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[Superb Joe]

Oh wait, the thing's hackable

actually the thing doesn't exist

[SundownKid]

1) Connect PC to TV with 3 dollar cable
2) Connect 360 controller
3) Turn on Steam
4)
5) Gaze in disbelief

[poe]

1) Connect PC to TV with 3 dollar cable
2) Connect 360 controller
3) Turn on Steam
4)
5) Gaze in disbelief

Especially when this is released.

[Tuba]

Nope, the face buttons are just color-based.

Which is pretty stupid btw, color-blinded people also play video games you know?

The color-blind issue's been raised before, and I'm pretty sure that the concept isn't final (the D-Pad's not even shown). Also, the media shot shows that the buttons have labels. Hopefully it's the choice they decide to go with.

Sorry, saw some screenshots of the UI now that show the letters.

[SFBTom]

I backed the project, but I keep flip-flopping on if I'm actually excited by it.

I understand that the hardware will be outdated in a few years, but then a normal console cycle used to last 5 years, with £300 hardware. £80 hardware every 2 years doesn't seem like a bad deal to me...

The store curation worries me. Who are these mysterious curators? What are their motives?

Having a rooted android box connected to my TV is pretty neat, especially if it can handle streaming. Then it becomes a slightly cheaper Apple TV. Even better, if mobile games can be hooked up like AirPlay.

Is the controller going to be any good? Most 3rd party controllers hugely suck, how are they going to do better?

GAH!

[Ni-al]

I've seen the statements here about the graphics hardware not being on par with modern standards.  The Wii has the weakest processing hardware of any home console this generation, far inferior to that of the Xbox 360 or the PlayStation 3.  Yet, the Wii has become the highest selling home console of the seventh generation.  There are indeed a few graphically great looking Wii games.  While it's true that it has lost some of its support from the largest third-parties and is now falling short of its competitors in terms of sales, it still stood strong all these years.  It has still gotten some support from those third-parties every now and then. (Modern Warfare 3 has a Wii version)

Of course, the Wii was fueled by its motion control phenomenon, but it has now faded and there were several high-profile Wii games that had minimal or no use of motion control, retaining mostly standard traditional control, such as New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.  While the Ouya may not have motion control (at the moment), the processing hardware should be plenty superior to the Wii.  Either way, the same way Wii had motion control, Ouya could find something else to fuel its success and it doesn't mean the graphics won't appeal.

[cystem glitch]

seems a little odd - don't most of the major consoles report a net loss on console sales, that they intend on making back through game sales? If these people are trying the same strategy couldn't a fantastically successful kickstarter actually be putting them on the line for many millions worth of hardware that they can't actually deliver?

[Richard Kain]

don't most of the major consoles report a net loss on console sales, that they intend on making back through game sales? If these people are trying the same strategy couldn't a fantastically successful kickstarter actually be putting them on the line for many millions worth of hardware that they can't actually deliver?

Microsoft and Sony adopted such policies for their first forays into console development. Nintendo has never really done this, though. I believe they might have sold the 3DS for a loss after its price drop, but that was one of the very first instances of them selling hardware at a loss.

Given that this is a console with no disc drive (and thus no moving parts) as well as no attached screen (as a tablet or handheld would have) they can afford to produce it very cheaply. They are almost certainly selling it for a profit at $100 a unit. I would imagine that it is not a very big profit, but a profit still.

Making money back on long-term development is the obvious hope. And that will be the real factor in determining whether or not this project will "take-off." That 30% cut could easily keep Ouya afloat, but only if the development and install base manage to reach acceptable levels.

[Superb Joe]

seems a little odd - don't most of the major consoles report a net loss on console sales, that they intend on making back through game sales? If these people are trying the same strategy couldn't a fantastically successful kickstarter actually be putting them on the line for many millions worth of hardware that they can't actually deliver?

yes, except it allows however many people to draw a salary for a few of years

[rek]

I'm not a backer but I'm hopeful for this to succeed in some fashion.

[s_l_m]

I'm a backer, personally I think its a great idea. It kind of seems to me like this is something that may go the way of the gamepark or even the Dreamcast though, with a small but dedicated community.

[Falmil]

Not sure why everyone keeps pointing to its soon to be lower end hardware. The thing isn't being designed for shiny HD AAA titles, which I take as somewhat of a plus. Hardware limitations (at least in graphics) will hopefully allow devs to focus on things like gameplay more and not burn themselves out spending however many millions on a game only to have the company fold.

The "PC" being the open console doesn't really make sense to me either. PCs don't have a standard hardware set so developing for them requires finding some kind of target spec. The use of a game store for the platform ensures that people can get their games published and out there. By far, the most popular store for PC is Steam. If not for the recent announcement of Steam Greenlight, there would still be no discernible way to get your games onto Steam. Simply having your game in the store where everyone will be able to see it definitely ups your chances of success as opposed to struggling to get your name and game out to every corner of the web because people won't know it exists otherwise.

