Is the Ouya “the little Android box that could”?
If we take a look at the outstanding success of their recent Kickstarter campaign that might certainly be the case. Just last week, the Boxer 8 Kickstarter campaign for the Ouya had concluded. Saying that this campaign was a success would be an unbelievable understatement.
Boxer8, lead by Julie Uhrman was able to raise nearly $ 8.6 Million while their goal was to raise $ 950 000. This was actually the 2nd most successful Kickstarter campaign to date and shows a desire from many in the community to see change or a move forward in terms of console evolution and opportunities for smaller developers.
The concept of the Ouya is to provide a more cost-effective gaming experience while allowing smaller and independent game developers more access to TV or living room gaming. The system is set to run about $99USD when launched.
Recently, gamers have had to look to IOS devices and other mobile platforms for some of the more unique and innovative games out there. Because the Ouya runs on the Andriod OS, it provides a familiar playing field and more flexibility for both developers and gamers.
Will the Ouya console be a wake-up call for the big boys in the gaming industry?
Let’s look at what we know so far about this system:
- It’s set to release in March of 2013. You can pre-order on the Ouya website as of now.
- The Ouya has 1 GB of ram and 8 GB of internal flash memory “under the hood” running on a Tegra3 Processor.
- The Ouya controller is wireless, keeps the player within familiar territory. It’s beautifully designed and it is reported to sport a small, 3” touch screen.
- The Base system comes with one controller, additional Ouya controllers will go for about $30USD.
- Boxer8 has accessibility on their minds for both the players and for smaller, independent developers. The system supports, mods or hacks depending on what term you like to use and the circles you run with.
- The Ouya console is small in size…a bit larger than a Rubik’s Cube…pretty cool eh?
OnLive is pledging their support so right away players will be able to play streaming PC games plus both Vevo and TwitchTV have committed to providing more of the media content. Square Enix and Namco Bandai have announced games upon release and expressed interest respectively. A ton of independent developers have already voiced an interest in the Ouya and consider this a new opportunity share their games.
There will be freemium titles to play right away but in all honesty, part of me fears dealing with cash shops within cash shops. This being said, if this is the evolution of gaming and represents how a large portion of gamers want to game and pay for their gaming experiences then I’m sure a balanced approached will be implemented. Another common concern that pops up is how easy it is to mod or hack the Ouya and what that could mean for online play. This in my opinion, isn’t much different than PC mods and should not detract from the overall fun. I’ll need to try it out to be sure.
I have high hopes for what this could mean for home console gaming, but I am skeptical…either way I’m looking forward to a little “shake-up” in the gaming industry.
To see more on the Ouya head on over to their website at http://www.ouya.tv/
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