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N4G hates the OUYA

You might think thats a weird title, but I've observed it to be true. An article was posted recently listing 500 or so games that are in development for the OUYA. I of course went to the comment section to see what people thought. Well the consensus was in and it was Casual. A Casual console with Casual games for Casual consumers. Nothing but ports of phone games and shovelware garbage.

I figured well yeah that very well could be its essentially a phone or tablet inside. It's probably got some fairly basic games being made for it. But as I read more the hate was just overwhelming and increasingly it came out. Many of the people commenting hadn't even bothered to glance at the massive list of games. Yet there they were talking about the Casual scum. So I decided to do a bit of investigating, I figured I would check out the first ten games on the list. You know see what it held, I weeded out the the phone ports or games I thought were boring.

http://ouyaforum.com/showth...
100 Rogues - Roguelike

http://www.youtube.com/watc...
1900 - third person action adventure

http://www.goodhustle.com/g...
2 hand commando - local mp twin stick shooter

http://nonadecimal.com/site...
afterdeath - 2d platformer

http://gamefans.com/2013/01...
Aggro tactics - tactical mmo rpg

There five games from a sample of ten, and just going by the genres anything but Casual. Now granted these all have pretty rough graphics. These are however generally very early builds, but with the gameplay in place its only an art change away from looking pretty good.

Obviously the OUYA isn't going to have the graphical prowess of an xbox or ps3. From looking further down the list at various games it will do maybe a bit above the ps2s range of graphics. So like a low end pc lets say. Some people might think thats not enough power for modern AAA gaming. Well its not.

The OUYA will cater mostly to various sized teams of indie developers. Who see it as an easy way to make the console games they've always wanted. With out the hefty multi thousand dollar costs and or restrictions that come with having your game on xbox or ps3.
So we'll get 2d and 3d platformer games like donkey kong and mario, we'll get oldschool rpg's like legend of grimrock and diablo, and we'll get kart racing games, strategy games, and classic action games.

The development costs for these games will be so much cheaper than even a downloadable console game. So things that aren't feasible for AAA games to do will be on the table again.

Before I looked into this I was pretty ambivalent about the OUYA. I figured yeah probably just phone games and stuff. But after looking at a small sample of games coming to the system I have now become "hyped" for this machine. I didn't think the variety of games would be great but I am astounded by what I'm seeing. This thing will probably be a big deal when all is said and done.

If you got this far thanks for reading, leave some comments below so people can chat ;)

Captain Tuttle4504d ago

N4G hates everything. It's the internet and gamers are a cynical bunch

ABizzel14504d ago

I don't hate it. I think it's a good idea, but I also think they missed their opportunity to capitalize on it's success.

SilentNegotiator4503d ago (Edited 4503d ago )

I love the idea of a cheap, developer friendly platform, for indie developers, with an OS that lots of developers are already familiar with.

But the nature of Android is that it can be, is, and will be on loads of devices. OUYA copycats are already coming in full force. It's already not very unique. It's weak (remember, processing is more than just graphics and very basic hardware won't even play all modern 2d games). The manufacturing power just isn't behind it to mass produce it to a large, worthy audience.

They NEED to start scoring contracts to get it built into TVs. THAT is what will make it unique and give it the strength it needs.

Amazingmrbrock4503d ago

I can't see copies of it being a bad thing, chances are they will all run the same store so it'll just mean people can get different systems with more or less power depending on their funds and requirements.

It's not actually that weak if you look at it's stats. The arm 19 is a 1.7 gh quad core, with a 520 mhz geforce GPU, and a gig of ram. Which only puts it at about half the power of the ps3 or 360 (and about twice as powerful as the wii 729 mhz) on the CPU, but almost the same on the video card and with twice the ram. It's hardware should cover graphics past what the wii was showing the last few years, except in higher definition. So 3d platforming games and such

guitar_nerd_234503d ago

It's not how many clock cycles you can do, it's what you can do with each one ;)

The spec is decent for the cost- faster than my phone (Galaxy S2).

