OUYA: $99 Game Console

[migo]

Onlive? :|

That hasn't died yet?

It's actually quite good. If it doesn't work well for you, it's because your internet sucks. I have fiber, and it's fine for me (even over WiFi). I might pick the Ouya up just for OnLive support, with anything else being gravy. I hope they get Netflix on there too, because searching for shows with my Bravia remote is tedious.

[Ryoken]

Honestly.. I'm getting mine just so I can retire my NES and SNES.. If it does anything beyond that, I'll be thrilled :)

[Tarvis123]

This morning, we are honored to announce that OUYA is partnering with Square Enix to bring you one of the most beloved franchises in gaming -- Final Fantasy. We will kick this off with Final Fantasy III, which will be a launch title on OUYA. This will be the first time gamers outside of Japan can play FFIII on their televisions through a console.

But that?s not the end of it: We?re promising to deliver Final Fantasy III like you?ve never seen it before ? Hironobu Sakaguchi?s third installment in the role playing game franchise will be updated to exploit OUYA?s high-definition resolution in glorious graphic detail. For those of you who are new to Final Fantasy, we?ll offer a free demo so you can give it a go!

Previously unreleased in the U.S. until it appeared as a 3D remake for the Nintendo DS in 2006, Final Fantasy III was widely referred to as one of the ?missing pieces? in the FF series. OUYA players can now proudly claim this piece of the puzzle.

We?re thrilled to bring this storied franchise to OUYA.

[bgjerlow]

Really looking forward to this console. I'll definitely get one if it's only gonna cost 99USD.

[Colin McGregor]

The support is for low price and open hackability. with free contents.

All, MS and Sony do is rip us off with games. I really regret buying those $50-60 games.

Bet you cant wait to play games that are of $60 quality on your $99 console. hahaha your in for a surprise.

[still1]

Bet you cant wait to play games that are of $60 quality on your $99 console. hahaha your in for a surprise.

I don't think the games are going to be $60 since they are trying to make games cheaper.

that's the whole point of making console $99 and a promise of cheaper games.

I guess you havent read the previous kick starter page and the promo video.

[BajiRav]

I don't think the games are going to be $60 since they are trying to make games cheaper.

that's the whole point of making console $99 and a promise of cheaper games.

I guess you havent read the previous kick starter page and the promo video.

I am all for cheaper games but if people believe that they will get $0.99 games comparable to PS3/Xbox 360, they are in for a shock. The cheapest they will manage will be comparable to XBLA or PSN games at $10-15. On the other hand the "open nature" and hackability can and will lead to massive piracy.

[still1]

I am all for cheaper games but if people believe that they will get $0.99 games comparable to PS3/Xbox 360, they are in for a shock. The cheapest they will manage will be comparable to XBLA or PSN games at $10-15. On the other hand the "open nature" and hackability can and will lead to massive piracy.

$10-15 is better than $60 for a starting price. Heck I have some $50 games and if try to sell them now i wont get not more than $10.

Thats why i feel ripped off... and obviously some games might come down to less than $5 after initial release so there would be cheap options....

[Colin McGregor]

I don't think the games are going to be $60 since they are trying to make games cheaper.

that's the whole point of making console $99 and a promise of cheaper games.

I guess you havent read the previous kick starter page and the promo video.

speaking of read you might wanna re-read my comment. I never said the console will have $60 games. I said quality of $60 games on the console.

[BajiRav]

$10-15 is better than $60 for a starting price. Heck I have some $50 games and if try to sell them now i wont get not more than $10.

Thats why i feel ripped off... and obviously some games might come down to less than $5 after initial release so there would be cheap options....

These things never retain value and with digital downloads, you won't even get that much back on OUYA. It will also be difficult to make a $40-60 game in $10-15 because of the production costs (forget the annual rehash crap such as CoD but genuine new games).

[still1]

speaking of read you might wanna re-read my comment. I never said the console will have $60 games. I said quality of $60 games on the console.

I misunderstood your comment.

These things never retain value and with digital downloads, you won't even get that much back on OUYA. It will also be difficult to make a $40-60 game in $10-15 because of the production costs (forget the annual rehash crap such as CoD but genuine new games).

I know it wont retain value but my point was I wont feel $40 ripped rather $10 ripped.

Only time can tell how the games are priced. Hoping to see it cheap... I am in for it if it is.

[migo]

Bet you cant wait to play games that are of $60 quality on your $99 console. hahaha your in for a surprise.

Most $60 games aren't worth $60. On the Ouya games will get priced what they're worth.

[margrave]

I love onlive

[Ryoken]

Final Fantasy III on Android is fairly good now, so if they are improving it for Ouya, that's awesome.

