Ouya Promises Console Will Be Fixed Before June 4 Launch

[The Wooster]

Ouya Promises Console Will Be Fixed Before June 4 Launch

Backer rewards include design kinks and software bugs.

There's still a couple of months to go before the Ouya hits shelves, but early units are already making their way into the hands of Kickstarter backers. The response thus far has been decidedly mixed, with most professional reviews concluding that the console seems more like a prototype than a finished product. The Ouya's threadbare interface and anemic feature list are problematic, but it's the noted lag between pressing a button on the pad and things actually happening on screen that sounds like the biggest deal-breaker. As Engadget's Ben Gilbert noted in his review: [http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/28/ouya-hands-on/]

"From games to UI, the lag was a noticeable issue - other journalists we spoke with encountered the same issue. It's not something that's impossible to fix, of course. Even Nintendo's speeding up its Wii U software issues in an upcoming patch, so it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see Ouya correcting the lag issue before June's retail launch."

"Responsiveness," along with the dodgy game install process and lack of payment options, is one of several issues CEO, Julie Uhrman, has promised her team will address before the console's official launch on June 4th.

We will continue to obsess over quality and performance," she wrote on the Ouya official blog. "For example, we are considering adding additional magnets to the controllers so that the faceplates are more secure-no more falling off during shipments!

"Got more suggestions?" she continued. "Because you will have exclusive access to the system while it's in development we want to hear from you. We want you to love it!"

Source: Ouya.tv [http://www.ouya.tv/60-days-to-launch/]





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[Kurt Cristal]

Shame, hope it turns out well. I'd like one just for the sake of portability.

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

This thing is designed to fail. I have a feeling it will crash hard.

 

[Dr.Awkward]

One of the biggest problems I read was how easy it was to purchase content from the store or game, but that should be somewhat alleviated with a parental lock.

The other problem that notable is, and even the Ouya team accidentally boasted this, is that thanks to promising that Ouya can perform as an emulation box ready to play the games of the past, these emulators are able to direct you to downloadable ROMs for emulation. And that's the gray area - Emulation has been able to defend itself and succeed, but ownership of the actual ROMs can be considered illegal if not cleared by the rightful owner of the game. The Ouya could very much find themselves in legal trouble if they don't keep a tight leash on what can and can't be done by emulators.

 

[mjc0961]

"Got more suggestions?" she continued. "Because you will have exclusive access to the system while it's in development we want to hear from you. We want you to love it!"

Yeah, I've got one. Just a small one, mind you. Nothing major. Ready? Here's my suggestion:

Don't release a console that isn't ready so people can review it and give it the low marks it deserves for the sorry state you shipped it to them in, thus creating negative press for your platform and driving consumers away.

 

[Laughing Man]

Shame, hope it turns out well. I'd like one just for the sake of portability.

Um yeah

Does everything the Ouya does, oh and it makes phone calls as well, and guess what, fits right in your pocket can't get much more portable than that.

 

[Andrew_C]

Yeah, I've got one. Just a small one, mind you. Nothing major. Ready? Here's my suggestion:

Don't release a console that isn't ready so people can review it and give it the low marks it deserves for the sorry state you shipped it to them in, thus creating negative press for your platform and driving consumers away.

They stated all over the Kickstarter page and Ouya home site that the Kickstarter consoles were pre-release development units and that they might have issues that should be reported to the Ouya dev team. What more should they do? Have a flashing screen that comes up on every boot saying "THIS IS A DEVELOPMENT UNIT. OF COURSE THERE WILL BE ISSUES!"?

i still think this will probably fail as a console, but mainly because of idiots expecting it to be a next-generation XBox and PlayStation beater.

 

[Colt47]

I think the console will do alright. The intent of the project was to create a platform that could run a variety of light weight games while hooked to a screen bigger than that of an IPhone, while also being free from the 3g/4g phone service model.

Also, another way to think of this console is that it is leverage for companies to devote some time into a controller based control scheme on a greater variety of games. If that happens, then tablets could finally have some good controller support.

 

[Sidmen]

Shame, hope it turns out well. I'd like one just for the sake of portability.

Um yeah

Does everything the Ouya does, oh and it makes phone calls as well, and guess what, fits right in your pocket can't get much more portable than that.

Your phone can be connected to your TV and controlled via a remote controller?

 

[Dr.Awkward]

Shame, hope it turns out well. I'd like one just for the sake of portability.

Um yeah

Does everything the Ouya does, oh and it makes phone calls as well, and guess what, fits right in your pocket can't get much more portable than that.

