Topic: Ouya

[ThePerm]

im not advertising this to be funded im just pointing it out

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ouya/ouya-a-new-kind-of-video-game-console?ref=home_popular

this is kinda interesting, its an open platform console

i've been wanting to start my own kickstarter for a while, so i've been lurking the website for a month. I noticed this one today.

3.7 million seems slim for making consoles, but it is interesting anytime a new console gets put to development. Likely this wont be vapor-ware because when you make a kickstarter project you have to produce the item...though i bet they could get away with making one.

their pitch is kinda silly to me, "lets save tv consoles?" I can see the pitch for an open ended console but the idea Angry Birds has toppled console gaming is ridiculous. I'm not saying mobile gaming is a fad, im saying the idea that it has taken over gaming is a fad and a very short term thing. People will still want to play games on their TV because the TV is big.

but also if the idea that there was a time when anybody could make a game for a console is also weird, because there really never was a time. Maybe commodore 64...?

[Ceric]

I was waiting for someone to make a Ouya Topic.  I actually have one of the early bird spots.

I like supporting things on Kickstarter in general because I get something from it and a lot of people seem actually excited by what they are doing.

On the topic of this,  I think its an interesting idea as an open platform.  I figure at the very least I can use it as a Media Player and be a bit gaming history as well, like my Duke Nukem Bust.  Should be interesting I like that everything has to have a trial but I can see it being super easy to be rip-offed.

[Chozo Ghost]

Interesting that you created this thread right now, because I had just heard about this Ouya thing today via a video on youtube and was considering creating a thread about it myself. Perhaps you seen the same video that I did?

[ThePerm]

No, i saw it directly on kickstarter. I was just lurking projects. If it is cheap and I have the money I will definitely get one. Speaking of open software, i've always been interested in creating my own 3d engine development suite, im not a programmer though, so i of course would have to hire a team of programmers. I am an artist though, so i know what I want and what would be easy to use. Easy to use is key. Free is even better.
Along with PCs this would be a good platform for that suite.

[broodwars]

I kind of have to scratch my head at this Kickstarter, as I really don't understand how the Ouya could be successful outside of this initial Kickstarter.  This is apparently geared towards Indies, but Indies already have a thriving home on PC.  And PCs already support controllers (even if right now I can't use mine because I apparently don't have the adaptor I need to make my 360 controller accept my PC).  I suppose the embedded touch pad could be attractive for IOS ports, but is that audience really looking for a console experience?  The price point is good, but is the mass market really going to buy this thing when they've been tapering off on the similarly-geared Wii for quite some time now?

*shrugs* 

Well, I hope it works out for the folks who donated.  It certainly doesn't look like a bad product, just one I'm not sure is viable in the larger marketplace.

[Ceric]

It's Niche, anyone believing otherwise is lying to themselves.  Still an interesting enough piece of tech.

[ThePerm]

im in your boat broodwars/but only half way. I have an intelligent amount of healthy cynicism. It doesn't take millions of dollars to make a console, it takes billions of dollars. They should claim that this money will go to making 1st party games, those should all be kickstarts too. The idea is good, its just that they need a real angel investor to keep them afloat. I can't see this as a sustainable business model.

[Ian Sane]

An open platform console is basically a shitty PC.  Part of the advantage of the console model is that the devs need a licence to support the system so can't release Big Rigs level broken bullshit.  The advantage of the PC is that is offers complete freedom to the dev.  This seems to touch on the worst elements of both.  The hardware is a restricted standard like a PC but there is no quality standard like on a console.

The whole thing reminds me of the Phantom.  Remember that?

[Ceric]

I might have been reading things differently but How I heard there story and everything is they already have the R&D money and private investors.  This is more of a Marketing thing/Interest poll then anything else.

...
The whole thing reminds me of the Phantom.  Remember that?

I'm fairly sure this will get at least an initial run.  Just as a little computer someone can simply hook to a TV and not take that much space it has value.

