Futuremark has used its 3DMark benchmarking tools to test the power of the upcoming Ouya Android OS home games console against other devices.
The company's tools measure gaming performance on PC and Android devices via rendering, CPU and physics tests. The 3DMark test was run on Ouya hardware, and the results were plotted against other Android devices.
It was found that the Ouya is ranked 73 compared to other Android devices, in terms of the most powerful devices currently available. The video above shows the benchmark being run on an Ouya device.
The 3DMark "Ice Storm" benchmark, specifically designed to test performance on mobile hardware, uses a fixed off-screen rendering resolution of 720p before scaling the output to fit the native display resolution of the device.
It includes two graphics tests designed to stress the GPU performance of the device and a physics test to stress its CPU performance.
@chris This is a developer's site, not Engadget or IGN. The purpose of this write-up is to give you an idea of where the performance of the Ouya falls in the pack of other devices with the same dev tools. Great for getting a ballpark for performance if you plan to port your projects to Ouya but don't own a dev kit/console yet to test on.
Like your 'initial' remark to mine, I'm not seeing why this article was really necessary, when the Oyua has had absolutely no secrets about its hardware, of which there are other devcies availble as reference; the Nexus 7.
The Ouya is clocked higher and performs better than a Nexus 7, at least in this benchmark. I don't see the problem with having this information available.
you're right, Ouya isn't a mobile device! However, you'll also note that Ouya is an Android device, and that the vast majority of Android devices are mobile, hence the headline. I could have said "today's Android devices", but really, that would have been essentially the same thing.
I feel like this article is comparing apples with peaches. I mean ouya is a console, not a mobile device. it should be compared with other consoles imho.
No matter what the operating system is, it lacks a powerful characteristic of other mobile devices, the actual mobility.
I find the results quite disastrous since this basically is a console that's doing worse than 73 phones.
I think that's looking at it in the wrong way, though. Although I didn't provide commentary in the article, I will note that the Galaxy S III, a device that costs 6 times as much as the Ouya (at least, it does here in the UK) is ranked at number 58, only 15 places above the Ouya. I actually own an SIII, and for the last year I've had it in "power saving" mode, since there's not yet a single Android game that actually requires the performance that the phone provides.
So from my own personal view, being ranked 73 out of every Android device currently available, and costing just $100? That sounds perfectly reasonable and then some to me.
just to chime in here what I'd really like to know as a developer is how it is compared to tablets specifically the major players ipad/nook/kindle. I find myself asking 'can my tablet games be ported easily to ouya without much asset resizing' and 'can my ouya games go multiplatform onto tablets' etc
Placed 73? That's terrible, no wonder it costs 100$.
Consoles usually have hardware that lasts for the future, so they will stay relevant a few years ahead.
In one or two years I am sure you will be able to buy a phone that is cheaper than OUYA and have better performance, but also have a touch screen and all the other good things a phone have that OUYA don't.
Looks like someone was capitalizing on peoples' innocence. Kind of a scam.
When you actually read the list and what comes before and after the Ouya, 73rd is actually pretty good. A lot of what comes before it is higher end, way more expensive fare. What comes after it are again, often more expensive, but typically what is seen as good consumer fare.
Looking at what the Ouya beats out, pretty much the entire Asus Transformer series. It beats out every iteration of the Galaxy S II. A whole slew of Sony Xperia phone and tablets fall short as well. Also the Barnes and Noble Nook HD and HD+ as well as the Kindle Fire HD (places 126).
What comes before the Ouya are the latest tech, such as the Galaxy S III and a whole bunch of things that most consumers probably never heard of and which most likely costs many times more than $100.
Actually, their plan is to release a new model every year. You can either stick to the current one after the new one comes out or pay another 99 dollars each year if you want the latest. It will probably be somewhat cheaper since 99 dollars includes two controllers, which you would not need again.
They're pretty up-front about that.
It's not for everyone, but at 99 dollars yeah it's for quite a few people that will probably enjoy it, once they get the kinks worked out. It's all about how much disposable income a person has I suppose.
Yep, the OUYA folks have been very open about their plans -- should the brand establish a large backing -- to operate a pseudo-mobile model in terms of hardware iteration. They speak of releasing an updated OUYA console on a yearly basis sort of like smartphone/tablet releases, preserving the low cost point of the console while advancing with mobile CPU/GPU cycles.
So the current OUYA isn't meant to last for the long haul of a traditional console cycle; rather, it's a snapshot of the current 'above average' mobile chipset tier, with an intended annual iteration of the hardware (and presumably increased quality of services).
