...Also, they probably made the system hackable to avoid problems such as the PSN shutdown. If anyone can hack the system, threats such as Anonymous will have little to no significance. Kinda smart.
Ouya Kickstarter ends with $8.6 million
By
Eddie Makuch, News Editor
Crowd-funding campaign for new Android console closes with more than 63,000 supporters; four-controller support confirmed.
The Kickstarter campaign for Ouya, a new Android-powered home console, has come to a close with a grand total of $8,596,475, rocketing past its original $950,000 goal. A total of 63,416 users have donated to the project, which promises to have consoles out by March 2013.
Yesterday, Ouya creators announced that the console would support four controllers and that Namco Bandai was planning to embrace the system. The publisher said it is currently in "active discussions" to bring some of its properties to Ouya, though none were named.
In addition to Namco Bandai, Ouya creators have partnered with streaming giant OnLive, and Square Enix, which will have Final Fantasy III available for the console at launch.
The Ouya will plug into television sets gamers already own and will ship with a custom controller sometime by March 2013. Any developer can create games for the system, which will support high-definition output via its Tegra3 chipset. It has 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal flash storage, and boasts Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support.
The Ouya is also entirely hackable. According to its creators, gamers who root the system--a process described as "easy"--will not void their warranty. Additionally, for those looking to hack the hardware itself, the console opens with a screwdriver and has USB ports for custom-made peripherals.
For more on the Ouya, check out GameSpot's feature "5 Reasons Why Ouya Could Be a Winner (and 5 Why It Won't)."
By
Eddie Makuch, News Editor
Eddie Makuch (Mack-ooh) is a News Editor at GameSpot. He works out of the company's Boston office in Somerville, Mass., and loves extra chunky peanut butter.
168 comments
Hopefully this will work. This is an inspiring story for small business owners and the advantage of Social Media. Giant corporations will never give concepts such as this a second look. Is there a way you can donate more money into this?
So... will there be any Hd games for it? I just heard about this a few days ago, and know nothing about it. What kind of games will it play? Just old classics or will there be PS3 quality games available? Will it have online multiplayer? I'd greatly appreciate any answers.
1 Like I hope this thing doesn't flop... it might end up becoming the best console of all time
2 Like I'm actually hoping to develop a game for this, Windows and Linux. >,>
Releasing games will be super easy for this thing because of how open it is, it's great to finally see an open video game console for anyone. Imagine how many indie games are gonna get out from this thing, without having to pay 40K to patch everytime they find some stuff wrong and then they can't fix their patches like with Fez.
1 Like Glad people are putting faith in the Ouya. I really wanna see what it could become, and I don't want want money to get in the way of a great concept.
$8,596,475? From 63416 users? That's about $135 per user. Wow, some people really must have been injecting some serious money in this project. That, while barely anything is announced yet. I wouldn't have done it.
@Zonno umm no, on paper you see $135 per user, but really there are a LOT of people who only put $10 $20 (I,m one of them). there were a few uses who dump over $1000 into the project.
@msfan1289 Of course I knew that. I was talking about an average. I didn't even think I would get a reply like this.
2 Like The developers and hackers will own the system. That's fine as long as you don't have to put any of your personal information within that little square box. How will games be purchased? Will they be on flash cards or as a digital download? If the whole thing is hackable, can't hackers get a hold of any game and distribute it to others for play on the Ouya? The system sounds too good to be true and with no security, I think developers may end up losing a lot of money instead of profiting.
@blackace Maybe you can just set up some type of store online? And let people download it for money then put it on the console. They probably will have a marketplace, but my suggestion would also work and might actually be more practical for patching.
@blackace i guess u have no idea about how android works ...it is all about customization ..take that away and u will have one of its major perks down... if u have some "phone OS" knowledge u would know how developers hate that manufactures release some of their android devices with locked bootloader .... rooting for android is more like jailbreak for iOS u can add tweaks and many functionalities..except android is gives alot of them even without the root access ...unlike iOS which is very strict and offering too little for users
4 Like
"Hackable" doesn't mean "no security," it means you can create your own software and run it on the console.
2 Like Uhh yeah, as in totally open source. They're putting control of the system into the hands of the user.....
@hXcShock It's more than that though, let's be fair. Android can have many apps developed in many languages that are accessible unlike consoles. It makes it a lot easier for indie developers, and the specs on this will run a good amount of games. They say this has a quad core, that's some serious power.
