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Title: Alexz Aficionado Joined: May 21 2008 Posts: 2889

OUYA is a new console that has gone to Kickstarter to get funding for their project. It is Kickstarter's EIGHTH million dollar project and has their biggest first day ever($1,000,000+).

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

Quote:

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 are designing the controller to be a love letter to console gaming. It will have everything you've learned to love: fast buttons, triggers, laser-precise analog sticks, a D-Pad – and it will have a touchpad for any games making the trek from mobile or tablet to the TV. It'll be just the right weight. We are working with select developers to play-test the controller through development. 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:

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

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.)

...

I've funded 2 Kickstarter projects before and I'm glad I did Smile

This MAY be bigger than the Pebble Kickstarter campaign(finished over $10 million) and they're definitely onto something with this.

Joined: Aug 04 2009 Posts: 2515

This sounds intriguing and their intentions may be good.

I however think that this will be a piece of shit.

EDIT: To elaborate more.

"Play apps on your tv". Why would i want to do that? I presume it will be more than "apps" but the quality of a console product made by a small number of people on a small budget is debatable.

Also it's trying to solve a problem i don't regard as existing.

People continually go on about how tablets or whatever are killing gaming.

Lol no they aren't. You will never be able to play a FPS multiplayer deathmatch on a tablet nor will you be able to play a MMORPG or a 3D RPG.

The tablet makes games for dare i say these words - the casual market. They are for people to sit and fiddle about while they are on the move. The games on tablets are considerably shitter than games on the first party platforms Nintendo 3DS and Vita.

Just because Angry Birds sold whatever huge amount it sold doesn't mean console gaming or gaming itself is dead. The demographic that Angry Birds and associated apps is aimed at is not the same as the people who want to play Call of Duty or Resident Evil or whatever.

The people they are aiming at are the ones who like to play Farmville or Mafia Wars on facebook. Both of which will never cater to the aforementioned market.

Also: "All the games on it will be free, at least to try."

butttt before you said:

"We borrowed the free-to-play model from games like League of Legends, Team Fortress 2, Triple Town, and many others. "

So the games won't be free. Right..

Posted: Jul 10 2012 07:17 pm

“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)

They left out the rest of his quote...

"...but why stop there? Why not also give it the ability to blow you while also cooking your dinner? PIPE DREAM."

I kid. It looks cool and I hope it works. I just think a lot of those quotes are pretty funny, albeit generic, and don't really indicate if they think this is even possible.

Title: Naunie Joined: Dec 07 2008 Posts: 1026

Me thinks it's gonna end up like the N-Gage.

Posted: Jul 10 2012 08:20 pm

Me thinks this will be the first and last I hear of this.

Posted: Jul 10 2012 08:24 pm

Shouldn't it have more than 1GB of RAM? That seems a bit shitty. Maybe it can be upgraded.

Joined: May 22 2008 Location: Goshen, VA Posts: 6544

That is the gayest name imaginable for anything.

Posted: Jul 10 2012 08:36 pm

R.I.P. Video Games 1962 - 2012

Joined: May 22 2008 Location: Goshen, VA Posts: 6544

@om*d wrote:

Shouldn't it have more than 1GB of RAM? That seems a bit shitty. Maybe it can be upgraded.

The XBOX 360 only has 512MB of RAM. It's a bit different than computers.

Posted: Jul 10 2012 09:29 pm

JoshWoodzy wrote:

@om*d wrote:

Shouldn't it have more than 1GB of RAM? That seems a bit shitty. Maybe it can be upgraded.

The XBOX 360 only has 512MB of RAM. It's a bit different than computers.

Ah, ok, thanks for clearing that up.

Posted: Jul 10 2012 09:51 pm

The idea is cool but if it is just going to be free to play stuff I don't see there being too many quality games like Team Fortress 2 on there. I don't see a lot of use for a console that lets me play Farmville ripoffs in 1080p on a TV since I can do that right now with my computer monitor being a Vizio 26" TV. If they do manage to launch it all I expect to see is a bunch of shovelware developers pushing garbage onto it like they did with the Wii.

Posted: Jul 10 2012 09:58 pm

@om*d wrote:

JoshWoodzy wrote:

@om*d wrote:

Shouldn't it have more than 1GB of RAM? That seems a bit shitty. Maybe it can be upgraded.

The XBOX 360 only has 512MB of RAM. It's a bit different than computers.

Ah, ok, thanks for clearing that up.

It's not capacity that counts, it's how it's used.

Joined: Oct 19 2009 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 1479

The-Excel wrote:

@om*d wrote:

JoshWoodzy wrote:

@om*d wrote:

Shouldn't it have more than 1GB of RAM? That seems a bit shitty. Maybe it can be upgraded.

The XBOX 360 only has 512MB of RAM. It's a bit different than computers.

Ah, ok, thanks for clearing that up.

It's not capacity that counts, it's how it's used.

