Update: Open Source Android Console Fully Funded with $1 Million

[tautologico]

This thing sounds amazing. I'm seriously considering getting one just to spite the big three and their money grubbing ways.

Also, I've been saying that every game released should be required to have a demo for some time now, so count me in on that.

Yeah, what the hell. I just threw ten dollars at it. And holy crap, they're nearly up to two million bucks now.

My one lingering concern now: the whole point of this console is that the barriers to entry are so low that anyone can make a game for it--but how do they keep the "Ouya Store" from being utterly flooded with, like, half-assed Mario clones and similar dreck? They'll have to have some sort of quality control...

They said somewhere that the default dashboard will be curated, so the games will be through a light screening process to feature there. The user will always be able to root the device and run whatever he/she wants on it, but the games shown in the default interface will be selected, yes.

 

[tautologico]

We already have this. It is called a PC.

Not really. The Ouya has:

1) Fixed hardware platform (very good for developers, users don't need to wonder about compatibility)
2) Default distribution channel out of the box (PC users still needs to install Steam to get games on Steam) and there's no question to the user if the hardware will play any game
3) Default display on TV with a gaming controller (of course, all possible with a PC, but you have to connect and configure it all, plus you can't control the whole system with a gamepad, so you have the hassle of having to use keyboard+mouse on a couch in the living room, which is not always easy).

If the Steam thing to play PC games on the TV (Big Picture mode I think) works well, this Ouya would be roughly equivalent to it, but still much cheaper and easier to setup than a gaming PC plus Steam. I love my gaming PC, but it's not the same thing. You may not care about this stuff, but there is people who do, and so there may be a market based on people who would prefer to use this console to a gaming PC.

 

[tautologico]

While I hope this is successful because more competition creates more innovation (and that's something the industry sorely needs), I don't know why people are so excited. Ultimately this is going to be used by people to play their android games at home on the big tv, or for relatively mediocre games that are good, but they're just cheap knock offs of true AAA games (Modern Combat anyone?).

Still, it has potential to help push the industry to innovation... I just don't know why people think it WILL. I think it will just be another place for sequels and stagnation, only this time with android games and the like.

No guarantee, but there are reasons to believe that, if this console is successful (still a big IF), there'll be greater potential for innovation than in the current situation. If you look at the production of AAA games one of the factors that prevent innovation is the insanely high costs to produce a title, which means investors aren't willing to risk so much money on something different.

With very low barriers to entry, and lower development costs (due to the hardware not being as powerful and other factors), it's conceivable that developers will be able to risk much more than what happens with current consoles. Of course there'll be sequels and cheap knock-offs, you can be sure Gameloft is already planning to port its library to the Ouya. But it's reasonable to expect titles that don't follow the trends.

This already happens somewhat in indie games, but a whole console open to it would be a great boon to developers.

 

[dreadedcandiru99]

We already have this. It is called a PC.

Not really. The Ouya has:

1) Fixed hardware platform (very good for developers, users don't need to wonder about compatibility)
2) Default distribution channel out of the box (PC users still needs to install Steam to get games on Steam) and there's no question to the user if the hardware will play any game
3) Default display on TV with a gaming controller (of course, all possible with a PC, but you have to connect and configure it all, plus you can't control the whole system with a gamepad, so you have the hassle of having to use keyboard+mouse on a couch in the living room, which is not always easy).

Also:

4) It's $99. Almost everybody (myself included) can afford a $99 console. Not everybody (myself included again) can drop however many hundreds of bucks it takes to build a decent gaming PC. So there's another perk.

My one lingering concern now: the whole point of this console is that the barriers to entry are so low that anyone can make a game for it--but how do they keep the "Ouya Store" from being utterly flooded with, like, half-assed Mario clones and similar dreck? They'll have to have some sort of quality control...

They said somewhere that the default dashboard will be curated, so the games will be through a light screening process to feature there. The user will always be able to root the device and run whatever he/she wants on it, but the games shown in the default interface will be selected, yes.

Oh, okay then. And now that I think of it, I guess the point of the free demos is so people can check out, downvote, and thus weed out, the crap. That should help too.

 

[TsunamiWombat]

Correction, free to TRY. Free to TRY. Not free to play.

 

[somonels]

"It's about time!" exclaimed Brian Fargo, of Interplay and inXile fame and creator of Hunted: The Demon's Forge."
Nominting this for the Kotaku backhanded quotes of the week. Out of everything the man has been involved with you lable him with Hunter: Demon's Forge.

