OUYA: A $99 Android console meant to open up console gaming

[Lyrai]

As I've stated numerous times:

Like Dshu said: PSP version is definitely not 1080p, even worse it is in a tiny letterbox and sub 480p (480×272 to be exact) on a TV. and the PSP STILL costs more than the OUYA (the unit and even the game cost more)

http://www.ebay.com/ctg/Sony-PSP-1000-Base-Pack-Silver-Handheld-System-/101802815

$50 for a PSP, $20 for a PSN card because I trust the Ouya people about the same as I trust Sony with my CC info, $70.

As far as the game itself goes, having slogged through that entire murderous mass on the DS, FF3 is probably the second worst game Square-Enix could have released as a 'premire' title, the worst being Final Fantasy 2, which at this point I think they want to forget they made it. Doesn't exactly speak volumes about their confidence in the thing.

[Crowbar Man]

PSP sold at Retail is $129. A used eBay auction is not an official price tag.

And no it doesn't speak ANY volumes in their confidence. It is just a simple Android port (which was an iOS port, which was a very enhanced DS port). It is also the only 3D FF game on Android game

For some people having "Square" and "Final Fantasy" is important. I've stopped caring about those words long ago (and this platform is for Indies).

Still, don't try to push off the PSP version as 1080p on a TV because it is not!

Edited April 5, 2013 by Crowbar Man

[Gario]

I thought the review from The Verge was fair, if a little misinformed (though that score doesn't seem to reflect what they said about it, nor does it consider price point). The biggest sin they commit (and probably what landed a low score, to begin with) is that they wonder why the console launched before it was ready to launch (bugs, lack of games, etc.), when the console doesn't launch until June 4th. The consoles that people are now getting are in fact a sort 'Beta' test of the console, according to OUYA, one that will increase the features & games that the console has over time. To consider the current roll out of systems the 'launch' date is silly.

[Bahamut]

I thought the review from The Verge was fair, if a little misinformed (though that score doesn't seem to reflect what they said about it, nor does it consider price point). The biggest sin they commit (and probably what landed a low score, to begin with) is that they wonder why the console launched before it was ready to launch (bugs, lack of games, etc.), when the console doesn't launch until June 4th. The consoles that people are now getting are in fact a sort 'Beta' test of the console, according to OUYA, one that will increase the features & games that the console has over time. To consider the current roll out of systems the 'launch' date is silly.

It sounded like the controller was pretty bad too, with a noticeable delay - that alone concerns me more than anything about the games.

[Lyrai]

PSP sold at Retail is $129. A used eBay auction is not an official price tag.

If you want to split hairs that far, then the price of the Hoorah is N/A since you can't buy one at retail yet.

If you want to actually be logical about it, if I had $100 in front of me, I could get a PSP and several games of my choice for it, or one of these things, or any number of things other than the Ohyeah that look, sound, and are ran by people who seem to have some common sense and goal beyond, quote, "Bring back TV Gaming."

I mean, I'm impressed they've made it this far without collapsing, but we're already seeing cracks everywhere. If they can make it to June without a catastrophic failure, another plus for them, but I don't see the Boogityboo being little more than a small toy that comes with a premium price.

Edited April 5, 2013 by Lyrai

[Dhsu]

It sounded like the controller was pretty bad too, with a noticeable delay - that alone concerns me more than anything about the games.

It is concerning, but according to the link that Muuurgh posted (Eddie K is not a Boxer8 employee btw) this is an optimization problem on the part of devs rather than an issue with the OUYA hardware or software. Hopefully he's telling the truth, but if not there are reports that PS3 controllers work fine.

[Crowbar Man]

If you want to split hairs that far, then the price of the Hoorah is N/A since you can't buy one at retail yet.

It is not splitting hairs, it is simply a factual retail price tag. And yes, you can preorder a OUYA right from their website: http://www.ouya.tv/ and it will soon be in stores to buy. I don't even know what point you are trying to make there. They have advertised their price for a while now

If you want to actually be logical about it, if I had $100 in front of me, I could get a PSP and several games of my choice for it

Not retail you can't! Either way the PSP thing is your choice. Nobody is forcing you to buy an OUYA. However, the PSP isn't going to be getting a lot of new games though since it is at the end of its life cycle. The hardware is also weaker, games more expensive, no free to play stuff, and while you can get some indie stuff on it, its still not really a place for indies. (Has some homebrew if hacked if that counts though). Also as a person who owns one of the TV cables for his PSP, I can tell you it is not comfortable for TV viewing (also letter boxed sub 480p as mentioned earlier)

or one of these things, or any number of things other than the Ohyeah that look, sound, and are ran by people who seem to have some common sense and goal beyond, quote, "Bring back TV Gaming."