Final Fantasy I on the other hand is crap on Android.. and requires internet to check your license each launch.. So hopefully that doesn't carry over.

But with luck this might get SE to move a few more of their games to Android, as iOS has a selection of several good SE games.

[still1]

OUYA wrapping up funding with limited brown metal console, Vevo deal

reached 6 million pledge. March 2013 release

To put it mildly, the OUYA console has had a better than expected funding run -- the project is now past the $6 million mark, or six times what it originally needed. The team still wants a little something to end the last week of fundraising with a bang. It just unveiled a limited edition brown, brushed metal version of the console with a controller to match; all it takes is a $140 pledge during the final push to August 9th and you've got the Yves Behar-chosen color for yourself. The special run should arrive as part of the wider March 2013 launch. If the original silver hue will do just nicely, thank you very much, OUYA has struck another content deal and will launch Vevo's music video hub side-by-side with the console. Click past the break for a peek at the controller, and consider a pledge on Kickstarter if you just can't stand the thought of having the same console as everyone else.

http://www.engadget....l-console-vevo/

[LSlari69]

Looks like it will really be a promising project. I just hope they are able to work around pixellation on a larger sceen. If they can't, it defeats the purpose

[HawkMan]

still only "pre-viz" renders that look like they're rendered in 3DSMAX and not an actual CAD suite... when are they showing some actual prototype parts or any parts, like the kickstarter system say they're supposed to.

starting to really question how far they "really" are in this project now, or if they had even done any work before the kickstarter fund raiser.

[still1]

still only "pre-viz" renders that look like they're rendered in 3DSMAX and not an actual CAD suite... when are they showing some actual prototype parts or any parts, like the kickstarter system say they're supposed to.

starting to really question how far they "really" are in this project now, or if they had even done any work before the kickstarter fund raiser.

its still in first stage of production... when they make it you will see it.

Its not like they are releasing it tomorrow. the release date is march 2013.

Edit: the whole point of Kick starter is to get funding for console production.

They are still working on improving the design... once it is finalized you will see a demo unit(They have a pre demo working unit which is not released to public yet) and then mass production.

[HawkMan]

and march 2013 is WAY to early to not be further into prototype production than they are now, which is apparrntly, not physical prototypes or production samples or anything.

getting from this stage to production is a very lengthy process. and there's no chance they can make it if they don't already have prototype parts to work with and test.

If they do, the QnA failure leading to the undetected temperature issue with the 360, will look like a kd falling of his tricpycle compared to the train wreck this will be. as it will mean not only will they sell devices with no QnA and testing. they will sell them with production parts that ahven't been fitted and adjusted and properly tuned.

heck i can tell you from working at the local factory here, that just the process of getting a production dealon electronics is a very long process. then everything has to be tested, then they have to do prototype runs woth multiple units and test, already you're months into from after having a production deal. then they need to set up a production line for the electronics in question, first run will be very slow with some stuff being done manually, and a lot of spot tests, one the first run is tested and acceped, they kick the line into actual production.

[still1]

They have a physical prototype but its not released to public yet. check out the kickstarter Also they dont need to reproduce the exact design for testing. All, they need is the hardware with some dummy exterior which they are doing it now... so, i believe it already in testing for all heat or hardware related issues. they just haven't made the exterior yet..

most companies dont release hardware to public before announcement(xbox, smartphones, iphone or ps3)..

the only reason why they are release design is to make people interested in their kickstarter funding.

[HawkMan]

the rules of kick starter is that protoypes and such are to be shared with the kick starter customers who paid for developement and all that. look at pebble for gow to do it right.

they can say they have anything, but that doesn't show anything. if they want to keep it all hidden and secret, they have to use traditional ways of raising money.

so far all they're doing is fueling the varourvare and scam allegations.

[Ryoken]

Actually it seems to be only you HawkMan.. Everyone else posting here seems quite content with what they are hearing and seeing..

[HawkMan]

Maybe because most of them don't actually understand that they're not being shown anything except a few 3DSMAX renders I could whip up in about 5 minutes. and some vague promises of nothing.

and no. there's actually quite big rumours around the net that these guys are not what they make themselves out to be and form what I see, that seem very likely as they've not shown anything of substance. so while I don't think it may be vaporvare, I don't think they're nearly as far away as they claim. Which means either their launch windows is a pipe dream or they're going to launch with some highly untested hardware. or both.

And as I said. the rules of Kickstarter also says they're supposed to show the backers what they're doing. which they're not. again, look at what Pebble is doing.