The box better have VGA or HDMI support, no way am I buying a TV for this... and keyboard support.

 

[Andrew_C]

To the guys who are saying "Ooh, its already developed, this is just to get it into production", get real.

1 or 2 million dollars is what it takes to get something like the Beagleboard or Raspberry Pi into mass production. This is going to cost way more than that to get into production at a $99 price point, 5 to 10 million dollars IMHO.

That being said, I don't think this is a scam, I just think the developers are massively deluded. Either that or they are hoping to attract a venture capitalist with the publicity from the Kickstarter.

 

[rbstewart7263]

With all the ladies in gaming hubbub noone seems to notice its a bad ass ***** pioneering this??lol

 

[Mysterious Druid]

Is there any reason why I should favour this over the PC whatsoever?

 

[SlaveNumber23]

Another console. Here to lick PC's boots. Good job.

In all seriousness this is a great idea but just doesn't interest me at all, I'll just with my PC and 360.

 

[theshadavid]

I donated 25 bones

 

[octafish]

Oh, wow. A quad-core Tegra3? That's so impressive. [/sarcasm]

Android is a heavily compromised operating system, acceptable for mobile phones, but not for anything bigger than that. The fact that you have to generally program games to work on the JVM makes things rather slow. I think this sort of misguided project is why I have had disdain for Kickstarter since I first heard of it. Even the price point doesn't inspire me - not when I can get a Raspberry Pi for $35, and have GPIO ports and a platform that I can program without having the obese burden of Android.

I like it, but I'll need to check the details to see if I can get a Ouya in Australia before I jump in with both feet. Seems like a perfect way to implement MAME and PS2 emulators (providing you have legal roms of course). Plus in the most important way it doubles the performance of current consoles with its 1gb of RAM. The graphics might not have quite the same polish as a PS3 or an XBOX (it will be close), but the levels and areas can sure as hell be bigger.

It absolutely will not emulate a PlayStation 2 with any sort of reasonable performance. You can hardly emulate a PS2 on a high-end gaming PC, let alone a processor which is meant entirely for mobile and lightweight embedded applications.

Ahh the dangers of posting using a phone when you are cursed with sausage fingers. PS1 that should have been. I'm usually fairly diligent too.

 

[k-ossuburb]

Fucking hell, I want this thing. I really hope it does well so we can show these crusty old farts heading up the console market that it's about time for a change.

 

[mrhappy1489]

And it's almost at 700k already. This thing will make millions.

It increases by hundreds each time I load the screen. After watching the video and looking at the comments, it had gone up by thousands. I hope to god this works out, because I will literally just throw money at it like it has the plague.

 

[The Human Torch]

This looks VERY interesting. Kinda reminds me of the Phantom console, only then, you know, legit.

And at the moment of posting, the total amount raised has gone up to: $2,692,856
That's a lotta money.

 

[Smooth Operator]

I totally wouldn't call this one taking off, the market already having 3 major console players plus PC and the mobile side I called this a really silly idea from the start.
Time to eat crow I guess... but I do still wonder how well this will do in the thick of it all, there are some incredibly unique cross platform opportunities that could take them to a whole new level that the big boys would never attempt.

 

[robert01]

I'm not even a fan of consoles but even I felt the urge to to fund this. Maybe I'll look at picking one up once it becomes a retail product, I don't have that kind of money to risk on it not getting released.

 

[Living_Brain]

yeah, umm it's now 2.8 million... shows no signs of stopping. refresh every 10 seconds and the funding jumps.

 

[targren]

While it would be nice to see, I'm not going to hold my breath. Just switch "Android" with "Linux" and you've got the same idea as the GP32/GP2X/[Open]Pandora. None of which ever really took off outside of their small communities.

Of course, even a niche product is better than the real worst-case scenario: Anyone remember the Phantom?

 

[MrJoyless]

A few questions since this seems a bit too good to be true.

1 - What is the actual power behind the system, is it on the same level as a PS3? 360? or sigh...Wii?

2 - How will they deal with the very high likelihood of getting sued like crazy for every little thing that could infringe on the thousands of vague patents out there.

3 - How will they prevent making their system a haven for piracy and theft, free games are a start but higher quality games will eventually cost money, both MS and Sony are constantly dumping cash into stopping piracy on their consoles.

4 - Why would anyone pay for a console that plays phone games when you can play phone games...on your phone...