[ThePerm]

the other thing about the product is 3-4 million could only pay to make a few of them. OIf they sell them for $150(liberal price) then their profit margin should be something like they make 70 off every  system. IF they use 3 million to produce the consoles at 150 a piece then they can only make 20,000 units. 20,000 x 70 is 1.4 million in profits. Thats only enough to make 9,300 more units. At this rate they'll either go under, or they had better hope they have a best selling game., but their initial audience is only 20,000. So lets assume they sell the game for a standard price of $49.99(which sounds generous for an open console) then that game only makes them about $900,000

also lol, i had wanted to mention the phantom in my initial post, but i forgot to get to it.

[TJ Spyke]

the other thing about the product is 3-4 million could only pay to make a few of them. OIf they sell them for $150(liberal price) then their profit margin should be something like they make 70 off every  system.

The reports I am seeing on places like CNET and MSNBC are that they will sell them for $99.

[ThePerm]

thats a better price for their model, but success really depends on their profit margin.

[Chozo Ghost]

I'm impressed this whole kit and kaboodle is only $99. It has a quad core Tegra processor, a gigabyte of RAM, and 8gb of flash storage and HDMI output. Isn't that all about on par with what we can expect out of the Wii U? If the Ouya can sell at $99 at cost then maybe the Wii U with its expensive tablet controller COULD break even at $199? I say COULD, but that doesn't mean Nintendo won't go $299.99 or whatever, just because they can get away with it. The OUYA looks like it might put the traditional console makers to shame by showing similar tech at a much lower price tag.

Furthermore, it seems like it would be going after much the same market that the Wii U will be trying to target. If the Wii U is $300 and this thing is only $99 its going to seriously give Nintendo a run for its money, especially with hit games like Angry Birds pushing it forward.

One thing I do like about the Ouya is that it has a similar appearance to that of the Gamecube.

[ThePerm]

also, its weird to see it get so much press all at once. I wonder how much of its 27,000 or so backers are legitimately just interested and not part of the company. Though LOL 27,000 makes it seem legit. If you're willing to pay 4.99 for a gamepro you can make a indy console possible that easily. I've been plotting out my rewards system for about 2 weeks and its still not perfect. I only need to raise about $300,000 for mine(the movie not the software suite), but getting attention to it initially seems to be daunting. If I could get 300,000 people to give me a dollar that would be great LOL

the other thing that makes this interesting is that its an android...console/pc...wait is this a way to sneak android into the home market?

[Ceric]

Tegra is no where near what is going to be in the WiiU. 

[ThePerm]

so i checked it again and since i went to work and came back it jumped up for 3.7 to 4.3 million.

Actually, saying that consoles were dead and that Ouya is somehow bringing it back might be a clever psychological tactic. A 15 year old might fall for something as silly. For which I applaud them for.

[MegaByte]

I'm impressed this whole kit and kaboodle is only $99.

Impressed is not the word I would use. Instead, extremely skeptical that they can pull it off. The designer did the One Laptop Per Child. Remember how far over price that ended up being by the time it finally launched (and years later it still hadn't hit the price target)? iSuppli estimated the Nexus 7, which has similar hardware, as having a component cost of over $150. Subtract the screen and battery, but then add in cost for the controller, manufacturing, and shipping. How can it possibly be $99? Are they going to subsidize it with game sales? That probably isn't going to work out well. They're a lot further behind in design than most Kickstarter hardware projects. It sounds like all that money they asked for was just to get the project off the ground, but not actually pay for manufacturing. I'd like to see it work out, but as interesting as it is, it smells like Phantom 2.0. I hope a bunch of people don't get burned.

[Chozo Ghost]

Well, Google might step in with their vast resources and help get this thing off the ground. Why? Because Google owns the Android operating system which this thing runs, and Google has long been a patron of open source projects and have offered extensive funding to them in the past. So that's one possibility.