The concern over 'backwards compatibility' is conveniently negated by the compatibilities inherent in Android game making; only 'last year's' OUYA owners may run into problems running the most advanced of 'this year's' OUYA console games, such that your Mark I console won't have the juice to run games built for the high end of the Mark II console, but your Mark II console will run every single game made for Mark I, and so on.
Presumably this iteration will need to follow Tegra chip generations for maximum compatibility across both wide-spectrum Android ports and higher end 3D, Tegra 3/4-harnessing tablet titles and OUYA exclusives.
Definitely a non-traditional console hardware roadmap, but that's why the OUYA has always been considered a hybrid mobile/home console spec -- evident in everything from its hardware to services.
I think people who are looking to compare Ouya to other consoles missed the boat. Its not about graphic prowess its about accessibility and moving android games into the living room.
I will admit that the nature of the article might lend itself to cock jockeying over performance numbers though. I mean thats pretty much what 3D Mark is for.
This comparison seems irrelevant to me - the OUYA has zero mobility. I'm wondering if playing Android games on a TV matters to anyone? I think ultimately 2 things are the challenge - adoption (will enough people buy it)... hackers - open source equals a whole bunch of hacked games meaning my experience will suffer playing a bunch of cheaters (anyone remember counterstrike when it first came out??) and finally CONTENT. Without something truly special and exclusive to the platform (think Halo for XBOX 1) it won't scale. I guess thats three things :)
An open platform and hackers does mean hacked games will exist, but that also implies performing side-loading or going through with hardware modification, and how many mainstream OUYA buyers (mom and dad dropping $99 on a whim at Best Buy) are going to go through that process?
It's like, sure I can hack my iPhone and get free apps, so can hundreds of millions of people -- but what percent actually go through with it?
Now consider the initial obscurity of the OUYA.
I don't see the OUYA, even with its inherently open hardware and features, suddenly becoming the go-to hotbed for hackers or some widespread hacking movement. You'll have folks going straight at OS alterations and hacked games, sure, people digging into it, and you'll have conversions into retro emulator boxes, stuff like that.
But it's pretty unlikely that you'd run into a "bunch of cheaters" due to hacked content, because that stuff won't get through online/multiplayer authentication. As for in-game cheaters, wall-hacks, aim-bots, etc. etc., that'll be up to developers too.
Ranking is handy and all, but some idea of the actual scale of the ranking (not to mention the number of devices in the overall population being ranked) would go a long way to give meaning to the 73rd. If it's 73rd out of all Android devices ever released (I'd shudder to think how many there's been!), it's probably doing pretty well but, and more importantly, is 73rd still in the top decile of performance, say, or is it nearer the middle of the pack? That kind of info would be very handy to get a better appreciation of where it stands relative to other devices and the Android-running hardware ecosystem more generally.
I recorded this on the devkit that was shipped in January, so it doesn't have any of the hardware modifications made in the meantime / for the kickstarter/retail version.
Sometimes fps drops to 2.6... And those aren't GREAT graphics at all, just basic stuff.
Only games with VERY immersive gameplay/story or detailed 2D games will sell good within this thing.
Devs trying to port a detailed 3d project proly ate having a hard time.
I don't get why everyone is being so block headed. This isn't supposed to be the next machine to run Crysis on. It's just an affordable platform with little entry for development that given a big enough instal base could give some hard working indies some great recognition.
"Lex Luthor" your comment is just brainless. Bankruptcy? You do realize that the initial run has been already funded, hence the format of crowd funding... Is anyone alive in here? Does anyone read or look into a story before posting?
When the majority of people understand a product a certain way, it isn't them that is misunderstanding the product - it's the developer who misunderstood the potential (or lack of). Look people, the fact of the matter is more people are scratching their heads about this "console" and comparing it to consoles than not - and that is by design, regardless of how supporters "WANT" people to accept the Ouya. Articles like this only hurt the perception more. So your comparing it to other Android devices? Really? An android powered console that is supposed to sit below my TV like a Nintendo? And somehow I am not supposed to compare it to other consoles because it is only $100 (whoopie its a "po-boy" console.. you know like those sandwiches they sell at the gas station for laborers who cant afford Jimmy Johns). In an industry where second and third best are always eating firsts dirt and trying to figure out how to one up them, where does this leave Ouya, lol? Don't get it? Missed the boat? Apparently that is most people. As a gamer, I would rather stick to getting my cheap Indy games on Steam and my AAA titles on my bad ass console. That pretty much leaves no room for Ouya - cheap or not. For adults, money isn't the issue but time. I would rather spend my time playing the next Skyrim, not some cheap games with graphics from the Nintendo 64 era with some Normal maps on them.
