OUYA could unintentionally turn Android into a serious gaming platform

[Kenmitch]

Not sure if anybody stumbled upon this yet. Was a link off a link to something phone related that looked interesting.

The article can be found here http://www.phonedog.com/2012/07/10/...-turn-android-into-a-serious-gaming-platform/

Or just skip it to see the project here http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ouya/ouya-a-new-kind-of-video-game-console

Looks like it might turn out to be something to keep an eye out for.

As of 7:38 AM (7-11)

21,981
Backers
$2,760,088
pledged of $950,000 goal

28
days to go

 

[RockinZ28]

Every game available for OUYA will be free-to-play for users for at least some portion of the game. The developers will make their money through in-game purchases, upgrades and add-ons.

No, just no. I'd rather pay $20 for a good android game one time, than constantly be bombarded with ads or paying to advance every 30 minutes etc.

Besides, any decent android tablet can use xbox/ps3/other controllers wirelessly and has hdmi out. I love having a totally portable console that does practically everything else too.

 

[Skel]

I can't help but think this will just be games like Angry Birds on my TV. I can't imagine many developers of the major titles developing for it, it just doesn't seem profitable for them

 

[Bateluer]

Every game available for OUYA will be free-to-play for users for at least some portion of the game. The developers will make their money through in-game purchases, upgrades and add-ons.

No, just no. I'd rather pay $20 for a good android game one time, than constantly be bombarded with ads or paying to advance every 30 minutes etc.

Besides, any decent android tablet can use xbox/ps3/other controllers wirelessly and has hdmi out. I love having a totally portable console that does practically everything else too.

Nuts to that method. I hate being nickel and dimed just to finish a game. Give me a good game and I'll pay quite a bit of money for it up front.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I just have a hard time imagining this taking off. It's a nice idea, but we've seen these cheap console ideas before. I just don't think some no-name company started from Kickstarter is going to complete against Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, Apple, and Google.

Though I think Google probably needs to do something like this. Nexus Q was such a stupid idea. Google should have released their own $100 Google TV box to compete against Apple TV and Roku. Something that would run anything in the Google Play store, apps, games, etc, on a TV.

 

[s44]

I just have a hard time imagining this taking off. It's a nice idea, but we've seen these cheap console ideas before. I just don't think some no-name company started from Kickstarter is going to complete against Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, Apple, and Google.

I don't think they have to. They're basically piggybacking off of Nvidia's Tegra push.

Nexus Q was such a stupid idea. Google should have released their own $100 Google TV box to compete against Apple TV and Roku. Something that would run anything in the Google Play store, apps, games, etc, on a TV.

Vizio Co-Star

 

[Sheep]

No, just no. I'd rather pay $20 for a good android game one time, than constantly be bombarded with ads or paying to advance every 30 minutes etc.

This. The day gaming becomes primarily free to play mini-games that bombard you with ads or make you pay to progress is the day I'm done with gaming. Free to play games have their place but they'll never replace full games for me. More people will eat at a McDonald's than a nice steakhouse but I'll take the steakhouse over McDonald's almost every time.

I can't help but think this will just be games like Angry Birds on my TV. I can't imagine many developers of the major titles developing for it, it just doesn't seem profitable for them

And this. People carry smartphones with them which makes that a huge market. Barring a minor miracle the market for the Ouya will be tiny, meaning game developers aren't going to make a whole lot of money from it unless they have some major advertising money and can pull in some popular developers. I'm not convinced a gaming system can survive on indie titles alone, as cool as some of those games can be.

 

[Chiropteran]

Nuts to that method. I hate being nickel and dimed just to finish a game. Give me a good game and I'll pay quite a bit of money for it up front.

I agree that the usual pay for "coins" or whatever method is annoying, but it doesn't have to be that way.

I love the ad-supported free mode games that also have a paid full version without ads, and/or free games supported by cosmetic-only purchases, and I'm also okay with games where you can purchase convenience but not "power" like League of Legends or Path of Exile (not android games, just examples of the concept).

So, I wouldn't completely write it off for that reason. That said, the question I see is why go through the OUYA app-store and all that trouble when you can just release the game as a regular android app? Whats the advantage? What is the developer incentive?

It feels like a chicken and the egg problem- you need some good killer games to get people to buy the OUYA consoles, but to get those killer games you need a large installed base of consoles as incentive for the developers to port games over.

