Ouya game console could shake up the industry, provide options

Ouya also has the potential to be great for both gamers and technology enthusiasts alike. A more open console can only help encourage originality and expand the boundaries of traditional game development, and it could also potentially be a fantastic settop box due to Android. Essentially, it could be what Apple TV has not been: a legitimate threat to traditional home entertainment devices at a fraction of the cost.

[awi5951]

Wow they are almost at 5 million pleged lol....
http://www.kickstarter.com/...

[Yi-Long]

If done right, it has a LOT of potential....
... if it can handle not just games, but also emulators and videofiles and such.

It will be an alternative for not just XBLA/PSN, but also for media-centers.

It could be the perfect must-have entertainment-system for every household.

Again, IF done right.

[joeboo69]

I agree a system that would do it all would be amazing. And they have the chance to do it. But TBH it feels that the 5 million pledge mark while extremely high for an indie game or an other project on Kickstarter, is a drop in the bucket for something like developing a console.

To retain licensing agreements required for a media center type setup on a budget like 5 million plus develop the console seem like a major constraint.

I'm happy to be proven wrong however.

[Xperia_ion]

Pokemon is going to be on this.

[joeorc]

@slowdownsally
"Its an after thought, not an alternative.

It has 0 dev support right now.

The best you can hope for is ports"

really? no developer support..LMAO

maybe you never heard of these fellows just to name three off the top of my head

Jenova Chen (Flower, Flow)

Markus “Notch” Persson

and

Interplay founder Brian Fargo "one of the founder's of the fallout RPG"

you do know who is also backing This system right?

http://www.linkedin.com/in/...

best you could hope for is port's?

Oh you must be talking about some other consoles we already enjoy those games already on!

Ports are going to happen on any machine, so bringing up "the best you can hope for is port's" is pretty much a moot talking point.

people who keep saying that are missing the whole point of this very system. Than if they keep missing the point than maybe this system is not right for them in the first place and maybe, they need not worry about this system at all and go back to playing the current offering's on what ever system or systems they already have.

[Xperia_ion]

I support your cause. Indies ftw and more money in my pocket.

[Summons75]

it won't shake up anything, they have nothing compared to the Ps3 or 360

[Yi-Long]

It doesn't have to compete with PS3 or 360...
... although if done right, it can offer a nice alternative to PSN and XBLA for some titles, which are often expensive on those services.

A good example might by the upcoming Machinarium, which most like will be 10-15 bucks on PSN, yet on OUYA it will probably be around 5-6 bucks, looking every bit as good.

It's not in competition with full retail current-gen console-games, or next-gen games. It's a great alternative for media-boxes, also allowing you to play games and emulators (hopefully).

[Machioto]

Yay,because people are going to spend $99 dollars just to save a on xbla&psn games.

[Yi-Long]

People right now are spending 100 bucks on regular media-boxes...
... so if they now can buy a OUYA, that can function as a media-box, AND as an emulator, AND brings a big library of Android games to the table, AND cheaper versions of XBLA/PSN games...

... then yeah, I think it will stand a chance.

[fossilfern]

From what I'm reading in the comments, are people expecting the likes of Assasins Creed on this ? Its not the kind of console the PS3 and 360 are its a console for android games and for indie developers to make games on. Its not for the likes of EA to port over BF3 or something to it!

[kindi_boy]

true, yet people fail to see what this could open up that doesn't exist now.

[dcbronco]

Companies, especially companies like EA and Activision, will follow the money. If the Kickstarter drive is any indication this will have support. And like phones, it will then get developer support. All of the majors are beginning to do phone games. This just adds a controller. And a controller also means the ability for the developer to do a more dynamic game. No more moving the phone back and forth or up and down.

[dcbronco]

I have to agree with the article when it mentions the potential threat from Microsoft. If the rumors are true of a ARM based $99 console, it could be ARM cores fused to an AMD discrete-level GPU. That would be a big difference in power and would still be as cheap to make.

And while MS has a history of being a closed environment, that may be the point of this console. An open source alternative that pushes brand recognition to a new audience. MS has become a lot more involved in open source lately. This could be another move in that direction while still keeping the main Xbox as a closed environment.

In fact, they could move Live Arcade and Indie for smaller developers to this platform. And once a game has is proven, move it over to Xbox Live. And if they use an updated XNA as the development tool, it could take as little as a week or two to get it moved over to Live.

[Vickistheman]

While I'm open minded, I'm a bit skeptical about this.

They're gonna need more than 5 million to make this a huge success. How much did it cost Sony to launch playstation 1? I'm gonna guess somewhere in the ballpark of 200 million-1 billion.

Also, the fact that you're gonna be able to hack it pretty easily will be a red flag to developers.

[dcbronco]

But what they're doing is totally different from what the big three do. These aren't custom parts. It's all off the shelf stuff. That means they only pay for what they buy and they buy in bulk so it's a lot cheaper. This is not that different from an OEM like Dell or HP. They buy some parts and throw them together in a proprietary package. Or even what you might do if you built your own system at home. The only difference is a set of specs for devs to aim at with their games. This is actually what I thought Value was going to do.

[PirateThom]

This thing already has fanboys and it's not even out yet.

Again, same as I said on other articles, people are getting excited over mid-ranged Android tablet hardware in a box that connects to your TV and has a controller.

People are saying it's some sort of revolution but developers already have access to Anroid but, making games for this to use the controller, is cutting the entire Android userbase and the wider audience that bypasses licencing that exists on PC.

That's before we get to the hardware manufacturing and distribution.

Yet, people keep disagreeing because they can't answer the questions and legitimate complaints. Not too long to pull your funding pledges if my comments are making you think more.