[NWR_insanolord]

I have to imagine that if there were any chance of Google funding this the developers would have taken it to them instead of doing a Kickstarter for it. Also, I think there would have to be some kind of real successful gaming environment on Android before they'd want to start something like this.

People have suggested Apple might do something like this, and despite them having a thriving gaming scene, way beyond anything on Android, it would still probably flop. Even if they manage to build these for the price they said, the thing's dead on arrival.

[Chozo Ghost]

the thing's dead on arrival.

Are you kidding? Granted, Android gaming consists mostly of simple casual fluff games, but there is an extremely large and ever growing number of these games, and this device if it does ever get off the ground will be able to run all of that right off the bat. And its not like Android developing is going to cease. The number of games this thing can handle will only increase over time.

[Hey Einstein!]

This from their Kick Stater page:
" 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!
We're handing the reins over to the developer with only one condition: at least some gameplay has to be free. We borrowed the free-to-play model from games like League of Legends, Team Fortress 2, Triple Town, and many others. Developers can offer a free demo with a full-game upgrade, in-game items or powers, or ask you to subscribe."

Which leaves me with very mixed feelings.
I like the idea of a lower barrier to development. But....
I hate Free to play because (duh duh DUH) it's not freakin free! I don't like adverts and I don't like having to choose between grinding or buying stuff from an in item shop. I'd much rather pay £40 for a complete video game, or better still waiting for a sale. Free to Play can actually have the potential to cost MORE then a retail game over it's life time (ask those parents with Smurf addicted kids). So this revolution isn't for me.

But that second paragraph about devs only having to offer SOME content for free.... like a demo for instance? Hardly a  revolutionary concept.

I am genuinely amazed at the level of support this is getting. I really thought it would only appeal to Home Brew devs so good for Ouya.  But I would be even more amazed if this turns out to be a product that offers the kind of games I want to play. The reason I like Nintendo games is because of the quality of the experience, which I am happy to pay for.

For me the bottom line is this: I have an Android phone and I NEVER game on it because there is so much dross on Google Play.
I can't see it being more appealing on a big screen. I concede that Android as a platform is going to keep developing and improving but it has a long way to go before it can compete with the content on the App store, let alone what I can play on a current home console.


So yeah, I'm not pledging but good luck to them.

[NWR_insanolord]

the thing's dead on arrival.

Are you kidding? Granted, Android gaming consists mostly of simple casual fluff games, but there is an extremely large and ever growing number of these games, and this device if it does ever get off the ground will be able to run all of that right off the bat. And its not like Android developing is going to cease. The number of games this thing can handle will only increase over time.

I'm not kidding at all. You need to read the article Aaron linked to, because it did a much better job than I could of explaining exactly why this thing will fail.

[Hey Einstein!]

Okay, despite their kick starter success I  now have nothing but scorn for the people behind Ouya.
[/size]My reason? The offical list of top 20 "games you want to see on OUYA!"?:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ouyatop20


So you can vote for Time Splitters, Battle Toads and Skyrim.....


Skyrim on a Tegra 3.
Time Splitters for you $99 open source console when nobody could get their act together to bring it to a current gen system for the big 3.
Freakin' Battle Toads???


Hey internet, stop giving these trolls money!


PS seriously Ouya, why no Mario Kart?

[Chozo Ghost]

Maybe these guys don't know what they're doing, but the concept of a low-cost open source Android based video game console has potential. Even if these guys fail I hope it won't deter other efforts along a similar line in the future.

[MegaByte]

Well, Google might step in with their vast resources and help get this thing off the ground. Why? Because Google owns the Android operating system which this thing runs, and Google has long been a patron of open source projects and have offered extensive funding to them in the past. So that's one possibility.

They're already bypassing the Google Play store so they can take their own cut of the profits, which also means that all the cool Google apps won't even be a part of the package unless you "side-load" them. See also: Kindle Fire, etc.