 

[Kenmitch]

I just thought it was mind boggling how much money was raised in what looks to be just a little bit over one day.

Looks like there may be some demand for such a product.

 

[AstroManLuca]

I could just hook my phone up to my TV with an MHL adapter and get a Bluetooth controller for my phone and play games that way. This seems simpler and provides better hardware though. But this talk of in app purchases worries me, and besides I already have a game console.

 

[Red Storm]

First Apple and Google need to release standardized gaming controllers for their respective OSes, then we'll see gaming really take off (I'm not talking about the simple touch-based flash-like time waster games).

 

[Chiropteran]

Blah. Regardless of what I wrote above, I decided that $99 is just too cheap to not buy, so I pledged.

I support the idea of an open console, and just as an FU to Sony and Microsoft I want to see this thing succeed.

 

[PowerYoga]

farmville for the console, coming to the nearest Ouya courtesy of Zynga.

 

[gorcorps]

First Apple and Google need to release standardized gaming controllers for their respective OSes, then we'll see gaming really take off (I'm not talking about the simple touch-based flash-like time waster games).

I would rather not. They would most likely be worse than the standard gamut of controllers out there already, and given the patent squabbles over the d-pad design I can't imagine they have much room to work with. I would take proper support of current controllers.

 

[Red Storm]

I would rather not. They would most likely be worse than the standard gamut of controllers out there already, and given the patent squabbles over the d-pad design I can't imagine they have much room to work with. I would take proper support of current controllers.

Gaming is never going to seriously take off with just 3rd party controllers.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Blah. Regardless of what I wrote above, I decided that $99 is just too cheap to not buy, so I pledged.

I support the idea of an open console, and just as an FU to Sony and Microsoft I want to see this thing succeed.

Yeah. In principle, I see this as a way to bring development costs back down again and break out of the current situation in gaming where EA or Activision owns everything and constantly releases new palette-swapped shovelware titles every year.

In practice, I fear that all this is going to do is bring even MORE shovelware for an even more casual audience. I am not going to use the H word, or even the M (as in Rated M) word. Just saying that not everyone wants to play Angry Birds, and creating equally simplistic games but with added violence doesn't change anything.

But hopefully, this can bring in hobbyists who can invest a much smaller amount of money into games and make what they want. So you could potentially have games of all types, not just Flash-like games.

 

[Kenmitch]

Seems like it's gonna get developement support. Didn't take long at all to sell out.

Pledge $699 or more 200 Backers SOLD OUT (0 of 200 remaining)
Developer Special. A first-run OUYA (already rooted so you can just get going), EARLY SDK ACCESS, an extra controller, and we'll help you get started. We'll also help you promote your game for ONE YEAR, and your games will be marked with a FOUNDER EMBLEM.

I'd think that custom roms could make this into an interesting device. I'm sure this thing will be one of the most hacked Android devices of all time.

Only turn off for me is the launch date....Figure tegra3 will be very old SOC by then. I guess it's possible the specs will be changed for the better by then.

Guess will get a better idea of developement support with the elite developer package....As of 8:40am on 7-11-2012 it's the following. Figure a week at tops?

Pledge $1,337 or more 85 Backers • Limited Reward (115 of 200 remaining)
Elite Developer Special. You receive the Developer Special plus the email equivalent of a hotline into OUYA—a closely guarded email address that gives you direct access to our team and priority handling. But wait, there’s more: YOU AND A FRIEND ARE INVITED TO THE OUYA LAUNCH PARTY in Los Angeles. Warm up those biceps because you’ll be lifting a serious gift bag packed with goodies we’re keeping secret

Update: Looks like my initial estimate on sellout will be much sooner. As of 11:20am 7-11-2012

Pledge $1,337 or more Pledge $1,337 or more 114 Backers• Limited Reward (86 of 200 remaining)
Elite Developer Special. You receive the Developer Special plus the email equivalent of a hotline into OUYA—a closely guarded email address that gives you direct access to our team and priority handling. But wait, there’s more: YOU AND A FRIEND ARE INVITED TO THE OUYA LAUNCH PARTY in Los Angeles. Warm up those biceps because you’ll be lifting a serious gift bag packed with goodies we’re keeping secret until the party.

Over the $3mil hump!

