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The OUYA
#1
ThatNickGuy
ThatNickGuy
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ouya/ouya-a-new-kind-of-video-game-console
I'm surprised this hasn't been touched upon on here, yet.
Basically, this is an open source gaming system that right now, can be ordered for $99. It's going to allow hackers to do whatever they want with it and for developers to have greater opportunity to get their games out.
From what I understand, the OUYA's processing power is about equal to the Wii. So it won't be able to play the upper-level AAA games like Uncharted or something. However, given the growth in popularity for smaller-budget, downloadable games, it sounds like just the sort of system for smaller developers.
Thoughts?
I'm surprised this hasn't been touched upon on here, yet.
Basically, this is an open source gaming system that right now, can be ordered for $99. It's going to allow hackers to do whatever they want with it and for developers to have greater opportunity to get their games out.
From what I understand, the OUYA's processing power is about equal to the Wii. So it won't be able to play the upper-level AAA games like Uncharted or something. However, given the growth in popularity for smaller-budget, downloadable games, it sounds like just the sort of system for smaller developers.
Thoughts?
#2
strawman
strawman
I'm interested in it. I did some research on it yesterday, and it's got some serious chops. I'm curious about how open they will actually be with it.
#3
Hylian
Hylian
The love the idea and I hope the actual product lives up to the expectations. I can definitely see the issues that arise with this type of setup but I am hoping they can be worked out. Despite my concerns I have enough hope for the project that I have already chipped in enough money for the system and 2 controllers.
#4
drifter
drifter
This was brought up in both the Kickstarter thread on the General board and the Kickstarter thread in the Games and More board.
#5
Ravenpoe
Ravenpoe
So, it's the Phantom?
Open source gaming console, can be tooled around with all they want by 'hackers?' Is supposed to be the home of indie developers to digitally release their games on?
Sounds like a PC.
Open source gaming console, can be tooled around with all they want by 'hackers?' Is supposed to be the home of indie developers to digitally release their games on?
Sounds like a PC.
#6
Bowielee
Bowielee
Yeah, smart phone applications on the TV... no thanks.
#7
Necronic
Necronic
So aside from the cost, could someone explain to me how this is better/different from Microsoft XNA framework? (console is a bit more expensive and the license is like 99$/year for XNA, although you don't really need it) Because from where I am sitting it is substantially worse.
#8
Ravenpoe
Ravenpoe
I can already connect my android phone to the hdmi port on my tv and play android games on my tv. I can even use a bluetooth controller to control said games if I really wanted to.
But I don't, because that's fucking crazy
But I don't, because that's fucking crazy
#9
SpecialKO
SpecialKO
It's a nice idea, but this sounds like a console made for developers by developers, instead of a console for consumers. The Kickstarter doesn't have to say anything, of course, but there's not a lot of differentiation in this product with what already exists, and I'm not sure it serves a need in today's market.
If I want to play anything resembling an HD AAA-experience, I own a console for that (or a decent gaming PC).
If I want an awesome mobile gaming experience, I already own a smartphone.
If I want an excellent midcore gaming experience on a mobile device, I might own a tablet, but even if I don't, the ouya won't be mobile.
So the only folks who are left are gamers who want immersive/innovative HD experiences, but don't already own the hardware for it (or don't want to take that mobile) because it's too expensive, and considering that you can buy an Xbox for $200 now I suspect there's not that many people left.
That's not to say this will be a financial failure (they've pre-sold over $5M after all), but unless they can demonstrate a real consumer need that they can fill, they're probably not going to grow beyond the reach of this Kickstarter (and going by the comments, it sounds a lot of the folks pledging are developers or wannabe developers or folks who think they're sticking it to the console giants).
If I want to play anything resembling an HD AAA-experience, I own a console for that (or a decent gaming PC).
If I want an awesome mobile gaming experience, I already own a smartphone.
If I want an excellent midcore gaming experience on a mobile device, I might own a tablet, but even if I don't, the ouya won't be mobile.
So the only folks who are left are gamers who want immersive/innovative HD experiences, but don't already own the hardware for it (or don't want to take that mobile) because it's too expensive, and considering that you can buy an Xbox for $200 now I suspect there's not that many people left.
That's not to say this will be a financial failure (they've pre-sold over $5M after all), but unless they can demonstrate a real consumer need that they can fill, they're probably not going to grow beyond the reach of this Kickstarter (and going by the comments, it sounds a lot of the folks pledging are developers or wannabe developers or folks who think they're sticking it to the console giants).
#10
strawman
strawman
I think that they are bringing the $0.99 game market to the cheap console market. If they leverage things right, they will make more than a few million dollars.
