200 of the early-SDK pledges are sold out, plus 83 of the higher-level pledges. That means there will be at least 283 dev kits in use if the campaign stopped right now.

I can't think of any other console that had that many potential launch titles or that number of enthusiastic developers willing to make games for the launch. Even if only 20% of those developers had a title ready by launch, the Ouya's launch would have the largest launch library ever seen! (50+ titles) Considering the ease and relatively low cost of developing or porting a mobile Android app to Ouya, I think the number of launch titles may be considerably higher.

not that far from 3 millions now... oh my god :)

I'm just not fond of paying $99 and then waiting till they finish the product.. what if they fail to deliver something? no accountability. Did they offer a launch date or is it more of a "when its done" approach?

I'll take my chances and buy the console when it's completed. I doubt the final product will cost much more than $99 and i get to keep my money till they finish. i'm rooting for them though.

All I hope is that all this will enlighten SONY, Nintendo and Microsoft.

I don't fully understand the allure yet. How will it be less expensive to develop for it? If it's a console, it needs to have console quality content. The expense of that is not in the dev kits, it's in the manpower needed to produce the content and the cost of marketing the game.

Its sounds like a great business for Ouya (Take 30% from everyone making any money on the console) but for independent developers to float a full console team on their own sounds daunting to me. They'll still need publishers. Maybe publishers from the far east could be coaxed into a deal or something.

Head over to the inofficial OUYA forums @ http://www.my-ouya.com and participate in the discussions. We are looking forward to see you.

3.2 million and counting.

Assuming that in March (or December for some), we will be receiving the Ouya box in the mail (I backed it), there are a few things I think they need to do to really take off:

1. Make good on getting the developers they're showing in their Kickstarter page: Some of the devs contacted after the page went up expressed a "we're curious but we'll see how it goes" feeling towards the device. Clearly they're already playing Mad Finger's games on it, so who else of those quoted devs can they get? If they make good on this promise it could be a nice win for them. You've hyped Minecraft...now get Mojang to commit.

2. Have developers signing on with previously released mobile content give a reason to download the game on the Oyua: Okay so I can play Shadowgun on my tv...that's pretty cool (similarities to Gears of War nonwithstanding.) However, it may not be enough for some. Companies porting anything from mobile should pay extra special attention to the Ouya version or offer a somehow transformed play experience through extra content, updated visuals, or other things.

3. Have a killer app: This thing needs its Super Mario Bros.: a game that comes installed on every box from day 1 that shows off what this thing is capable of. Somehow get an exciting, unique, and exclusive experience for the device and make people want it.

4. Try to get other apps: According to the FAQ on the Kickstarter page, this thing can utilize other Android Apps. The Ouya team needs to maximize this by offering other entertainment experiences. Twitch.TV is interesting, but will a wider audience want to watch other people play Starcraft? This thing needs Netflix, Hulu, and all the other things available on other consoles. Is there an app for that? Yes? Cool, get it on the Ouya.

5. Open platform? Give the layman the tools to make their own games and post them to a network: This is a wish list item. If companies like Unity are apparently signed partners to this thing, there should be some game making tools that the layman can enjoy along with us devs. Make a Little Big Planet style tool set part of your console and give people a place to post their results. Devs are excited that they can play and launch games on this console without the hoops of the big three, so why not let the public get in on the action?

To cut down on how cluttered the Ouya's online store will most likely be with small devs posting content, maybe have user games posted to a separate area of the device. If some of these efforts prove to be really well made, then perhaps offer a voting or approval system (complete with contracts and paperwork and the like) for getting the game into the larger market.

Sometimes it pays to learn from history. An opened console lead to the home console market crashing back before the NES was introduced. That's one of the reasons why consoles are closed systems today. It might work better with a digital game only console though.

The problem with this device is that it is not needed in any sense. Existing and soon to launch ( Wii U) consoles can already have these digital games ported to them. If people want another device in the home to play those games on they can choose from the newer TVs, Blu Ray players, or cheap roku like device to play them.

Oh and the failure of the psp go also leads me to think that home console owners would reject a digital only box in a similar manner.

This is amazing, just some thoughts:

- They need to do this well: "convenient", the same reason with CloudGaming : Why we are listening to low quality Mp3, watching low res youtube movie, playing low quality game on mobile...

- So If this box is not mobile, my content is not in the cloud this will be failed very soon. I don't see people will have an Xbox + this, the console is just one time invest why should I go for this and miss all the better games.

- The controller, the openess, the free SDK, free to play... Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo can do that too...If they want...Why not?

I just need it to support SD card storage up to at least 32 GB, and/or include a board that can handle a USB multi-card reader/adapter. Presumably it does that.

Personally, I feel that this Kickstarter is being funded by a lot of people who don't understand how new game consoles are developed, advertised, and sold at retail. I know of GP32X, Phantom, 3DO, and a raft of other under NDA "open source" game console designs that were developed under this business model. I know of zero consoles that have been profitable under this business model.

The bloom is still on the Kickstarter rose for the moment. But eventually, I'm afraid that about eighty thousand young guys are going to be pissed because they don't have the game console they were promised.

So many young people are coming into the game industry right now. In many ways that's good, but it means that we can't remember our own history, so I suppose we're doomed to repeat it from time to time.