GameStick, while slightly more portable, is weaker in hardware than OUYA and will probably not have as much support as OUYA. You really are getting less for only $20 cheaper. It is another neat idea though, and not really hugely different, so not sure why you would be pro for one and against the other. It really is the same basic concept, just even even smaller company trying to do the same thing. I'll probably pick up one of these too just for the novelty

Dshu/Bahamut:

There have been some issue with the controllers. Hopefully the retail model will have this all fixed, because the controller is obviously the most important thing for a console

Edited April 5, 2013 by Crowbar Man

[DaMonz]

It is concerning, but according to the link that Muuurgh posted (Eddie K is not a Boxer8 employee btw) this is an optimization problem on the part of devs rather than an issue with the OUYA hardware or software. Hopefully he's telling the truth, but if not there are reports that PS3 controllers work fine.

I have experienced latency with the controller, but after a few optims in my code the lag was all gone. No delay whatsoever.

[Gario]

It sounded like the controller was pretty bad too, with a noticeable delay - that alone concerns me more than anything about the games.

Yeah, I didn't read that. I read that some games had a latency problem, which could just as likely be a problem on the developer's side. The review said that other than the battery inputs (which seemed flimsy) and the latency (not pinning it on the OUYA controllers just yet) the controllers were quite enjoyable. I don't know what the business against the 'A' was - on the SNES the 'A' was exactly where the OUYA 'A' is...

[Crowbar Man]

Yeah, I didn't read that. I read that some games had a latency problem, which could just as likely be a problem on the developer's side. The review said that other than the battery inputs (which seemed flimsy) and the latency (not pinning it on the OUYA controllers just yet) the controllers were quite enjoyable. I don't know what the business against the 'A' was - on the SNES the 'A' was exactly where the OUYA 'A' is...

It is also the same spot on the Wii (Classic Controller) and Wii U (GamePad, Pro). Apparently people have only used a 360 controller and get confused when using anything else. Using a PS controller must throw them for a REAL loop. Kinda sad reflection on the reviewers adaptability and nothing wrong with the OUYA lol

Edited April 5, 2013 by Crowbar Man

[Dhsu]

I have experienced latency with the controller, but after a few optims in my code the lag was all gone. No delay whatsoever.

Cool, thanks for that info. Definitely a relief!

[Lyrai]

It is not splitting hairs, it is simply a factual retail price tag. And yes, you can preorder a OUYA right from their website: http://www.ouya.tv/ and it will soon be in stores to buy. I don't even know what point you are trying to make there.

My point is that for less than the cost of a HIGGELDTYPIGGELTY I can get a system that has more or less the same kind of games, and also has other, better games on it.

The OMOCHAO is a neat toy, but that's all I can see it as. A toy to fiddle around with, play phone games on your TV for a few hours and then realize why certain games made for the phone don't translate well to the big screen, and turn into a media server or streaming box for movies. Certainly not revolutionize console gaming like they and the fanbase liked to talk about.

Not retail you can't! Either way the PSP thing is your choice. Nobody is forcing you to buy an OUYA.

I'm not sure what this is supposed to be, I never demanded no one purchase an AMPERSAND, nor did I say the devs were holding a gun to my head demanding I buy one or they were going to shoot.

However, the PSP isn't going to be getting a lot of new games though since it is at the end of its life cycle. The hardware is also weaker, games more expensive

About the only part to that I'll grant is the weaker hardware. The memory is certainly much less, and the processor, I ain't got a clue on. I know that the Tegra3 is pretty okay overall, but couldn't find diddly squat on the PSP's. The games issue? BS. I can root around online, I can download straight off the PSN, I can dig through bargain bins, or hell, just hit up eBay and get the A-list games dropped onto the PSP for $2-$5. The rare one may pop up to $10, but at the very least, I know damn well that (most of the time) I'm getting a game that had a lot more effort put into it than most of the games on the MRGMREMGRMBLE.

no free to play stuff

This is supposed to be a bad thing?

and while you can get some indie stuff on it, its still not really a place for indies. (Has some homebrew if hacked if that counts though).

You can hack the ORBITALTRAJECTORY wide open, and you can hack the PSP wide open as well. I tested it just now with mine, grand total of 2 minutes to make it homebrew capable.

Also as a person who owns one of the TV cables for his PSP, I can tell you it is not comfortable for TV viewing (also letter boxed sub 480p as mentioned earlier)

I never had any real problem with it. Granted, I liked to carry my PSP around and play it while waiting in the office or at college, something I can also do with my phone, which can play the majority of the games on the OSCARMEYER, since it's droid!