... ... ...
So, what am I supposed to take away from this article? That a $50 console isn't the fastest kid on the block?
The hypocricy of you post is ripe.
Like your 'initial' remark to mine, I'm not seeing why this article was really necessary, when the Oyua has had absolutely no secrets about its hardware, of which there are other devcies availble as reference; the Nexus 7.
you're right, Ouya isn't a mobile device! However, you'll also note that Ouya is an Android device, and that the vast majority of Android devices are mobile, hence the headline. I could have said "today's Android devices", but really, that would have been essentially the same thing.
I feel like this article is comparing apples with peaches. I mean ouya is a console, not a mobile device. it should be compared with other consoles imho.
No matter what the operating system is, it lacks a powerful characteristic of other mobile devices, the actual mobility.
I find the results quite disastrous since this basically is a console that's doing worse than 73 phones.
So from my own personal view, being ranked 73 out of every Android device currently available, and costing just $100? That sounds perfectly reasonable and then some to me.
Consoles usually have hardware that lasts for the future, so they will stay relevant a few years ahead.
In one or two years I am sure you will be able to buy a phone that is cheaper than OUYA and have better performance, but also have a touch screen and all the other good things a phone have that OUYA don't.
Looks like someone was capitalizing on peoples' innocence. Kind of a scam.
Looking at what the Ouya beats out, pretty much the entire Asus Transformer series. It beats out every iteration of the Galaxy S II. A whole slew of Sony Xperia phone and tablets fall short as well. Also the Barnes and Noble Nook HD and HD+ as well as the Kindle Fire HD (places 126).
What comes before the Ouya are the latest tech, such as the Galaxy S III and a whole bunch of things that most consumers probably never heard of and which most likely costs many times more than $100.
Actually, their plan is to release a new model every year. You can either stick to the current one after the new one comes out or pay another 99 dollars each year if you want the latest. It will probably be somewhat cheaper since 99 dollars includes two controllers, which you would not need again.
They're pretty up-front about that.
It's not for everyone, but at 99 dollars yeah it's for quite a few people that will probably enjoy it, once they get the kinks worked out. It's all about how much disposable income a person has I suppose.
So the current OUYA isn't meant to last for the long haul of a traditional console cycle; rather, it's a snapshot of the current 'above average' mobile chipset tier, with an intended annual iteration of the hardware (and presumably increased quality of services).
The concern over 'backwards compatibility' is conveniently negated by the compatibilities inherent in Android game making; only 'last year's' OUYA owners may run into problems running the most advanced of 'this year's' OUYA console games, such that your Mark I console won't have the juice to run games built for the high end of the Mark II console, but your Mark II console will run every single game made for Mark I, and so on.
Presumably this iteration will need to follow Tegra chip generations for maximum compatibility across both wide-spectrum Android ports and higher end 3D, Tegra 3/4-harnessing tablet titles and OUYA exclusives.
Definitely a non-traditional console hardware roadmap, but that's why the OUYA has always been considered a hybrid mobile/home console spec -- evident in everything from its hardware to services.
I will admit that the nature of the article might lend itself to cock jockeying over performance numbers though. I mean thats pretty much what 3D Mark is for.
It's like, sure I can hack my iPhone and get free apps, so can hundreds of millions of people -- but what percent actually go through with it?
Now consider the initial obscurity of the OUYA.
I don't see the OUYA, even with its inherently open hardware and features, suddenly becoming the go-to hotbed for hackers or some widespread hacking movement. You'll have folks going straight at OS alterations and hacked games, sure, people digging into it, and you'll have conversions into retro emulator boxes, stuff like that.
But it's pretty unlikely that you'd run into a "bunch of cheaters" due to hacked content, because that stuff won't get through online/multiplayer authentication. As for in-game cheaters, wall-hacks, aim-bots, etc. etc., that'll be up to developers too.
Either way, sounds pretty solid for the price!
I will write this here because I can quote myself when they will go bandkrupt and say I told you so.
Only games with VERY immersive gameplay/story or detailed 2D games will sell good within this thing.
Devs trying to port a detailed 3d project proly ate having a hard time.
"Lex Luthor" your comment is just brainless. Bankruptcy? You do realize that the initial run has been already funded, hence the format of crowd funding... Is anyone alive in here? Does anyone read or look into a story before posting?
"I feel like I'm taking crazy pills".