Android Gets a Console

[Timothy Chang]

Android Gets a Console

Spend $99 dollars on the box, and not a thing on the games.

Console makers are usually wary of giving the average consumer too much access to the inner workings of their hardware, but a new company has the intention of doing the opposite. Tech startup Ouya is intending to release a $99 Android game console with an open developer ecosystem and all its games free to play.

The console, which can be connected to a TV, allows users to self publish their titles for others. Dev kits will be included with every purchase of the system, so budding developers can share their work straight out of the box. The project listing claims that it is "built to be hacked", so you can turn it into a media streaming centre, or build and program your own game controllers if you're so inclined. No details on the hardware have been released just yet, although one should expect modest specs for its initial asking price.

The Ouya team has some power-players in its ranks. IGN's Julie Uhrman is the project's founder and CEO, while ex-Microsoft vice president Ed Fries and One Laptop Per Child designer Yves Behar both play an advisory role. Muffi Ghadiali, who helped to ship Amazon's Kindle, is also on board.

The console's open environment for developers certainly promises some exciting potential projects beyond merely "Android on your TV", but it will ultimately be the console's hardware support that will be an indication of its true potential.


Source: The Verge [http://www.theverge.com/2012/7/2/3134004/ouya-a-99-hackable-android-game-console-designed-by-yves-behar]

Permalink

 

[Eric the Orange]

Android is a smart phone, right? So don't it's games have to use it's touch screen as it does not have buttons. So how would that translate to a TV?

 

[qwertyz]

When I see a physical product pumped out, I'll investigate further.

For right now, I'll just say, "Color me intrigued," and leave it at that for now.

 

[SnowyGamester]

Now I just need a 42" touch screen TV and I can play Fruit Ninja the way it's meant to be played. Those arcade ones are actually fun.

 

[draythefingerless]

i fear that people will take this as some kind of oooh android AAA games, when the language of android, java, is horrendous for making heavier games(see: minecraft). but as what they are advertising, it seems really nice. just dont expect the new gears of war to run on it or sth.(then again, given how old xbox is...)

 

[FogHornG36]

um... so its a pc?

 

[Yuri Albuquerque]

i fear that people will take this as some kind of oooh android AAA games, when the language of android, java, is horrendous for making heavier games(see: minecraft). but as what they are advertising, it seems really nice. just dont expect the new gears of war to run on it or sth.(then again, given how old xbox is...)

This is misleading.

Games made for Android must run on a Java Virtual Machine, but Java is not the only language for doing this. There is also JRuby, Groovy, Jython...

And, of course, you could make a HTML5 + Javascript game and use Open Web App (if I'm not mistaken, I'm on a phone and it's difficult to search) to ship it without a browser.

 

[Endocrom]

um... so its a pc?

That's basically what I got out of it.

 

[Baldr]

Speaking on behalf my game development company, if we can't charge for games on it and not be able to generate revenue besides possibly ads, where is the point in developing games for it??

 

[Waaghpowa]

This sounds cool, but I fear an overabundance of ads. Interested, but cautious.

 

[TheProfessor234]

I thought consoles were dead?!

 

[viranimus]

.....open... source(ish).... console?

I am fully(ish) behind this. I would like to see it come to pass. Though with a 99$ pricetag I would not expect much more than say.... PSP level capabilities.

 

[marurder]

Has a lot of potential to go either way.

 

[Doom972]

Android is a smart phone, right? So don't it's games have to use it's touch screen as it does not have buttons. So how would that translate to a TV?

Android is an operating system. It's usually used in smartphones and tablets but also available for PC - Which uses a mouse cursor instead of a touch screen, when it isn't available.
My guess is that it'll probably have gamepads for control.

I wonder why they chose Android, since many games won't work properly due to the TV not having a touch screen.

 

[Clearing the Eye]

"It can be connected to a TV and allows users to self publish their titles for others. Dev kits will be included with every purchase of the system, so budding developers can share their work straight out of the box. The project listing claims that it is "built to be hacked", so you can turn it into a media streaming centre, or build and program your own game controllers if you're so inclined."

Yeah, PC's re pretty cool.

 

[sleeky01]

Speaking on behalf my game development company, if we can't charge for games on it and not be able to generate revenue besides possibly ads, where is the point in developing games for it??

Could the same question not be asked of the current Android/Itunes app stores?

 

[Strazdas]

Android is a smart phone, right? So don't it's games have to use it's touch screen as it does not have buttons. So how would that translate to a TV?

On my touchscreen whnever i load a game thats not touch-screenbased there are touchscreen buttons at the bottom of the window. its the same principle just with real buttons here. infact i made it so it always load and paly with those buttons isntead of touchscreens, morep recision.


So this is basically "lets give you some hardware and you can do whatever you want with it" type of deal. sorry, already can, its called PC.