 

[ViRGE]

Only turn off for me is the launch date....Figure tegra3 will be very old SOC by then.

That's going to be the hardest part. GPU-wise, Tegra 3 isn't a particularly impressive SoC. The narrow memory bus really kills it, so trying to make T3 push 1080P is going to be brutal. Even 720P is going to have limitations at times.

They're basically going to be trying to sell a Nexus 7 without the screen in Q2 of 2013.

 

[Kenmitch]

That's going to be the hardest part. GPU-wise, Tegra 3 isn't a particularly impressive SoC. The narrow memory bus really kills it, so trying to make T3 push 1080P is going to be brutal. Even 720P is going to have limitations at times.

They're basically going to be trying to sell a Nexus 7 without the screen in Q2 of 2013.

I guess the only advantage of the console like implementation is the ability to tweak the OS and the games to run on stated fixed hardware just like with the big boys.

The device looks to have more potential than just gaming tho.

Guess time will tell

 

[Phokus]

If all the excitement over planetside 2 is any indication, F2P is the new business model that's going to take over gaming.

 

[Red Storm]

If all the excitement over planetside 2 is any indication, F2P is the new business model that's going to take over gaming.

Multiplayer gaming perhaps, but it doesn't work quite as well for singleplayer games.

 

[gorcorps]

Gaming is never going to seriously take off with just 3rd party controllers.

Why not? If it's properly supported then it's just the same as if they branded it themselves. Plus chances are people have some other controller lying around already.

 

[Aikouka]

They've stated that their "must include a free version" does not mean that the game will have to have some sort of free-to-play variant. The rule does include game demos. To give you an idea, it's essentially a more inclusive version of Microsoft's XBL rule that all XBLA games must have a demo.

Also, I don't think it will necessarily get Android gaming a boost. The thing is that by default, the Ouya will not access the Android Marketplace. What will most likely happen is that developers will retool current and new games with the Ouya controller, and release them specifically on the Ouya Marketplace. Although, since the Ouya will be fairly open, chances are you will be able to hack it to allow it to gain access to the Android Marketplace (or any other Android app store).

EDIT:

In regard to the SoC complaints, I wonder if they would consider using some of the newer Tegra models due out next year. I believe those are Grey and Wayne. Although, isn't Grey just a modified Tegra 3? I can't remember off the top of my head. Chances are that it may not be hard to retool the device to use the newer SoC; however, it may not be cost effective. The point of using Tegra 3 may be to keep costs down. This thing does effectively have similar hardware as the AppleTV and a controller (I think they said extra controllers are $30).

 

[hans030390]

Every game available for OUYA will be free-to-play for users for at least some portion of the game. The developers will make their money through in-game purchases, upgrades and add-ons.

No, just no. I'd rather pay $20 for a good android game one time, than constantly be bombarded with ads or paying to advance every 30 minutes etc.

Besides, any decent android tablet can use xbox/ps3/other controllers wirelessly and has hdmi out. I love having a totally portable console that does practically everything else too.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. Consider F2P games like League of Legends. Not only is it doing extremely well, but it's an extremely solid game through and through. Then you have games like Guild Wars 2, Tribes: Ascend, Blacklight Retribution, and so on. There are a lot of excellent F2P games that compete with "normal", pay-to-play games. I believe they even mentioned LoL in the Kickstarter page, so I think they're looking far beyond the typical games model seen on mobile and tablet devices.

Of course, it could also turn out very poorly like you've suggested. Hoping for the best!

 

[obidamnkenobi]

Every game available for OUYA will be free-to-play for users for at least some portion of the game. The developers will make their money through in-game purchases, upgrades and add-ons.

No, just no. I'd rather pay $20 for a good android game one time, than constantly be bombarded with ads or paying to advance every 30 minutes etc.

Besides, any decent android tablet can use xbox/ps3/other controllers wirelessly and has hdmi out. I love having a totally portable console that does practically everything else too.

They say right on the page that it can mean a 30 min limited trial, and then you pay $20 to unlock the the full game (or $3, or $200..). Do you have a problem with demos..?

Besides I think in many cases free to play can work, for example league of legends or tribes. Or the freemium model where 5 first levels are free, $x to unlock the rest. I don't have a problem with that (Hell, that was how Doom was!) I don't think this will necessarily mean terrible games/farmville..