The thing they need to do is make sure the consumers see great games right out of the gate. If consumers see that the market is 90% dreck, nothing else will matter.
The thing they need to do is make sure the consumers see great games right out of the gate. If consumers see that the market is 90% dreck, nothing else will matter.
#11
Bowielee
Bowielee
Software support makes the gaming market go round. I can't understand why a person would invest in this when you can jailbreak a PS3 pretty easily and actually still use AAA titles on it.
#12
SpecialKO
And this is what I mean about needing to hit a particular need. The casual mobile free-$0.99-app market is unlikely to buy even a $99 game console if they don't own a console already, because the whole reason they play those games is because they're mobile. And the guys who like midcore titles like Shadowgun and Minecraft likely already have consoles or gaming PCs or tablets. Bringing a new product to an existing market is a sound start, but there's still a need they have to address, even if it's one folks don't really acknowledge yet.
I'm not trying to be super negative (I hope they succeed just to put the wind up Sony and Microsoft), but if their goal is to develop a completely new longterm gaming platform, I'm not feeling it. If their goal, on the other hand, is to kick up a short-term business, make a nest egg, and then get bought out, then I'm much more confident in their success.
SpecialKO
The question is, do people want to pay for $0.99 games on their TV? And I don't mean selling awesome games for $0.99, I mean the kinds of games we tend to see for $0.99 (as you rightly point out, the 90% dreck category). Their concept video shows games like Shadowgun ($5) and Minecraft ($7).I think that they are bringing the $0.99 game market to the cheap console market. If they leverage things right, they will make more than a few million dollars.
The thing they need to do is make sure the consumers see great games right out of the gate. If consumers see that the market is 90% dreck, nothing else will matter.
And this is what I mean about needing to hit a particular need. The casual mobile free-$0.99-app market is unlikely to buy even a $99 game console if they don't own a console already, because the whole reason they play those games is because they're mobile. And the guys who like midcore titles like Shadowgun and Minecraft likely already have consoles or gaming PCs or tablets. Bringing a new product to an existing market is a sound start, but there's still a need they have to address, even if it's one folks don't really acknowledge yet.
I'm not trying to be super negative (I hope they succeed just to put the wind up Sony and Microsoft), but if their goal is to develop a completely new longterm gaming platform, I'm not feeling it. If their goal, on the other hand, is to kick up a short-term business, make a nest egg, and then get bought out, then I'm much more confident in their success.
#13
Andi
Andi
I'm a 99$ backer and I'm proud of it.
(well, actually it's 119$ because I live abroad, but I'm proud anyhow.)
(well, actually it's 119$ because I live abroad, but I'm proud anyhow.)
#14
David
David
The Ouya now doubles as an OnLive box. http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/07/27/onlive-available-on-ouya-at-launch?utm_campaign=ign main twitter&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social
Whether this will make anybody actually use OnLive remains to be seen.
Whether this will make anybody actually use OnLive remains to be seen.
#15
David
David
And Square-Enix is officially on board.
http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/07/31/final-fantasy-iii-launching-on-ouya
http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/07/31/final-fantasy-iii-launching-on-ouya
#16
Necronic
Necronic
Didn't the Wii and XBOX and Playstation already do that?I think that they are bringing the $0.99 game market to the cheap console market. If they leverage things right, they will make more than a few million dollars.
#17
strawman
strawman
Which one of those is considered the cheap console market? As cheap as the ouyo? Which one offers hundreds of good games for under a dollar?Didn't the Wii and XBOX and Playstation already do that?
#18
Necronic
Necronic
Ok, console is marginally cheaper, and the games are marginally cheaper. But if you just pay 100$ more for the console (xbox and wii @ 200$) and 1$-3$ more for the game you are looking at a MASSIVE increase in access and quality.
#19
strawman
strawman
Can you quantify the massive increase in access and quality, especially for a console that is not yet released?
I haven't read much about this console, and only have a wii, so I would like a comparison list of some sort and you seem to have studied this in some detail.
I haven't read much about this console, and only have a wii, so I would like a comparison list of some sort and you seem to have studied this in some detail.
#20
Necronic
Necronic
I doubt there will be an increase in access or quality. XNA is already a very dev friendly framework for releasing cheap games, and in the short amount of time that the Android environment has been out it is becoming primarily infamous for how poorly locked down it is and how rampant the piracy is. I doubt you will see many dev houses with serious financial backing (ie can afford to make a serious product) that will opt for selling a product an a platform as risky as the OUJA when you already have XNA.
And when it comes to 1$ stuff/minigames, the Apple marketplace is still dominant.
And when it comes to 1$ stuff/minigames, the Apple marketplace is still dominant.