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@Suikogaiden up to $10 I believe it is a donation. otherwise you are buying a benefit from them. It can be a first choice on your gamer tag or if you give $100 you are actually buying the console already. So not everyone is giving away their money as you think.
1 Like @Suikogaiden umm those 63,000 people are investors moron, Kickstarter is a investment site. you like it invest, if you dont like it, then shut up and move on, and stop crying like a little loser.
@Suikogaiden They are not giving their money.
8.6 million for 63k clients. That's 136$ per client.
The console costing 99$, most people donated for the console, it's not free money given away, they made a purchase.
You also have the other kit, with the more expensive packages with extra controlers. Again, this is not money given away. There are "big pledgers" of coursen but those are the minority.
That said. On another note, 8.6$ seems like a big number, but in the end that's one full month for 63k clients. A failed launch for consoles sees 300+k sells in a week... I'm not impressed.
@Suikogaiden They are not giving it away. They are buying something that will make it to market only if people are interested in it.
It's like you are saying, "why buy tablets? They are only toys, you should've spent that money on poor children." or something like that.
Donating to UNICEF is an act of charity, this is not an act of charity. Yes generosity and kindness is essential to the human life, but you can't blame people for spending money that they earn for something that they deserve too.
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@Suikogaiden Sorry, you lost me there. I don't even know what you're talking about. Did you even read my comment?
OUYA can't come out to the market because they don't have the funds, or, they just can't risk coming to the market not knowing whether or not their product is actually wanted, which is why they did the Kickstarter. They are not begging for money, the pledges are hard-cold evidence that people wants OUYA to be a reality and come to the market.
By the way, you should also stop using whatever you're using to reply to my comment, and donate it to UNICEF.
Dude c'mon... You don't make people donate to charity or whatever by making those comments. Try something different next time, okay?
3 Like @Suikogaiden I think that is the problem. They can't convince investors to back their venture with big bucks. But then again, why would they? No publisher is going to give Ouya a second look, when they're being told the system is hackable. Software businesses already have enough trouble dealing with piracy on platforms that weren't meant to be hacked.
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@Suikogaiden It's good for end users and indie developers, pretty much anything but giant corporations which I thought we were all against anyway.
1 Like Entirely hackable (and presumably with unlocked bootloader) is good for users in terms of customisation but bad for platform in terms of piracy. For example Shadowgun devs reported that nearly 1% of players on android actually bought the game, similar situation was with Dead Trigger (before it became F2P). Who would want to make serious games for Ouya (that require big investments) if no one buy it...
@igorphoenix "Shadowgun devs reported that nearly 1% of players on android actually bought the game" ... well they are just toying with us dude they only said so cuz they wanted an excuse to turn freemium without customer rage about it ...if u following it a week later they announced the same for iOS since " number of pirated apps is as much as jailbroken devices " and they considered that equal to android ...so from the look of it just an excuse plus ...from all ppl i know with ios device only one or two are not jailbroken ...while almost 70 % of ppl with android around me dont even know how to side load apps on their devices....other than most of these need root access to bypass licences check
1 Like @igorphoenix Personally, I'd like to see where this would go. It could work, and if it does, it would bring the whole set of conventional wisdom on piracy into question. It has the potential to open up a whole new facet in the relationship between developer and gamer.
@Xentarim Maybe, but there is still problem - the key to successful launch of new cosole is game lineup. Under normal circumstances (like Sony, M$ of Nintendo) most of the launch titles are first party projects, third party developers usually wait until certain nuber of consoles sold so the consumer base is large enough. In case of Ouya most of launch titles are Android mobile games which isn`t the biggest selling point for new console.
3 Like Hopefully this will work out. It is always good to have choices within the videogame industry. Still 8.6 million is not a lot of money to launch at new console. So it still will be an uphill battle for them to succeed. I wish them well.
@Megavideogamer this console won't be as hard to develop as our current gen consoles since android isn't too demanding, if our smartphones play games in 3d, this will only need a slightly better video card for better graphics.
@iminyaface though you have to remember smartphones have tiny screens, if you put a smartphone game on the tv it wouldent look that good...
1 Like I'm really interested to see how this does. I'm really looking forward to it. I do hope developers embrace it and we see AAA title start to emerge on it.
My only real complain about the system so far is that it only has 8 GB of storage. I'm sure they will have Dropbox support (or at least some kind of cloud based storage option), but it would have been nice to have more storage space on board so that you don't have to rely on a cloud based option.
