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

[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...

 

[Doogan]

they've managed to raise over $3.1 million now.....bloody hell and it's only the first day!

 

[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.

They could probably do it as a smaller run even if they just had the kickstaeter money. BUT It sounds to me like they have some serious backing already. The kickstarter is basically there as a massive promotional tool and extra cash source. If you look at what has been established already all their prototyping has been done, they have a workable version already.

The people developing and backing this already are not exactly poor. We have the creator of the kindle involved, the ex head of IGN, the maker/designer two very high profile electronic devices. They probably have 2-3 million from their 'family and friends' already.

And one of the idiots behind the OLPC, which ended up costing at least twice the original estimate, and wasted a huge amount of money that could have been better spent elsewhere.

I also get the feeling that a lot of the Kickstarter backers are expecting something along the lines of the XBox 360 or PS3 but cheaper, when its really just something that will let you play Angry Birds on your widescreen TV.

EDIT: twice the originalprice , not 2.5 times
EDIT 2: if they can get it in at $99, it will make a decent XBMC box. Pity it only has 1 USB slot.

 

[Andrew_C]

And one of the idiots behind the OLPC, which ended up costing at least twice the original estimate, and wasted a huge amount of money that could have been better spent elsewhere.

I also get the feeling that a lot of the Kickstarter backers are expecting something along the lines of the XBox 360 or PS3 but cheaper, when its really just something that will let you play Angry Birds on your widescreen TV.

EDIT: twice the originalprice , not 2.5 times

The OPLC program was a mess for a whole host of main administrative reasons, not purely its design, and had a massive amount of people involved in the project. The whole undertaking was badly thought out and demonstrates perfectly the reasons why i think big charities are a whole heap of fail but that beside the point.

The point is this is a development system. No one thinks this is an Xbox 360. You missunderstand the aims of the project. Its an SKD for all, akin to the days of the BBC micro, ZX spectrum, Amigia, Acorn or Apple II. This is meant to be a system for bedroom coders and for that reason is a fantastic idea. Im not sure you grasp what is going on here.

I understand what they are aiming for. I just wonder if a lot of people backing it on Kickstarter understand. There do seem do be some unrealistic expectations for it.

I was also just thinking it might even make a decent media streamer box with XBMC on it, if they can bring it in on price (and if there was an Android version of XBMC).

You are also right that the OLPC's problems were largely political and administrative. I also think it was a solution looking for a problem, and the project showed a vast misunderstanding of the needs of education in the 3rd World, but that's another story.