#21
strawman
strawman
Ah, so this is little more than an opinion or prediction. I thought there were some technical limitations you were referring to.
#22
Ravenpoe
Ravenpoe
The FF3 announcement isn't really that big. They already made the android port... and it runs android... yeah.
#23
strawman
strawman
Got my Ouya tonight, and played with it a little bit. The few games I tried were ok. About the power of a typical recent generation android phone for graphics. Not a huge selection in games, and some of the "featured" games were still pretty unpolished. I didn't want to wait for FFIII to download, but the screenshots are interesting.
I'll throw it at my kids once school is out later this week and see what they think. I'm also going to try it without an internet connection and see if it still runs most of the games - if so, it'll be going into the van, and I'll probably be investing in more controllers down the road.
I'll throw it at my kids once school is out later this week and see what they think. I'm also going to try it without an internet connection and see if it still runs most of the games - if so, it'll be going into the van, and I'll probably be investing in more controllers down the road.
#24
Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh
The only information I know about the Ouya in one gif:
#25
Covar
Covar
The more I see the more I'm glad I canceled my preorder. It feels like amateur hour. The fact that there's so many little things missing, and they already are hyping a new device each year? They forgot a start/pause button for Christ's sake!
#26
Hylian
Hylian
While my enthusiasm has dwindled a bit since the original announcement (mainly due to info that was only released after the KS ended) I am still somewhat optimistic for the Ouya. I was never one expecting a Xbox 360/Wii/Ps3 system I was just hoping for a platform that could attract more indie games which could lead to more original and creative games to come forth. There is a lot of things that the Ouya is doing that I disagree with but I am still hoping that it can either create a place for indie games to thrive or at the very least pave the way for another device that can.
#27
mikerc
mikerc
Hylian is there any word on how Steam Box is going to handle Greenlight? Since I doubt the mainstream publishers are going to be much interested in it (at least until it's a proven market), I can't help feeling it's going to be the indie market that makes or breaks it.
#28
Hylian
The last thing I heard in regards to the process was an article that came out last month
http://indiegames.com/2013/05/valve_met_with_steam_greenligh.html
Hylian
Hylian is there any word on how Steam Box is going to handle Greenlight? Since I doubt the mainstream publishers are going to be much interested in it (at least until it's a proven market), I can't help feeling it's going to be the indie market that makes or breaks it.
The last thing I heard in regards to the process was an article that came out last month
http://indiegames.com/2013/05/valve_met_with_steam_greenligh.html
Valve hosted a developer chat today, which brought a whirlwind of ideas and discussion. Here are some of the biggest points that were covered throughout the 1 hour chat in condensed form. This information was compiled from both developers and Valve employees:
On the topic of whether developers could gain access to the Steamworks API prior to being greenlit:
This seems to be one of the focuses for Steam and Greenlight as it moves forward. Although there is "no timeframe yet," TomB [Valve] has stated they are actively looking into it. He reiterated that Gabe Newell has talked about moving towards an open platform.
Although developers may be able to use Steamworks, whether or not their games will only show up in Greenlight, through searches, or on the main page is still not decided. Alden [Valve] said "There's a lot of unknowns and a bunch of work to get there, so we'll see the systems evolve over time as we iterate and make progress in that direction."
On the topic of Greenlighting more games:
According to TomB [Valve] the limited amount of games going through the process now is due to "limited resources." Chet [Valve] stated that their new strategy of greenlighting titles in smaller, yet more often batches should actually increase the amount of titles being greenlit.
This appears to be one of Valve's greatest concerns. Alden [Valve] acknowledge that it is important and stated that they have "a bunch of people working on it." However, you have to deduce that increasing the flow within the current system is only a temporary solution. The more permanent solution seems to be changing the system into an open API as discussed above.
On the topic of adding a demo button to Greenlight rather than relying on copy-paste links:
TomB [Valve] says "they are working on it," but expressed concern with the possibility of malicious exploitation of this system. This prospect is likely what has delayed the inclusion of a direct link and is of particular concern with concept pages.
On the topic of creating a separation between "In-development" and "Complete"
TomB [Valve] said they will "discuss [this] internally and see what [they] can do."
On the topic of dwindling traffic on Greenlight:
TomB[Valve] stated that there's been "roughly 2 million voters" to participate in Greenlight since its launch. Apart from the initial spike during launch, there has been no tapering in the numbers. However, several developers reported being "stuck" around 20,000 views, typically with around 6,000-7,000 "Yes" votes, which seems to be the natural number you'll achieve with minimal external influence. In other words, this is the amount of active Greenlight participants that typically go through their full queue of games.
