OUYA Android-based video game console breaking Kickstarter record

Martin Brinkmann
Jul 12, 2012
Updated • Apr 11, 2013
Google Android
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If you think about video game consoles names like Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft and maybe even Sega and Atari may come to your mind first. The market has seen its ups and downs in the last two decades but has not really changed that much in that time. What I mean by that is that while technology has advanced, the requirements to produce games for a system have not as much. While all current generation consoles support an arcade-style market, for instance Xbox Arcade, it is still mostly open for developers who spend time on development hardware and fees.

When you look at mobile games, you notice that investment costs to produce games are much lower, and as such open to many more teams and individual developers. And that's exactly what the Android video game console OUYA tries to take advantage of.

The project is currently in funding stage on Kickstarter, and boy has it taken off like a rocket. The console broke the one million mark in record time after 8 hours and 22 minutes, and managed to receive a funding of more than 2.5 million Dollars after 24 hours. Currently interested backers have pledged more than 3.8 million Dollars with 27 days still to go before the funding closes down.

Lets take a look at what OUYA has to offer, and why it is that successful on Kickstarter.

  • You can get a system for $99 including one wireless controller
  • The system runs on Android 4.0, 1 GB of RAM, A Tegra3 quad-core processor, 8 GB of storage, HDMI connection with full 1080p support, WiFI, Bluetooth and USB support
  • All games free to play (with in-game sale options)
  • Can run Android apps and games
  • The system can be rooted without voiding the warranty. Everything is hackable.
  • Backed by industry veterans

Here is the promo video that has been created for the Kickstarter funding.

There will certainly be games out there who question why anyone would want to buy a video game console that is on paper inferior to this generation's, let alone next generation's console line-up. From a developer perspective, it has a lot to offer. Existing Android developers can port their games and apps to the device without issues, and since there is no need for expensive dev kits, approval processes or fees, it is ideal for many smaller developers who simply cannot afford to pay money upfront to develop for one of the mainstream systems.

End-users on the other hand may like the idea of trying something new for a good price. The prospect of running existing Android games and apps on the device, the traditional controller model, and the fact that this is a game console first and foremost and not an entertainment hub may all play a role here.

While you can't expect the next Gears of Wars or Uncharted to be released for the system, you can be almost certain that this console will see lots of independent game releases. Some like Minecraft have already been announced for the system. And since it is allowed to be modified, it is likely that we will see emulators pop up for older gaming systems among other things.

In the end, it will come down to the hype the system is generating during its funding and afterwards, and how well the company behind the product will market it once it is available to everyone.

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Comments

  1. Albert said on August 18, 2023 at 1:49 pm
    Reply

    Thanks for the tip Martin.

    It is for these kinds of posts that I follow GHacks.

    1. Mike Williams said on August 26, 2023 at 8:55 pm
      Reply

      What’s up with the generic comment, are you a bot?

  2. Tachy said on August 18, 2023 at 3:23 pm
    Reply

    2G?

    Where on the planet is that still in use? I was forced to give up using my RAZRV3 years ago because 2G was phased out by AT&T.

    1. arbuz said on August 20, 2023 at 5:02 pm
      Reply

      Everywhere 3G has been turned off and you don’t have LTE coverage, and believe me there are many developed countries where this is the case and if it weren’t for 2G you wouldn’t even be able to make a phone call.

    2. Doc Fuddled said on August 31, 2023 at 5:55 pm
      Reply

      Maybe I missed it, but I don’t believe tha term “2G” is in the article. Perhaps you are referring to “AGM G2”??

  3. Tachy said on August 18, 2023 at 3:27 pm
    Reply

    @Martin

    Your website has gone insane.

    When I the post button I then saw my comment posted on a different article page. When I opened this article again, it is here.

    1. Martin P. said on August 31, 2023 at 4:39 pm
      Reply

      @Tachy @Martin Brinkmann

      ” Your website has gone insane. ”

      Same here. Has happened several times.

      1. owl said on September 1, 2023 at 3:42 am
        Reply

        @Tachy,
        @Martin P.,

        For over two weeks now,
        I’ve been seeing “Comments” posted by subscribers appearing in different, unrelated articles.
        https://www.ghacks.net/windows-11-update-stuck-fixed-for-good/#comment-4572991
        https://www.ghacks.net/windows-11-update-stuck-fixed-for-good/#comment-4572951
        For the time being,
        it would be better to specify the “article name and URL” at the beginning of the post.