GameStick, while slightly more portable, is weaker in hardware than OUYA and will probably not have as much support as OUYA. You really are getting less for only $20 cheaper. It is another neat idea though, and not really hugely different, so not sure why you would be pro for one and against the other. It really is the same basic concept, just even even smaller company trying to do the same thing. I'll probably pick up one of these too just for the novelty

The JOHNMADDEN talked like it was going to slay the mighty goliaths of the dying video game industry and revive it into some Elysian paradise. I tried to follow it from the start, and the more the developers talked about it, the more I became concerned that we basically had a bunch of people with a pipe dream, a nice idea, and no solid understanding of just why certain things in business work the way they do. You can't just take a huge stack of money, rub it on something, and expect gold to flow out. I wish the people behind the best, but I saw a big lack of real world knowhow and expectations with it that I pulled my pledge entirely. Following the Gamestick, they seemed a bit more down to earth, if less party hard, about what their thing was going to do, and also of the amount of bullshit they'd have to push to get it anywhere.

Someone I know called the APPLEJUICE, "The Ron Paul of Video game systems." I wouldn't go that far, as to my knowledge I don't think the SCOTTPILGRIM is actively racist, but the uncomfortable fanaticism is there, along with the lingering feeling that a lot of people are going to get screwed when it crashes down.

[Ramaniscence]

... a bunch of stuff ...

Frankly, I find your posts to be argumentative for argument sake, and your mocking attitude incredibly childish. I don't know how anyone could even entertain the idea of a true rebuttal to any of your posts as immature as they are...

Your replies are an embarrassment to this otherwise intelligent, critical, conversation.

That said: With the release of the Ouya coming up, I'm a little bit saddened that I couldn't back the Kickstarter when I had the chance. Not that I expect it to get much more play than any of my other now-barely-used consoles, but I'm incredibly interested in just being part of the story and seeing where it goes firsthand. The amount of creative projects that have been able to be crowd-sourced is absolutely astounding; From AAA titles, to museums, to consoles, to feature films. We live in a wonder age.

[The Derrit]

the argument i'm getting here is that the ouya is not for 'my' type of games. what kind is that? good ones?

let me explain something. i like indie games. however, having spent enough time around indie games, if there's one thing i know about indie games its that for every good indie game there is about two hundred billion bad indie games, and making a system based around the inconsistency of indie games is not going to draw the attention of anyone except people who only play indie games and nothing other than indie games. on top of that the people who make indie games aren't as good at 3d models and rendering as professional, so arguing the 1080p thing over the psp is kind of moot seeing as no one will be able to make a beautiful 1080p rendered game on an indie game budget. unless they want to be making it for 4 or 5 years.

indie games.

and i'm not sure where lyrai is infuriating you so other than using funny words instead of ouya. because ouya is a really stupid name. he's pretty much spot on in that people who got caught up in the dream are like 'this is going to be so worth it' and literally anyone else who's not is like 'eh, why does this exist again?' even indie developers who have clout are better served to put their games on psn or xbl, or even wiiware, and instantly reach an audience orders of magnitude bigger than the ouya's. this is what he's talking about when he talks about business sense. the only thing the ouya provides is a lower barrier to entry, meaning if you make a bad game that fails it's not as dangerous as if you had taken it to another service. other than that for developers, it doesn't give you anything except less opportunity at an audience and recognition.

Edited April 5, 2013 by The Derrit

[Dhsu]

the only thing the ouya provides is a lower barrier to entry, meaning if you make a bad game that fails it's not as dangerous as if you had taken it to another service.

This is pretty huge, actually.

Basically Lyrai's argument boils down to "for $100 I can buy something with a library built over 8 years, so it's not worth getting a system that sent out dev kits 2 months ago." Again, this applies to ANY new console. Your point is valid that there probably isn't much coming down the line that will entice the average gamer, but personally there's a bunch of stuff I'm interested in, e.g. Mercenary Kings, Cryamore, Pier Solar HD, FEZ, Kim Swift exclusive, etc.

Edited April 5, 2013 by Dhsu

[Cerrax]

the argument i'm getting here is that the ouya is not for 'my' type of games. what kind is that? good ones?

let me explain something. i like AAA games. however, having spent enough time around AAA games, if there's one thing i know about AAA games its that for every good AAA game there is about two hundred billion bad AAA games, and making a system based around the inconsistency of AAA games is not going to draw the attention of anyone except people who only play AAA games and nothing other than AAA games.