Your phone can be connected to your TV and controlled via a remote controller?

...You do realize that there are phones that can be connected to a TV thanks to an HDMI port, and use a remote controller via Bluetooth, right?

There was even a few phones that had a projector built into them a few years ago!

 

[DarklordKyo]

I have no idea how to pronounce the name of the console, I have no idea what the focus of the gaming library will be (I heard legacy console emulation and mobile games), and I have not seen this console function at any point in the year I have been hearing about it.

They really need to sort this out. I would suggest delaying this thing until autumn; people will be more likely to part with their money around the holiday season.

It rhymes with booyah.

 

[Zombie_Moogle]

Yeah, I've got one. Just a small one, mind you. Nothing major. Ready? Here's my suggestion:

Don't release a console that isn't ready so people can review it and give it the low marks it deserves for the sorry state you shipped it to them in, thus creating negative press for your platform and driving consumers away.

They stated all over the Kickstarter page and Ouya home site that the Kickstarter consoles were pre-release development units and that they might have issues that should be reported to the Ouya dev team. What more should they do? Have a flashing screen that comes up on every boot saying "THIS IS A DEVELOPMENT UNIT. OF COURSE THERE WILL BE ISSUES!"?

i still think this will probably fail as a console, but mainly because of idiots expecting it to be a next-generation XBox and PlayStation beater.

Getting that "people don't understand how Kickstarter works" feeling again

Yeah, it's buggy. It's brand new console from a start-up company that you got 3 months in advanced

It's nowhere near as attractive as the upcoming Xbox, right? You know, the one that bricks itself if your WiFi stalls (#dealwithit)

I'm pulling for the Ouya. It's a longshot, sure, but it's looking like we'll need some new options in the coming console gen

 

[thiosk]

I thought the issue was starkly telling--
they wanted an open source console that indie developers could program for--
and after polling the backers about the games they expected on it, it was pretty much bioshock infinite, codblops2, skyrim, and so on. I was under the impression that the thing was really meant for, like, supermeatboy and pirated old games.

I wish them luck.

 

[Laughing Man]

Your phone can be connected to your TV and controlled via a remote controller?

The guy after me said it all really, but just to confirm, yeah it can be.

I'm pulling for the Ouya. It's a longshot, sure, but it's looking like we'll need some new options in the coming console gen

You do know that the Ouya isn't an option? If the PC was a Veyron the PS4 and Next box would be a BMW M5 and a Merc CLK Black, the Ouya on the other hand would be a Unicycle with a flat tyre.

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

Shame, hope it turns out well. I'd like one just for the sake of portability.

Um yeah

Does everything the Ouya does, oh and it makes phone calls as well, and guess what, fits right in your pocket can't get much more portable than that.

Your phone can be connected to your TV and controlled via a remote controller?

...You do realize that there are phones that can be connected to a TV thanks to an HDMI port, and use a remote controller via Bluetooth, right?

There was even a few phones that had a projector built into them a few years ago!

You forgot to mention how cheap phones have gotten and one with decent parts only costs around $99 without a 2 contract at $60 a month. Oh wait...

 

[awdrifter]

The only way this thing will succeed is if they can make it run Dreamcast, PS1, PS2, N64, GC, and maybe even Wii games. But I don't see that happening with the Tegra 3, maybe if they went with Tegra 4 it could've happened.

 

[Evil Smurf]

Shame, hope it turns out well. I'd like one just for the sake of portability.

Um yeah

Does everything the Ouya does, oh and it makes phone calls as well, and guess what, fits right in your pocket can't get much more portable than that.

Your phone can be connected to your TV and controlled via a remote controller?

Yes via HDMI and a bluetooth controller

 

[fozzy360]

Shame, hope it turns out well. I'd like one just for the sake of portability.

Um yeah

Does everything the Ouya does, oh and it makes phone calls as well, and guess what, fits right in your pocket can't get much more portable than that.

Your phone can be connected to your TV and controlled via a remote controller?

Many phones have an HDMI port, allowing you to do just that, not to mention being able to do it wirelessly.

For controllers:

http://www.amazon.com/MOGA-Mobile-Gaming-System-Android/dp/B0096L2SJ0

http://www.amazon.com/Snakebyte-iDr...chine-Specific/dp/B0090WBXSM/ref=pd_sim_cps_5

http://www.amazon.com/Green-Throttle-Controller-Games-Smartphones/dp/B00B77OKNI/ref=pd_sim_vg_1

Just a small taste.