4 Like I plucked down 99 bones for this kickstarter. If it succeeds, wonderful. If not, at least it will look cool in my collection. Either way, it's nice to be a part of history.
@president_bush Same here, if it fails as a gaming medium I'll at least have internet TV and overpriced AV player
1 Like @cr8ive @president_bush look at it this way a HTPC will cost you over $300 to buy or make
3 Like I don't think this is meant to challenge or unseat the big 3 consoles, It is more just a different option for gamers to choose. I doubt most gamers will abandon their current consoles for the Ouya, but at the price of about two console games, it is certainly easier on the wallet and probably worth a shot in most gamers' minds. Whether or not it's a commercial success, it is refreshing to see a developer embracing creativity rather than punishing it. And with the huge response to the kickstarter campaign, publishers and developers are sure to take notice and perhaps learn from the ideas brought forth by the Ouya. I am excited to try it out.
I'm wondering why are they using the tegra instead of using a much better graphic card to challenge both sony n x360 while giving a very low price. Since tegra is practically installed in most tablets nowaday its kind of making buying this less attractive than buying a single ipad.
P.S. keep comment constructive
@zizi393 I believe Ouya is not set to compete directly with Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo. Its there as a screenless tablet. It should attract casual gamers and therefore it will survive on its own separate market. I own all consoles and a pc gamer at heart but I do play on my ipad and my Android SGS3. Each unique experience. Tablet games are quite challenging to control sometimes. X360 controlers and PS3 controlers does work on tablets and smartphones but again its not a big tv experience. Games does lack depth on tablets and phones but this is perfect for a quick pick up and play while waiting. Happy gaming.
@hardeddie @zizi393 Technically most newer tablets can be connected to our big screen (some requiring optional cable... like my tab10.1...damn you samsung)
Hi-end GPU requires space and lots of cooling... hence RRODs.. to compete with 360/PS3 they would need a bigger cube, and the biggest space-gobbler would be the GPU.
Even with Tegra (my tegra 2 experience), some games can warm up the tablet..
Not sure how the tegra in tablets and ipad comparison work in your post.. I think graphically ipad and tegra tablets are pretty much the same.
@cr8ive Yes, thats the point im trying to say. i mean if they want to make an ipad on TV, this is practically the way. I guess this serve as a mid range console for starters. the only good thing about it that i can think of is using indie games like minecraft / terraria / casual game might bring family together. on the downside, is that we wont be seeing complicated n highly intensive graphic game on this console. but still i hope it will succeed by catering to casual gamers. hopefully this will put an end to those facebook kind of games. which sucks totally.
I like the idea and might get it when it comes out if it has netflix and decent games on it.
5 Like I'll be rooting for the OUYA.
Hope they also bring the good old classic games from SNES and Sega Genesis. :-)
2 Like My existing Android tablet already has all the capability that the Ouya has, including the same Tegra processor, HDMI output, and a USB jack for 360 controller support.
I think the Ouya is a nice idea, but I don't see it getting beyond hobbyists and hackers. Less than 60k people pledged enough to get the console at launch, and I'll be shocked if they get more than 500k in a year after release. Why would developers (even indie devs) bother developing for such a small audience? iOS and Android are already hot, and now even the Windows 8 metro appstore will likely have an audience of several million by the end of 2012. Granted a port from Android to Ouya should be simple, but will devs bother?
If no one buys it, no one will develop for it. If no one develops for it, there will be no content and no one will buy it. It's a vicious circle and I don't think they have enough of a draw to make it successful. But hey, I'm hoping I'm wrong since I do think it's a nice concept. If I was a betting man I'd put my money elsewhere, though.
@chibi-acer And that tablet was build for gaming and costs only $99, is a small box and comes with a controller? The whole reason consoles exist is specific gaming hardware and ease of use in a package deal. Ouya fits all of those and a simple tablet does not. I won't be buying one because it's just not my cup of tea, but it is different that simply hooking up a $400-$600 tablet to the tv as well.
1 Like @Sefrix I bought the tablet for computing portability (and for hobbyist reasons, I'm an application programmer). My only point was the Ouya has zero hardware advantage over an Android tablet (so long as you have a USB controller handy), and the tablet can do a heck of lot more, both in terms of portability and access to content (over 600k apps and games on Google Play).
Considering that tablet sales are on the rise, that's another tough market that the Ouya will have to contend with.