On the topic of reposting your project if you are unsatisfied with initial numbers:
As discussed earlier, you can only expect a certain amount of people to browse to your project naturally on Greenlight. If you launched your page prematurely and feel you may've missed out on potential votes, Alden [Valve] stated that you can "absolutely repost if you want to."
However, he warned that you may miss out on any fans that have "already favorited and followed you item." He suggested that " you can leave your existing page up for a while and post an announcement to your existing fans and ask that they vote for you again on your new page."
On the topic of how the actual decision to Greenlight a game is made:
This was asked many different ways, and the answers were always similar and vague. According to Alden [Valve] there are no "hard and fast rules." They try to compile as much data as they can to make "informed decisions." TomB [Valve] stated that they do consider a game's "success on other platforms" when making their decision. Alden [Valve] said they also take into account "critical success."
TomB [Valve] stated that they do look at games that have already been passed up in previous publishing batches to see if "they've gained more votes or there's more data to make them 'stand out.'" If a game is not picked even though it is high on the list, it "doesn't mean that [they] will never pick" it for greenlighting.
There is currently no easy way to communicate directly to Valve through your project page that isn't also visible to the general audience. This was brought up and suggested, but there was insufficient time to properly address the issue.
The Early Access program has allowed Valve to "look at games that aren't 'finished' now, but think would be successful on Steam," according to TomB [Valve].
#29
Bowielee
Bowielee
I'm kind of concerned that when the Steam Box comes out, that it may cause major changes in Steam itself. If I end up having to pay a subscription fee for steam, I will flip out.
#30
Bubble181
Bubble181
I'm fairly sure that, at least in the EU, they can't start charging for access to games already owned (licensed already acquired, if you must). If they institute a sub fee for any future purchases, I'll be doing lots of business with GamersGate and GoG all of a sudden. Well, not that sudden, I already own plenty of games there, but you get my point.
#31
Covar
Covar
So the OUYA was released to retailers, and despite promises that all backers would receive their units before the public release date there are still ~7000 backers who haven't received anything. Best part is the response from the company and the windbag of a CEO "Oh we're pissed, and it's all the shipping companies fault." The whole thing is amateur hour, and continues to make me glad I never backed them, and cancelled my pre-order.
#32
Jay
Jay
I read about that. It's ridiculous.
I am however probably interested to see how it'll be in about a year's time with mods and shit.
I wonder if I can use it to emulate a shitload of things...
I am however probably interested to see how it'll be in about a year's time with mods and shit.
I wonder if I can use it to emulate a shitload of things...
#33
Ravenpoe
Ravenpoe
I never backed the Ouya because I can already do everything it does on my phone, and I can plug my phone into my tv, and I can use a controller with it (I use a wii classic controller).
#34
Covar
Also bear in mind in a year your OUYA will be out of date as they've stated that they're going to do yearly hardware refreshes.
Covar
RelevantI wonder if I can use it to emulate a shitload of things...
Also bear in mind in a year your OUYA will be out of date as they've stated that they're going to do yearly hardware refreshes.
#35
Shakey
Shakey
It won't really be out of date any more than your phone or tablet is when they do a hardware refresh. It's still going to run anything that comes out for a good 3 years without a problem. Even after that, if all you want is to run an emulator or stream netflix you'll never really need to get a newer version.Relevant
Also bear in mind in a year your OUYA will be out of date as they've stated that they're going to do yearly hardware refreshes.
#36
strawman
strawman
Maybe.It's still going to run anything that comes out for a good 3 years without a problem.
#37
Shakey
Shakey
Looking at the performance numbers for it, it might be best to wait for the next hardware refresh. Brand new phones are blowing this thing out of the water. It still runs current android games fine, but a couple years from now it might be dragging. Time will tell I guess.Maybe.
#38
strawman
strawman
The Ouya isn't meant to compete with the current crop of phones anyway. Basic 3D and good 2D for silly popcorn games is all they were really targeting, and those developers that wanted to push the envelope can get quite good perfromance out of it, but it's meant to fill in the gap between expensive high end machines (your phone still cost $400, or a monthly fee of more than $30/mo) and toy game machines.
Whether consumers want that gap filled or not is going to be interesting.
Whether consumers want that gap filled or not is going to be interesting.
#39
Shakey
Shakey
Phones also have 2 cameras, a touch screen, gps, cell chips, batteries, low power low heat chips, etc. I know there's no way it can compete with newly released phones, but the new phones are clocking in at around twice as fast as this. Even last years phones are beating it. I know the controller adds a good chunk of money to it, but it's just a tad disappointing.
#40
GasBandit
GasBandit
#41
strawman
strawman