I'm probably going to support the project, but I'm still watching for other criticisms and counterarguments to its success. Worst case scenario, even if it did fail, you would still have a $100 hackable computer.

[SolarLune]

There's a lot of good arguments for both sides. The PC's open by default, sure, but there's not a native app store for it and not everyone has a PC. Would someone who owns a Linux or Mac computer buy a PC just to play PC games? Some people have been waiting to develop for a desktop console that's not a PC - I would love to develop for the Wii U (not going to happen), or the 360 if they could make it easier.

It would be cool if I could just drop a game executable onto a flash drive and plug it into my 360 to test, but I have to physically hook it up to a hub, which has to be connected to the Internet, as well as purchase a yearly subscription (probably in addition to XBOX Live Gold membership) just to make it basically worth learning XNA (I'm aware that Monogame focuses on making XBLIG titles cross-platform friendly). It's been awhile since I last checked it out, but my 360 won't even load the indie games section correctly for some reason, so... Yeah.

Even if OUYA doesn't go anywhere, it's still likely to run and stream normal Android apps (Netflix, Last FM, and others) and games, as well as be fairly easy to develop for. It also seems like it will have at least some indie devs going for it. So, even if you think it's a stupid idea, if you've got enough users who've purchased it, it might be worth it monetarily to publish your game on it too.

[Richard Kain]

I'm probably going to support the project, but I'm still watching for other criticisms and counterarguments to its success. Worst case scenario, even if it did fail, you would still have a $100 hackable computer.

This is the approach that convinced me to shell out money for this Kickstarter fund. As long as they manage to get the hardware in my hands, I will have no complaints. It may never become a successful console. It may never get the development support they're hoping for. They may never even get their digital storefront up and running. As long as I get the actual hardware, I will have an Android testbed I can work with. I can live with that.

[Uykered]

Theres a video here which shows some of the 3D game power it has:

[Garthy]

I was going to post that with the exception of the XBox line, the concept of console manufacturers taking a loss on consoles is mostly based on unsubstantiated claims being repeated, but digging for some proof of this suggests that this claim might not be as accurate as it used to be. It seems to be increasingly common to sell below cost close to launch date, hoping to make the money back later on licensing *and* waiting for hardware costs to fall so that the costs drop back below sell-price later.

Microsoft naturally have turned the "throw money at it until it sticks" model into an artform, so it's not in the least bit surprising that they've thrown themselves wholeheartedly at the loss leader model with XBoxes.

And that's before the massive development costs in actually designing the console in the first place of course. Factor this in and everyone starts out making a loss.

> Connect PC to TV with 3 dollar cable

This actually requires them to be reasonably close. This won't be true for all people. I've actually tried the lounge PC thing before. I didn't enjoy maintaining it, I didn't like the noise, I didn't like the space it took up, and I could rarely be bothered waiting for the thing to boot up. So I just didn't use it.

Part of the appeal of a console is being able to just fire the whole thing up, pick a game, and play it, and pack it away out of sight in a minute when you're done. Couple that with an app store of some sort and it means you can just spontaneously pick a game that sounds interesting.

The reason I don't have a console is that this convenience is expensive.

Now, if there's a low-cost console with low-entry, low-cost games, much like the smartphone market but actually on a big TV, well, I could see myself getting into that.

I think the people behind this are potentially onto a good thing.

[Ouren]

"Easy to hack!"

And never pay for a damn thing! :D


Also, this is $25, has an hdmi jack, runs android, and will arrive at your door next week.
http://www.raspberrypi.org/

[deathtotheweird]

you never have to pay for anything anyways, they want it to be a "free2play" game machine. but if your game isn't going to follow a free to play model, they at least require a demo.

but say you're a developer, would you really want to publish your game on a console that so overtly advertises the fact it's hackable? so I'm developing a niche game for an already niche platform, does that sound like a wise business decision?

and now that Steam is opening itself up for more indie games with their Greenlight program, I'd much prefer to spend my effort into getting my game on Steam rather than risking all my time and effort in this new platform.

[Ouren]

it's like people have never used a phone before, and don't realize that purely open platforms are fucked up.

there needs to be some level of curation, and even steam's greenlite program just puts things in front of the curation team at valve. that's it.



it's the android market with an hdmi port on it.
that should appeal to no one.

[Uykered]

so I'm developing a niche game for an already niche platform, does that sound like a wise business decision?

For some game programs it means pushing another export button. May as well put it on more things if you can.

but say you're a developer, would you really want to publish your game on a console that so overtly advertises the fact it's hackable?

Nearly every gaming console/computer/thing has been hacked, yet people still buy games on them.