SilentNegotiator4503d ago

"I can't see copies of it being a bad thing, chances are they will all run the same store"

Why would they run the same store? Are they planning on using Google Play?

Even if that were true, they would still have to make the game compatible with a bunch of different controller interfaces and such (on a programming level) - a feat less worthy than just having it on bigger, established platforms.

NYC_Gamer4503d ago (Edited 4503d ago )

It's a waste since studios could develop the games for PC/consoles/phones/tablets

Amazingmrbrock4503d ago

Pc is less user friendly and more expensive to get into for users. Consoles are too expensive to develop for with ridiculous fees for dev kits, publishing, updating etc. Phones and tablets provide poor support for tv's and controllers.

ZombieNinjaPanda4503d ago

"PC is less user friendly and more expensive to get into for users"

What? None of this is true. At all.

Blacktric4503d ago

YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!

I CAN PAY 100 DOLLARS TO PLAY ANGRY BIRDS.

guitar_nerd_234503d ago

I didn't mind it until they said they're making a new one every year.

Then all of sudden it costs as much as next-gen console over the lifespan (5, 6 or 7 years x $99) and it will be hard for game makers to both make games that take advantage of the latest models and work on the older models at the same time.

Now it reminds me of cheap shoes, they need replacing all the time and were never as nice as one good pair.

Amazingmrbrock4503d ago

Yeah but like with your phone it launched two years ago and your still using that just fine. Though they've put out a new one thats a fair bit more powerful already.

guitar_nerd_234502d ago

That's true but I'm tied to a contract. I also don't love touch screen games and carrying around a dual-shock isn't very practical, so I take a dedicated portable when I want to play on the go.

My contract is running out soon, but I'm reluctant to upgrade because although there are now faster phones, I don't really see the software to take advantage of them. When I do dabble on my mobile there's still nothing I've come across on the Google Play my phone can't run flawlessly.

I still find that even the best mobile/tablet games always come with the end disclaimer of "great...for a phone/tablet"

That in itself just isn't good enough for me when I can take Mario, Metal Gear or Persona etc with me and I don't see why that's going to suddenly change with Ouya. Only instead of being an inferior experience to my dedicated portables it will likely be an inferior experience to my dedicated consoles and my PC.

Show all comments (16)
100°

Xbox Is Alienating It’s Physical Game Players

Dive into the challenges faced by Xbox physical games enthusiasts. Read about the community's vocal response to recent changes.

Read Full Story >>
gamersocialclub.ca
jznrpg18h ago

If the full game isn’t on disc it’s not any different than a downloaded code.

Vits8h ago

Yep, and that’s been the case for Xbox for at least a decade now.
No doubt they alienated their physical media fans, but that happened way back with the Xbox One. What they’re alienating now are just the box collectors.

16h ago
darthv7216h ago

Speaking for myself... I pretty much stopped buying physical. Unless its some cool collector edition. I find it easier to just buy from the respective eshop.... if its not on a rental service that is.

ZeekQuattro15h ago

Going into the 7th gen I was staunchly against the idea of digital game. Even the few PC games I played were physical. It wasn't until digital only games starting catching my eye that I changed my mind. Now I buy mostly digital these days out of convenience but also because I have too many phyical games. SNES, GG, GB, GBA, N64, Dreamcast, DS, 3DS, GCN, Wii, Wii U, PS1-5 and Switch. That's hoarders level of gaming right there. 🤣

Anyway digital sales in several parts of the world, including here in the US have been on the rise. Factor in the Series S being the go two model for Xbox owners it just makes sense for Microsoft to scale back in regards to physical media. That and Xbox published games stay high on PSN. 😆

TheColbertinator13h ago

Unfortunate really since I am an avid collector of physical on Nintendo consoles and I bought Black Ops 6 on disc.

Show all comments (8)
60°

How Persona 5: The Phantom X's Wonder Compares to Joker

Wonder's role as Persona 5: The Phantom X's protagonist has thrust him into the spotlight, and there are clear parallels to the original's hero Joker.

