OUYA (Ooh yeah!)

Software sells hardware. It all depends on the software.

I love the theory behind the console and I wish them tremendous success, but unless there are some compelling titles that I can't buy on Steam or somewhere else, I don't see myself dropping $100 on yet another gaming device.

Then again, I have a PS3, a Wii (which also plays Gamecube games), a PS2, a Dreamcast, a PS1, a DS Lite, a Gameboy Advance SP, and a PC. My backlog spans that many systems plus there's a strong possibility I'll be buying an Android smartphone soon (even sooner than planned if AT&T refuses to return the 1500 rollover minutes that inexplicably disappeared from our account).

And most, if not all, of the features advertised would already be covered by the new-to-me PC I hope to (eventually) build. But I could definitely see how this could appeal to those without a HTPC or media center PC.

My own personal situation aside: I want this to succeed. I'm a big fan of open source and the following makes me want to give the project leaders a big manhug:
Hackers welcome.

Have at it: It's easy to root (and rooting won't void your warranty). Everything opens with standard screws. Hardware hackers can create their own peripherals, and connect via USB or Bluetooth.
Click to expand...

EDIT: Read through more of the info on Kickstarter and I really want this to succeed. Not sure if I'd drop $100 on another gaming/media device, though.

EDIT#2: Man, the more I read, the more I want one. I absolutely love the design philosophy behind this hardware. If I didn't have to be fiscally responsible, I'd probably buy one as soon as I get home where I could log in to Kickstarter and throw money at them.

EDIT#3: Hm, but what about piracy? Seems like with a USB port and the ability to root the device, piracy would be super-easy. Wouldn't that scare off some devs?
 
Last edited:
Tek7@Work said:
Software sells hardware. It all depends on the software.

I love the theory behind the console and I wish them tremendous success, but unless there are some compelling titles that I can't buy on Steam or somewhere else, I don't see myself dropping $100 on yet another gaming device.

Then again, I have a PS3, a Wii (which also plays Gamecube games), a PS2, a Dreamcast, a PS1, a DS Lite, a Gameboy Advance SP, and a PC. My backlog spans that many systems plus there's a strong possibility I'll be buying an Android smartphone soon (even sooner than planned if AT&T refuses to return the 1500 rollover minutes that inexplicably disappeared from our account).

And most, if not all, of the features advertised would already be covered by the new-to-me PC I hope to (eventually) build. But I could definitely see how this could appeal to those without a HTPC or media center PC.

My own personal situation aside: I want this to succeed. I'm a big fan of open source and the following makes me want to give the project leaders a big manhug:


EDIT: Read through more of the info on Kickstarter and I really want this to succeed. Not sure if I'd drop $100 on another gaming/media device, though.

EDIT#2: Man, the more I read, the more I want one. I absolutely love the design philosophy behind this hardware. If I didn't have to be fiscally responsible, I'd probably buy one as soon as I get home where I could log in to Kickstarter and throw money at them.

EDIT#3: Hm, but what about piracy? Seems like with a USB port and the ability to root the device, piracy would be super-easy. Wouldn't that scare off some devs?
Click to expand...

Good points Tek. It seems like piracy is an issue with all platforms these days. What I didn't understand is it sounds like existing games for Android would "just work" on the OUYA device which would be fantastic for developers to get that type of exposure. When you have 1 million Android devices activating each day it's a pretty decent chance you'll sell some games even though some of them might get pirated (just like movies... and music and ... ).

I really really though Apple was going to jump into this type of space after the XBOX came out, but they really haven't. Apple TV isn't really a conduit for gaming either.
 
As a side note, from the time I posted this until now they raised over $300,000 more to a total tune of $1 million dollars reaching their goal. So it looks like this will fund and take off!
 
Over a mill and a half now.

Seriously. Tek already summed up my feelings in his edits. I really, really wanna see this happen on principle alone.

I even wanna crack open some programming textbooks and start getting a handle on the Android system in response to the thing.

Seriously. I's like this the whole time I read the Kickstarter: :O
 
Wow. They're now at $1.6 million right.

If I had the expendable income, no upcoming purchases (may be buying 2 Galaxy Nexus phones soon), and considerably more patience (the first OUYA boxes probably won't ship until next March, if I read correctly), I'd plunk down the money just on principle. Well, not just on principle, but primarily on principle.

EDIT: Someone please talk some sense into me. I'm seriously considering backing this project at the $99 level.
 
Last edited:
^This... barring the Nexus purchases tidbit. I'm just lacking in funds in general. :P

Seriously, though. It's exciting. It makes me wanna program again. Me wants. Me wants it to succeed.
 
I think OUYA can succeed, though I still doubt it'll be the next Xbox 360. Then again, it doesn't need to be. The stereotypical Madden and Call of Duty gamers may be a large (or at least most catered to) demographic, but plenty of companies are doing alright for themselves in mobile and browser-based games last I heard. Squeenix and others now churn out games for IOS and Android, too, so OUYA isn't /just/ for indies.

But then there's the part where OUYA connects indie devs and less mainstream gamers together in a convenient, semi-standardized, easy-to-distribute platform, and that's pretty awesome.

I don't know about y'all, but I'd much rather spend $5-10 on a creative (or even unoriginal so long as it's fun) indie game, even if it isn't a technical marvel, than $50-60 on the latest AAA blockbuster. Sure. I may be a gaming minority in that, but there's still a market for like-minded gamers.

And, so far as I understand the OUYA philosophy, it doesn't need to move millions upon millions of units in order to be a worthwhile venture. Sure, I'd love for it to be a huge smashing commercial success, but I do think it could still be considered successful even if it doesn't take the gaming world by storm.

Heck, my guess is that the amateur developer market alone will snatch up enough units to make it a financial success. I just hope that it comes even remotely close to its potential... and spreads to the more mainstream types in a viral fashion.

Edit: The Kickstarter has already netted nearly three times its original goal... and over 20,000 units have already been pre-ordered. Not bad at all for a day or two of fundraising. haha
 
Last edited:
It makes me wonder how the next generation Microsoft and Sony consoles are going to respond to this.
 
Kendrik said:
And, so far as I understand the OUYA philosophy, it doesn't need to move millions upon millions of units in order to be a worthwhile venture. Sure, I'd love for it to be a huge smashing commercial success, but I do think it could still be considered successful even if it doesn't take the gaming world by storm.
Click to expand...
QFT.

It reminds me of MMOs that released after WoW, where players had to remind other games that a game doesn't need 10 million subscribers to be a success.

There's a very real market for this kind of hardware and I think it's large enough to be commercially viable. Will they sell as many units as the PS3 or Xbox 360? Very, very unlikely. Will they still make plenty of cash? If they manage the company well, then they probably will.

Bowser said:
It makes me wonder how the next generation Microsoft and Sony consoles are going to respond to this.
Click to expand...
Not likely. In general, the larger a company, the more time it takes to shift course. And neither Microsoft nor Sony seem in any hurry to really shake things up.
 
Shameless promotion!!!'d

I wrote a lengthy blog article about OUYA, trying to approach it as evenhandedly as I could, acknowledging the troubles it faces but refuting some of the less convincing arguments raised against it. Too much of what I was reading was altogether one-sided, so I thought I'd add something that was a least a little more balanced (even if my favor still shows through) to the mix.

"Two Sides of OUYA" on KennyYeager.com
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top