[Ryoken]

Today--with five days left on Kickstarter--we have some quick updates. Consider it a one-two punch. And, I?m going to get all ?stream of consciousness? on you. Why? Because we?ve been talking a lot about streaming recently. First we announced that in addition to offering downloadable games through the OUYA store, we?d be streaming hundreds of games on demand through our partnership with OnLive. And today, we?re announcing streaming radio courtesy of ClearChannel?s iHeartRadio.

Here's what iHeartRadio has to say:

We are excited to share that Clear Channel?s iHeartRadio is coming to OUYA! Now we'll be able to take the experience to a whole new level, enabling OUYA to go beyond gaming and become a full service, affordable destination for people seeking great entertainment.

iHeartRadio brings users the only ?all-in-one? free digital radio experience ? the best live radio stations from all over America, PLUS user-created Custom Stations, like a playlist, inspired by favorite artists and songs. And the iHeartRadio HTML 5 App is a perfect fit for OUYA because it?s built for a large screen format and provides an intuitive and engaging audio and visual experience.

Brian Lakamp, President of Clear Channel Media and Entertainment Digital also adds, ?We are excited to be the first radio app on an up-and-coming platform like OUYA, and we share their enthusiasm for offering users an innovative and customized product experience. Our HTML 5 application enhances the listening experience by incorporating a rich and intuitive visual component, and is a perfect fit for OUYA.?

What does this mean for OUYA users?

• On OUYA, iHeartRadio allows you to FIND: The Best of Live Radio - Listen to more than 1,000 Live Stations from coast-to-coast including pop, country, urban, rock, sports, talk and college. Browse by music genre and location then hit the scan button to move from station to station within a format. Or check out our exclusive digital-only, themed stations.
  
• On OUYA, iHeartRadio allows you to CREATE: Custom Stations with Unprecedented Control - Simply pick a song or artist to create your own commercial-free, uninterrupted Custom Station featuring music from your favorite artists and similar ones. Choose from our catalog of over 14 million songs and 400,000 artists. And you can use iHeartRadio's exclusive Discovery Tuner to control how much variety you want in your station.
  
• On OUYA, iHeartRadio allows you to PERSONALIZE: Take Your Favorite Stations Wherever You Go - Log in to iHeartRadio through email or Facebook to make iHeartRadio uniquely yours. Create, save and share your stations from wherever you access iHeartRadio
  

*** We realize that some of you reading this from outside the US are probably saying, ?Well that?s great for Americans but what about the rest of us?? Please know that we are actively reaching out to international partners as well. We won?t leave you in the cold.***

As many of you know, stream of consciousness refers to a literary technique that presents the thoughts and feelings of a character as they occur. And what?s occurring to me now is that you might like to hear something game focused too.

To that end, we?ve been overwhelmed by interest from developers eager to bring their titles to OUYA. Not all of them can act quickly enough (ahhh lawyers!) for us to announce their partnerships during our Kickstarter campaign. But that?s not slowing down the folks at U4iA. That?s right, the game industry vets who brought you Guitar Hero and Call of Duty will bring us OUYA?s first confirmed first-person shooter, Offensive Combat.

U4iA?s Founder and CEO Dusty Welch sums it up:

"Everyone here at U4iA Games is excited to bring our titles to OUYA! Given that consoles are so expensive and face an uncertain future, OUYA stands out as the perfect example of an affordable home-entertainment platform created specifically for core gamers like us. We've used our profound wisdom to create a cheeky, free-for-all shooting mash-up called Offensive Combat. Moving forward, we can't wait to bring all-new games in the Offensive Combat universe to the OUYA platform."

I don?t know about you but they had me at ?cheeky, free-for-all shooting mash-up.?

With that, I?m going to wish you a happy Friday from your OUYA faithful. We?ll be working through this last weekend of our Kickstarter campaign, continuing to focus on bringing you the best gaming experience we can deliver. Some of the things I?ll be doing this weekend: thinking about the dpad design, continuing to respond to developer inquiries and prepping our new website.

And, in the spirit of James Joyce, master of the ?stream of consciousness? narrative, I think I might have a Guinness as well.

- Julie

[spaceelf]

http://timothylottes.blogspot.com/2012/07/on-ouya-console.html

I find this interesting...lightly edited the first quote but more at source of course.

At the point of making a console based on Tegra 3, you might as well do it right and use Linux instead of Android. The list of why Linux is a better choice over Android would be too long to list here, but lets start with four,

Linux officially supports the APIs games need for high quality low latency interactive experience. For example grab raw input from /dev/input/event* or use sched_setaffinity() to set pinned threads or compare audio latency between Android and Linux. While some features might also work in Android if you get the permissions and write your own system calls in inline assembly, Android's support of such features can be summed up as "Please stop asking this question.".