Ha.

I'd be worried about the fact this thing is built on android, because android means java. And as much as I love java in certain situations, making consoles games would not be one of them.

Posted: Jul 11 2012 12:28 am

All I can hear, when I see the name, is someone with a heavy accent trying to yell "Ohhhh yeah!"

Posted: Jul 11 2012 02:07 am

VIDEO DOESN'T WORK. - MODS

Joined: Apr 09 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 3112

It's interesting as a conversation piece, but I really have doubts about it actually making any headway in the industry. It'll need more than cheesy tablet games or indie puzzlers to attract a crowd big enough to get any core games for it.

Joined: Mar 18 2010 Location: Tuonela Posts: 299

Not the most necessary thing in the world, as hooking your phone to a tv and using gamepad with it isn't that hard. Of course, new products often have to create new necessities. So if they make it super convenient and attractive, maybe.

Posted: Jul 11 2012 10:54 am

Fuck Ouya.

Too lazy to elaborate right now. But the name is awful and their description is the biggest pile of bullshit I've ever read. I'd like to nominate Ouya Kickstarter for Joke of the Year, with this line:

"Some of the best, most creative gamemakers are focused on mobile and social games because those platforms are more developer-friendly."

ROFLMAO. I don't even know how to respond to that.

Posted: Jul 11 2012 12:25 pm

I wish we could start a Kickstarter to cancel out this one.

Joined: Apr 09 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 3112

Syd Lexia wrote:

Fuck Ouya.

Too lazy to elaborate right now. But the name is awful and their description is the biggest pile of bullshit I've ever read. I'd like to nominate Ouya Kickstarter for Joke of the Year, with this line:

"Some of the best, most creative gamemakers are focused on mobile and social games because those platforms are more developer-friendly."

ROFLMAO. I don't even know how to respond to that.

There have been some genuinely good games that came out for mobile devices, like Sword and Sworcery and Avernum, but the vast majority are either just classic rehashes and Korean copies of Popcap games.

I think the nice they're trying to create here is a collective for indie games and tablet-style games, with the bigger goal of attracting larger developers, but I just don't see it. They may get Where's My Water or some shit, but I just don't see developers wanting to code for a whole new platform that effectively just wants anything it can get.

Posted: Jul 11 2012 01:59 pm

The goal here is to make a completely fan-funded gaming console and then get the same fans that were passionate enough to give them money in the first place to buy enough games on the platform to make it a *qualified* success. And then eventually Microsoft, Sony, Apple, or Nintendo will become nervous and/or impressed and buy them out, leaving the company's founders, who put down little to none of their own money, wealthy beyond their dreams.

Posted: Jul 11 2012 02:58 pm

Syd Lexia wrote:

The goal here is to make a completely fan-funded gaming console and then get the same fans that were passionate enough to give them money in the first place to buy enough games on the platform to make it a *qualified* success. And then eventually Microsoft, Sony, Apple, or Nintendo will become nervous and/or impressed and buy them out, leaving the company's founders, who put down little to none of their own money, wealthy beyond their dreams.

Which is why we need to open a Kickstarter to ensure that doesn't happen.

[Edit]FOUR MILLION DOLLARS

Posted: Jul 13 2012 07:03 am

I guess I will have to say something about this.
From what I have heard, these guys want to create a device that brings smartphone games to the big screen. Correct me if I am wrong, but if they are, they are completely missing what makes smartphone games so popular: the fact that they are made for smartphones, which are devices you have on you all the time if you happen to own one, and you can therefor start playing (and due to the minimal complexity of most games, stop playing) at any time convenient to you. If the people behind Angry Birds released their game as it is on a console platform, it wouldn't get nearly as much attention as it did.

If they did want this to have console-class titles, well... good luck with that. This product does not have any redeeming qualities from both a consumer viewpoint or (especially) a developer viewpoint. If they wanted to improve, ditching Android would be a start. Actually giving the console a feature (or gimmick) the current and future consoles don't/won't have would help a lot. So far, the only redeeming quality is the apparent price for this device.

In other words:
What Ouya promises to be > What Ouya is

Joined: Apr 09 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 3112

This is one of three things:

a) A cynical whack at nostalgia gamers or casual gamers to rip them off with this new Kickstarter thing.

b) A genuine, yet naive line of reasoning that Angry Birds and Words with Friends will be the only games, now and forever.

c) Some crap company that doesn't understand gaming and sees Angry Birds and Words with Friends as the only thing in gaming

I essentially feel that most people are funding it through the sappy description. It's like the guy who jumps into a game discussion with the "New games suck old games rule," and instead of a bunch of +1's, he's getting a shitload of money.

Posted: Jul 13 2012 03:53 pm

I am skeptical that this will work out. I imagine the games offered will be a mix of garbage games you would see on the android/iOS marketplaces and something like the indie games they have on xbox live.

For 100 bucks I will probably buy it.