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gamerant.com
280°

Final Fantasy XVI Xbox Launch Sees Weak Sales Performance, Fails To Enter Top 20

The Xbox version of Final Fantasy XVI has failed to enter the platform's top 20 paid games list, indicating weak launch sales performance.

Read Full Story >>
twistedvoxel.com
MaximusPrime_6h ago

On the other hand, FF XVI sold more than usual on PS5

Obscure_Observer3h ago

Day One Release vs One year later release with zero marketing to build excitement/hype.

Both Xbox and SE should know better.

MajorLazer3h ago

Also fewer than half the consoles sold compared to the PS5 so much smaller customer base.

lodossrage2h ago

I get that the game was older.

But so were Sea of Thieves and Forza Horizon when they came to playstation and those made it into the top download lists for awhile. So the coming a year later excuse doesn't really fly anymore.

Scissorman2h ago

look at stellar blade on PC. over a year later and it's already sold over a million copies. this has nothing to do with marketing or hype. the xbox audience, broadly speaking, just doesn't purchase games.

ravens521h ago

Excuses lol. Everyone already knew this would be the case. 90% of Xbox players don't buy games.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 1h ago
CrashMania6h ago

If it ain't on gamepass, they ain't interested.

Great job MS for training most of your player base to not want to actually buy games, maybe SE will realise releasing FF on xbox isn't somehow going to help them match their exaggerated sales targets. Hopefully remake fairs better, probably will on Switch 2 at least.

Lightning771h ago

You realize it got most of its sales on PS5 right? Not even the PC version did all that well. One platform will take most of the sales as it had moat of the hype.

Vits5h ago

No game, especially a AAA one, deserves strong sales after taking years to arrive on a platform and still asking the same price as everywhere else. You can’t just ignore a platform for that long and then expect people to be excited by the release. That cycle came and went already, there is no hype for it anymore.

Either you're all in from the start or you're not. This lazy, bare-minimum approach of tossing out a late port and calling it a day shouldn't be rewarded. If you're not willing to respect the platform, don't bother showing up at all.

crazyCoconuts4h ago(Edited 4h ago)

But the formerly exclusive Xbox games like Forza Horizon enjoyed great sales on PS even after years past their initial release.
Your references to deserving and "shouldn't be rewarded" implies that gamers are buying games based on some moral platitude that simply doesn't exist in practice.
Gamers buy games because they want to play them.

Vits3h ago

Nah, it implies how it should be. If gamers weren't the dumbass consumer class around, being played like freaking dumbass because they can't get over the hype for a freaking second and think if that purchase even make sense.

Chevalier4h ago

This is EXACTLY why they wouldn't and shouldn't bother im the first place. I can't remember which FF game launched on Xbox with the Switch and Playstation version and ONLY did 4% sales on Xbox. So lets not pretend these sales would have been better because if you believe that you are absolutely delusional

Vits3h ago

"Either you're all in from the start or you're not. This lazy, bare-minimum approach of tossing out a late port and calling it a day shouldn't be rewarded. If you're not willing to respect the platform, don't bother showing up at all."

Chevalier3h ago

Weird. How come you don't say the same about Xbox studio games that show up some YEARS/DECADES later as well?

Sea of Thieves
Grounded
Forza Horizon 5
Pentiment
Hi Fi Rush
Gears of War

Mostly at full price and selling well. Oh right doesn't fit your BS narrative

andy852h ago(Edited 2h ago)

In fairness they didnt. This was 16, 15 released on Xbox day one.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 2h ago
Relientk774h ago

Continual proof Xbox gamers don't buy JRPGs. Shocker

Chevalier4h ago

Wait but I was told by Xbox fans that they support FF and these franchises? Weird. Shocked

PapaBop3h ago

Honestly, if you're a JRPG fan, you're going to own a PS5, Switch or PC. Only benefit of owning an Xbox for JRPGs is all the money you save by not having any games to spend it on.

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