Fixed. For every Bioshock Infinite, there are two hundred billion Too Humans. This statement can apply to any type of game with any size budget.

on top of that the people who make indie games aren't as good at 3d modeling and rendering as professional, so arguing the 1080p thing over the psp is kind of moot seeing as no one will be able to make a beautiful 1080p rendered game on an indie game budget. unless they want to be making it for 4 or 5 years.

Really? Tell me more. Not to mention that the "arty" styles most indie games use tend to age much more gracefully than AAA photo-realistic graphics.

Edited April 5, 2013 by Cerrax

[Gario]

Any and all arguments for and against the Ouya are based 110% on speculation (Good games can be made quickly enough to enjoy in the near future, and comparing a system price to an ebay auction is silly; wait for an Ouya to go on ebay for 50-60% off retail before making a comparison) - the system has not launched with all of it's capabilities, yet. Even when everybody gets theirs from the preorder batch, it'll be far too soon to make any real assessment on the system, since it's not really complete yet (to be completed before launch in June using updates and taking in feedback from it's users). Rather than making a prediction on something for the sole purpose on bragging rights if your prediction comes true, why not simply wait and see what comes out of it? It's not like you can prevent people from making poor purchasing choices when they've made the purchase nearly a year ago.

Relax, open a beer and wait for the results in two months. That way you'll have real data to work off of rather than guesses on something which is relatively unexplored territory.

Or not. I'm just throwing that out there to save a few bursting blood vessles. I'll personally wait judging it until I've played it for a month or two.

[DaMonz]

Any and all arguments for and against the Ouya are based 110% on speculation (Good games can be made quickly enough to enjoy in the near future, and comparing a system price to an ebay auction is silly; wait for an Ouya to go on ebay for 50-60% off retail before making a comparison) - the system has not launched with all of it's capabilities, yet. Even when everybody gets theirs from the preorder batch, it'll be far too soon to make any real assessment on the system, since it's not really complete yet (to be completed before launch in June using updates and taking in feedback from it's users). Rather than making a prediction on something for the sole purpose on bragging rights if your prediction comes true, why not simply wait and see what comes out of it? It's not like you can prevent people from making poor purchasing choices when they've made the purchase nearly a year ago.

Relax, open a beer and wait for the results in two months. That way you'll have real data to work off of rather than guesses on something which is relatively unexplored territory.

Or not. I'm just throwing that out there to save a few bursting blood vessles. I'll personally wait judging it until I've played it for a month or two.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[Crowbar Man]

Derrit:

Why wouldn't a good game be good, regardless of Indie or AAA? Like Cerrax said, having a large budget does not make a game good by any means. Plenty of "blockbuster" big budget games turn out totally crap. Acting like having a large budget is somehow making games better really shows you haven't been paying attention to the market or gaming in general. You always creep your insinuations that Indie games are somehow inferior in your discussions.

As far as 1080p vs LETTER BOXED Sub 480p: are you really arguing that just because all indies might not make the best super realistic 3D models that having a letter boxed sub 480p is somehow better? The PSP is pretty limited even on how many polygons it can use in the first place. That plus its resolution limitation, plus the dithering when in limited color mode (for better performance), etc. Even something with all blocks for graphics (like minecraft) would still look better in 1080p. Seriously, what are you even trying to put in this argument here?

Besides if you can't enjoy a game just because it doesn't have eye bleeding realistic graphics, then A) you can't be much of a gamer and you probably aren't really interested in indie games in the first place. Regardless, there are a lot of beautifully crafted indie games, both 2D art and 3D modeling.

As far as console venues:

PSN: Not too bad, still have the extremely large overhead of needing an SDK/Devkit and licensing fees. Not possible for many. Medium audience

XBLA: Not really lucrative anymore, ridiculously extremely large overhead (SDK/Devkit, large licensing fees everywhere, publisher required). Most of the popular indies here (who went for broke to even get their game on it) made much more money on Steam (which in comparison probably costed nothing). Medium audience

WiiWare: No. Maybe eShop if Nintendo sells some more Wii U units, but WiiWare is a fantastical failure, Nintendo even has it set up where you can literally NOT get paid a dime back if you don't sell enough. A huge money sink. SDK/Devkit and licensing fees. Almost no audience in the first place and shrinking

VS "Other" Venues:

Android/iOS/Ouya/GameStick/PC/Steam: Dirt cheap. Can make a game with almost no overhead. Lots of cross platform tools and SDKs ranging from free to very affordable. Largest audience.

As a reminder to everybody:

They don't have to craft a game for "OUYA", and indies OR big budget companies can aim at ALL Android devices, or use cross platform tools to even start the game on the PC, iOS, etc. Not just OUYA. OUYA sits in the much larger Android eco system, and why this fact keeps getting ignored is beyond me. Why act like someone HAS to develop code that ONLY works on OUYA to make an OUYA game? It is not like a regular console in previous generations that has a completely new architecture that everybody has to relearn and write tools for (or an expensive Devkit or SDK to buy).

