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[Richard Kain]

yeah, but perhaps the GameStick kickstarter exists because of the Ouya's success.

It's also possible that GameStick is intending to use Kickstarter more for marketing and publicity purposes than for strict funding. This would explain why they had a much smaller Kickstarter target. (which they've already reached) After the hub-bub surrounding the OUYA, it would make sense to use Kickstarter as a platform for pitching their product, garnering attention, and getting feedback from potential customers.

[Blink]

I think their is a x86 port of android, it might not be the most stable thing in the world, but it exists


edit:
just looked it up: http://www.android-x86.org/

Oh wow. I have an old netbook lying around, I may just have to install this on there. Thanks!

And tacograveyard, thanks for all the details! Those battery covers had me worried, so I'm glad I'm not alone (and hopefully, they fix that up) based on the unboxing videos I've watched. Bummer about the joysticks and triggers, but the touchpad has always looked more like it's designed "just in case" so that "technically" you can still play Fruit Ninja ;P Good review though!

[s_l_m]

I think their is a x86 port of android, it might not be the most stable thing in the world, but it exists


edit:
just looked it up: http://www.android-x86.org/

Oh wow. I have an old netbook lying around, I may just have to install this on there. Thanks!

And tacograveyard, thanks for all the details! Those battery covers had me worried, so I'm glad I'm not alone (and hopefully, they fix that up) based on the unboxing videos I've watched. Bummer about the joysticks and triggers, but the touchpad has always looked more like it's designed "just in case" so that "technically" you can still play Fruit Ninja ;P Good review though!

No problem, tell me how it works out! I might try it myself, but ATM I am grappling with my freebsd installation and I don't really want to add another OS to the pile

[Impmaster]

What's the point of the touch pad thing? It looks too small to act as anything but a mouse.

[tacograveyard]

What's the point of the touch pad thing? It looks too small to act as anything but a mouse.

I'd say gesture based input. The reality is it will only have very niche uses. It is tough to reach if you are holding the controller in a normal way.

[s_l_m]

Well, Nvidia just announced a Tegra 4 based gaming handheld... And it looks dope... Thoughts on how this will effect Ouya?

[SundownKid]

Well, Nvidia just announced a Tegra 4 based gaming handheld... And it looks dope... Thoughts on how this will effect Ouya?

That's a giant "meh". At least Ouya plays Ouya-games, but this handheld basically only plays regular Mobile Games. Which means that for the most part, they will be casual compared to the kind of stuff the 3DS or Vita can do.

The Pandora portable works like a mini-laptop, so it's not as limited in the types of programs it can run.

[SolarLune]

The Nvidia handheld does look like it'll be able to push out better graphics than the Ouya, but I'm not sure of how much more it'll offer. I don't know. It'll more than likely take longer to get to market than the Ouya. The Ouya also will have online infrastructure; I'm not sure what Nvidia's planning (if they're aiming for friends / messages / game invites / things like that eventually).

[Tuba]

Since they are all Android and have similar controllers, if a game works on Ouya, it should also works on GameStick and on the nVidia SHIELD.

So, we have at least 3 consoles with a standard OS and controller method. And I wouldn't be surprised if there are more coming... maybe we're finally walking in the direction of a standard for consoles? Separate, these devices might not be successful, but together... 

[Richard Kain]

Well, Nvidia just announced a Tegra 4 based gaming handheld... And it looks dope... Thoughts on how this will effect Ouya?

It's competition. For the end consumer, competition is healthy, and should be encouraged.

It's starting to look like 2013 is going to be the year of the Android consoles. We're going to see several attempts at an Android-based gaming console/handhelds this year. This could just be a bump in the road of the video game industry. Or it could end up being a major disruptive force.

As usual, the real deciding factor of this scenario is going to be development. If current developers can step up their game and deliver some really solid titles for these Android "consoles," we might see them take off.

[Tuba]

Not to mention the "Steambox"... It's reminding me of the early 1990's when we had a lot of consoles on the market at the same time: 3DO, TurboGrafx, Jaguar, CDI, NeoGeo, etc...

The difference is that this time, they are all kinda compatible.

[Richard Kain]

It's reminding me of the early 1990's when we had a lot of consoles on the market at the same time

There are certain parallels. The boom in the early 90s was a reaction to the quasi-monopoly that Nintendo had established, facilitated by the emergence of optical media. A lot of companies smelled opportunity and jumped into the ring at the same time. Some of them actually managed to rise up out of that chaos. (Sony, for instance, with the Playstation brand)

Now the emerging technology is digital distribution. The traditional retail model for distributing games is in serious decline, and companies are smelling opportunity again.

[J-Snake]

That shield-project is like showing ouya the middle-finger. It makes ouya obsolete since I don't think there is much value in hacking it. Don't know how heavy the shield-controller is though. I guess it is all about the provided services what will make the difference.

[IndieEmma]

The Nivdia is a handheld. Gamestick, ouya and the steambox needs a T.V.

[J-Snake]

The nvidia thing can also be plugged into tv. That's the point.

The only thing that might turn off some people is its bulky geometric design.
I think there is a more elegant way to design it. They should really consider that.

[nikki]

Lastly, OUYA is powerful. We’ve partnered with NVIDIA to bring you best-in-class graphics and performance

source: http://www.ouya.tv/gamers/

Previously codenamed “Wayne,” Tegra 4 features 72 custom NVIDIA GeForce™ GPU cores or six times the GPU horsepower of Tegra 3 ... Tegra 4 consumes up to 45 percent less power than its predecessor, Tegra 3, in common use cases

source: http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/07/nvidia-outs-next-gen-tegra-4-quad-core-a15-lte-enabled-mobile-chip-also-unboxes-project-shield-open-gaming-handheld-that-supports-android-pc-titles/

so 6x more powerful graphics chip, 45% less power use and possibility of streaming your pc/steam games while lying on the sofa.. oh and android games/google play.

I wonder what it will cost, If they choose to cut into their profit they'll kill the Ouya at birth imo.

[Nathan Cash]

I don't think many people besides developers will buy this. They seem to be the only ones interested.

[nikki]

you know this while the machine is introduced to the world since yesterday ?!

[Richard Kain]

I don't think many people besides developers will buy this. They seem to be the only ones interested.

That's kind of the point though, isn't it? I honestly don't think NVidia is expecting to be going head-to-head against the iPhone or 3DS. They are a company known for producing high-end 3D cards. They sell their products to PC enthusiasts who pay upwards of $500 for the latest and greatest graphics. NVidia is no stranger to selling advanced, experimental hardware to a small, niche audience. The Shield probably isn't ever going to be a mainstream success, but it could still be profitable.

Game enthusiasts need to acclimate themselves to the idea that not every initiative has to be the next big thing.

[SolarLune]

The controller looks uncomfortable a bit, but otherwise could do well. Like with the Steam Box, the price might be a major factor.

EDIT: But it is odd that NVidia would help tune the Ouya as well as release their own console with a stronger GPU... Maybe they don't intend for it to compete with the Ouya at all?