  4. Anonymous said on August 18, 2023 at 11:17 pm
    Reply

    @tachy a lot of non-phone devices with a sim in them rely on 2G, at least here in europe.
    Usually things reporting usage or errors/alarms on something remote that does not get day to day inspection in person. They are out there in vast numbers doing important work. Reliable, good range. The low datarate is no problem at all in those cases.
    3G is gone or on its last legs everywhere, but this stuff still has too much use to cancel.

    Anyhow, interesting that they would put that in. I can see the point if you suspect a hostile 2G environment (amateur eavesdroppers with laptop, ranging up to professional grade MITM fake towers while “strangely” not getting the stronger crypto voip 4G because it is being jammed, and back down to something as old ‘stingray’ devices fallen into the wrong hands).

    But does this also mean that they have handled and rolled out a fix for that nasty 4G ‘pwn by broadcast’ problem you reported earlier this year? I had 4G disabled due to that, on the off chance that some of the local criminals would buy some cheap chinese gear, download a working exploit and probe every phone in range all over town in the hope of getting into phones of the police.

  5. Andy Prough said on August 19, 2023 at 3:04 am
    Reply

    >”While most may never be attacked in stingrays, it is still recommended to disable 2G cellular connections, especially since it does not have any downsides.”

    The downside would be losing connectivity. I spend a lot of time way out in the countryside where there’s often no service or almost none. My network allows 2G, and I need it sometimes. I have an option on the phone to disable 2G, I may do that when I’m in the city and I have good 5G connectivity, but not out in the country.

    I would imagine that the stingray exploits, like most of the bad things in this world, are probably things you will run into in the crowded big cities.

  6. owl said on August 21, 2023 at 3:40 am
    Reply

    I stopped using it in a mobile (Wi-Fi line) environment, so I’m almost ignorant of the actual situation,
    But the recent reality in Japan makes me realize that “the infrastructure of the web is nothing more than a papier-mâché fiction”.
    https://www.ghacks.net/2023/08/17/google-chrome-to-enable-https-first-by-default-for-all-users/#comment-4572402

    It is already beyond the scope of what an individual can do.
    What we should be aware of is the reality that “governments and those in power want to control the world through the Web”, and efforts to counter (resist and prevent) such ambitions are necessary.

  7. Anonymous said on August 26, 2023 at 9:27 pm
    Reply

    Why do you want people to disable the privacy features? Hmmmmm?

  8. Anonymous said on August 27, 2023 at 2:30 am
    Reply

    Now You: do you plan to keep the Ads privacy features enabled?

    I’d like to tell you, but apparently if you make a post critical of Google, you get censored. * [Editor: removed, just try to bring your opinion across without attacking anyone]

  9. Tachy said on August 27, 2023 at 5:15 am
    Reply

    @Martin

    You website is still psychotic. Comments attach to random stories.

  10. John G. said on August 28, 2023 at 2:46 pm
    Reply

    @Martin please do fix the comments, it’s completely insane commenting here! :[

  11. ECJ said on August 28, 2023 at 5:37 pm
    Reply

    @Martin

    The comments are seriously messed up on gHacks now. These comments are mixed with the article at the below URL.

    https://www.ghacks.net/2023/08/18/android-how-to-disable-2g-cellular-connections-to-improve-security/

    And comments on other articles are from as far back as 2010.

  12. Naimless said on August 29, 2023 at 12:57 am
    Reply

    What does this article has anything to do with all the comments on this article? LOL I think this Websuite is ran by ChatGPT. every article is messed up. Some older comments from 2015 shown up in recant articles, LOL

  13. Paul Knight said on August 31, 2023 at 3:35 am
    Reply

    The picture captioned “Clearing the Android Auto’s cache might resolve the issue” is from Apple Carplay ;)

  14. Anonymous said on August 31, 2023 at 9:57 pm
    Reply

    How about other things that matter:
    Drop survival?
    Screen toughness?
    Degree of water and dust protection?

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