If you aren't interested in the idea (Indie gaming console) then don't bother obviously. If you are REMOTELY interested: It is dirt cheap. I don't see the problem

Edited April 6, 2013 by Crowbar Man

[Nabeel Ansari]

Hook PC to TV.

Steam Big Picture.

There's your "console".

[Dhsu]

If you have a PC to spare or if you're okay with playing ALL your games on a TV then more power to you.

I'm not gonna play Dota 2 on my TV.

[Crowbar Man]

*sigh*

Even if you consider that a console (Hint: It is not.)

That endeavor is going to require a lot more technical skills, a lot more tweaking (Big Picture Mode doesn't magically make everything work right) and cost a WHOLE lot more than $99. It isn't for everybody by ANY stretch of imagination. Its of course an awesome thing for those in the know.

Now, Steam BOX is a whole other ball game, and we'll wait for that to become reality

That aside, you may eventually miss out of OUYA/Android/Mobile "exclusives" just as sticking to one "console" or PC always does. You can't play everything on PC or single console.

I like my PC games (and have a PC hooked up to a big screen) but I wish people would stop trying to bring PCs into console discussions :/

Edited April 6, 2013 by Crowbar Man

[Nabeel Ansari]

I like my PC games (and have a PC hooked up to a big screen) but I wish people would stop trying to bring PCs into console discussions :/

Don't mention Steam if you don't wanna talk about PCs.

That endeavor is going to require a lot more technical skills,

Step 1. Get cable

Step 2. Plug Cable

Yeah, requires about the same "technical skills" as hooking up an Ouya.

cost a WHOLE lot more than $99.

It would cost me a big fat $0 to do this since I already have a PC (and I'm pretty sure most people on these forums have one too).

You, on the other hand, have to spend $99 because of "technical skills".

That aside, you may eventually miss out of OUYA/Android/Mobile "exclusives" just as sticking to one "console" or PC always does.

Steam has and will always have better "exclusives".

Edited April 6, 2013 by Neblix

[Crowbar Man]

I was talking as being a part of the more indie friendly deployment platforms vs "traditional" console platform models, didn't mean to attract PC Master Race types. My mistake? PC was on the proindie/friendly side by the way, not sure what the offense was.

Obviously you've never built OR set up a PC gaming rig if you think it is "Get cable, plug cable". And no, PCs do not cost $0. Just because you have it now doesn't mean that you didn't pay for it at some point. What a lousy argument.

Also, just saying anything has "better" exclusives than another platform just screams fanboyism. It is your opinion. Not fact. Don't be closed minded.

It is a fact however, that limiting yourself to one platform will make you miss out on things that do not come to it.

Edited April 6, 2013 by Crowbar Man

[Gario]

It would cost me a big fat $0 to do this since I already have a PC (and I'm pretty sure most people on these forums have one too).

Yeah, but mine doesn't run games very well (anything post UT3 engine runs either sub-optimally or is unplayable on my hardware), nor was it designed to. A lot of people don't have PCs dedicated to gaming - assuming that much is silly. I personally would need to invest in either beefing my laptop up significantly or investing in a desktop to be able to play the latest steam games at a good frame rate and resolution. Quite a bit more than 100$.

No, it did not cost you 0$ for your PC. If I recall, you recently got a pretty powerful machine, didn't you? That cost is your console cost - you can't cut that cost out just because you didn't beef it specifically for gaming.

And no, PCs do not cost $0. Just because you have it now doesn't mean that you didn't pay for it at some point.

For any argument bringing a PC onto the table, this is the case.

To get a modest PC with around the specs given on the OUYA (~2 ghz processor, 1 gb RAM, no dedicated video card) it cost me about 160$. This computer, mind you, will not be able to run games at any decent frame rate, and in many cases will have compatibility issues that would cost hundreds of dollars to fix. That's not to mention a screen for the computer (I left that out in case you wanted to use cables to hook to a television), and the cost of an operating system (Linux is free, but then you come across more compatibility issues and emulation slowdown, in the case of using Wine for running Windows programs).

A good computer that will run all the more recent games that you want at a good speed & resolution runs at a price higher than any console currently on the market, if you're really trying to make something that will run games optimally (which a dedicated console like OUYA will presumably do, by default, since designers will be designing for the console). Even if you can haggle the prices a little bit, there is no way that you can make a machine that's decent at running games at OUYA's specs for under 100$.

Just for the PC argument that keeps flying around, for some reason.