@chibi-acer This is one of the reasons I will not be getting one. I am a senior CS major and my work involves web development so I'm in the technical field as well. I don't believe we are the target audience though. What you are describing is essentially the PC market today, I don't buy games for my console because I can get the same game on my PC and it will run and look better. I simply hook my laptop to my PC, connect my PS3 controller to it via bluetooth and have a better experience that way, but that's all technical and the ease of use is higher. On top of that I'm using a very expensive computer. For the less hardcore gamer (definitely Ouya's target audience) hey could get a no brainer gaming system for $900 less than my laptop.
I'm sorry if this is a bit of rambling and I hope my point came across. Essentially you are not their audience, but the potential audience is still rather large, with only those that own high end tablets (that also use them for gaming and are technically savvy) not in the picture. As for me, I'll stick with games like DA:O over Shadowgun.
1 Like Well there are a couple of reasons it can succeed.
1: It's 99$ for the console and a controller, whereas to get a tablet built similarly is around 250.
2: It's built on the android platform. Devs could easily make a game that is built for both tablet/smartphones and ouya.
3: It's already got the attention of several developers small, medium and large.
Largely the problem i see is that it is rootable. Rootable always brings about piracy which may or may not be a big issue.
@Getesh But the good thing is since it will have a very large indie base you will find new games under $10 and i would rather just pay and help the guys out than try and pirate them.
@drewcamilleri @Getesh i tend to buy more indie games then buy a game from EA, Activtion, etc. I myself is am a indie game dev, so i like to buy other indie games to supprt them. yes a lot of the 3D indie games are not the best, but they are indie what do you expect? what i dont like is the number of 2D or "2.5D" side scrolling indie games out in the market. Like Call of duty and every game wants to be like COD, i believe the indie market will suffer too if they continue to make 2D and 2.5D games. that is why there are only a handful of 3D games, and a handful of those 3D games that are fun.
3 Like @chibi-acer What you fail to recognize is that 60k people backed it and there was no real marketing for it. If you don't use Kickstarter or are not a gamer chances are you would have never heard of it. When they begin advertising this thing and with a $99 price tag people are going to go ape #%&! over this thing. It will be huge, mark my words. Reason being is that it does not have to compete with Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo and price point. I also have a tablet with almost the same specs (ASUS Transformer Prime) but I still backed this because I believe in the cause. I believe that this can and will be big.
@desauce 60k people backed an idea in the hope that it will be successful, that doesn't guarantee that it will be. It's possible that the system will launch with 100 games, 99 of which are ports of smartphone games that everyone already owns. Even for $110 (current pre-order price), will consumers really buy it just so they can play them on their TV?
There were over 450 million iOS and Android devices sold last year alone. Developers (even indie ones, forget EA/Activision) see that and force their attention on the bigger markets.
@desauce I respectfully disagree. I see the potential, I just don't think they can do it.
My *hope* is that this will successfully share the stage with the big 3. Yes, maybe it will happen. It doesn't even have to be #1, or even #3; just be commercially successful.
My *expectation* is that the actual audience will mostly be hobbyists and hackers, much like Linux is in the PC world today. It will be there, but for most part no one will care.
@chibi-acer What you are also failing to see is that it is not just a gaming console. It is a way for some people to have say Netflix of their TV. As far as the supposed 100 games with 99 of them being smartphone ports, that is a huge possibility at launch. The thing is that the console itself is a dev kit. Meaning anyone that has the console can potentially create a game or app for it, and also market it through the console. As an aspiring developer myself this is huge. What people fail to see is the potential of this thing. People are wearing blinders and only see game console, or a console with only smartphone games. This is simply not true. The sky is the limit with this thing for the fact that it is wide open. I bet we see some great things come from this. And to be honest, who cares if the big publishers do or don't want to get involved with this crazy open sourced console. If they decide to get aboard so be it, we will get some great games. If they don't, O well. We will get games made by unknowns. That is not always a bad thing.
@chibi-acer Devs would bother because they can't develop console games on phones, and developing for the big 3 is a pain in the ass.
2 Like @chibi-acer it is made to be modded. how many consoles do you know which allows you to still play and be modded?
3 Like @mrzero1982pt2 That only really interests hobbyists and hackers. You average consumer has no idea what to do with that.
@chibi-acer Why wouldn't this interest indie developers? It's a pain in the butt to get your game on the PSN or XBLA market, or even Apple's market. When you release a game there companies take profit off your game, they control when you can patch it and how often you can patch it etc. Sometimes your apps will just disappear too because Apple didn't like it turns out. Things like that are annoying for people who develop software and actually hurt these developers in the long run who are actually indie.
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