Console Gaming has become somewhat of a routine thing in the last few years. It's almost gone stale in a way, and lots of top developers are focusing less and less on consoles and paying more attention to the ever-growing mobile market. Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony have been sitting comfortably in the console race without any outside competition since the Sega Dreamcast in 1999. Now, they have a reason to watch their backs because there's about to be a new challenger in town, and they're looking to change everything we thought we knew about console gaming while simultaneously bringing the crowds back to the living room.
OUYA (pronounced OOO-yah) may just be in the prototype stage at the moment, but its gathering support at speeds faster than Japan's Bullet Train. Yesterday, the little company that could launched a Kickstarter page, asking for just under $1 million to put the project in full motion. In less than a day, they more than tripled their goal, and still the money keeps rolling in, just passing $3.5 million at the time of writing this article. This signifies so much more than just some random group of people raising lots of money in a short time though, it shows that over 27,000 "backers" (and counting) are supporting a revolution in gaming.
What makes OUYA so unique is the way it strips almost every core principle of console gaming and rewrites them to something completely different. Right now, console gaming is an expensive endeavor. You have to drop around $200 - give or take $100 - just for the console, maybe another $50 to have a controller for a friend, and then $60 for each new game you want. The OUYA challenges that established model, making gaming so much cheaper.
Let’s open this sucker up! It's time we brought back innovation, experimentation, and creativity to the big screen. Let’s make the games less expensive to make, and less expensive to buy. With all our technological advancements, shouldn't costs be going down? Gaming could be cheaper!
The OUYA is going to launch with a price tag of just $99, and an extra controller will only cost you another $30. Oh, and the games? Free to play. Now this doesn't mean all the games are free, it just means that some portion of the game has to be. For developers, they can interpret this how they wish, but that free-to-play portion is a requirement. This means some, such as the big-name developers, will likely go the traditional route of having a game demo while others may choose to adopt the newer models where you can pay for a "premium subscription" or purchase individual unique upgrades to enhance your experience, while still keeping the basic gameplay free.
Developing for the console is left wide open as well. Anyone can develop for it, and it shouldn't be too much of a challenge. OUYA is Android based; 4.0 to be exact. Not only that, but every single console is a dev kit. There's no need to purchase an expensive SDK, it's built right into each console. If you're not happy with the current design of your OUYA, you can even hack it too; in fact, they encourage it! The OUYA is easy to root and doing so won't void your warranty. If you'd rather upgrade the hardware, have at it. Everything will be opened with standard screws, and there won't be any annoying "warranty stickers" in the way either. It will also support USB and Bluetooth so anyone can develop their own peripherals as well.
OUYA looks to be a pretty sleek, sexy, futuristic piece of technology as is, though. Award-winning designer Yves Behar, the designer behind the Jambox, is heading up the design process. The controller should be very familiar to those with an Xbox 360, as the design nearly mimics the layout. OUYA is also adding a touchpad to help transition from mobile gaming. The console itself will feature a Tegra3 Quad-Core Processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal flash storage, an HDMI connection with full 1080p support, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, and the aforementioned Bluetooth LE 4.0 and USB 2.0.
Right now, the team behind OUYA has a full working prototype and the support of some big names in gaming. Mojang, the developer behind the sensation that is Minecraft, has already pledged his support.
“If OUYA delivers on the promise of being the first true open gaming platform that gives indie developers access to the living room gaming market, yes that is a great idea. We will follow the development of OUYA and see how it resonates with gamers. I could see all current Mojang games go on the platform if there's a demand for it.”
Likewise, many others are excited about the OUYA
"This has the potential to be the game developer’s console. It's about time!" -- Brian Fargo (founder of inXile)
“Who wouldn't want a beautiful piece of industrial design that sells for $99, plugs straight into your TV, and gives you access to a huge library of games?" – Jordan Mechner (creator of Prince of Persia, Karateka)
"I'm excited for OUYA! I am a firm believer that there is always room to challenge the status quo." -- Jenova Chen (thatgamecompany, creator of flOw, Cloud, and Flower)
“The prospect of an affordable, open console -- that's an idea I find really exciting.” -- Adam Saltsman (Semi Secret, creator of Canabalt)
"Our games will work so well on a TV, we just need an easy way to get them there. OUYA could be it." -- Marek Rabas (Madfinger Games)
"An open game console that gives independent game developers the flexibility to experiment with their games and business models on the TV, is something that's long overdue." – David Edery (Spry Fox, creator of Triple Town)
Clearly, the developers aren't the only ones that feel that way. With the $3.5 already raised, it's obvious that everyone who loves games is ready to shake things up. There's still plenty of time left to pledge your support if you're interested as well as gain some special perks for being an early supporter. The earliest release batch of consoles is long gone, but you can still get your name in to have a console before it's available in stores. You'll also get a special "founder" badge on your profile and a chance to reserve your username before the big rush on launch day. If you want to spend a little extra, you can get an OUYA and two controllers with your name etched into them. The Kickstarter page will be running until 1:00AM EDT on Thursday, Aug. 9. The current goal for release is in Q1 of 2013; more specifically they're shooting for some time in March.
When it finally releases, it's guaranteed to be earth-shattering to the console gaming industry and with the support behind it, it looks like there's no stopping the OUYA.
If you want to follow the growth of OUYA, you can check out their Kickstarter page, or follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook.
Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you!
