You are looking to buy a Wii, a PS3, and a Xbox 360, and these consoles are nice but you want an alternative that is not one of the big three. What are you to do? If Big8 has is able to do to so, soon you might be able to purchase the Ouya, a cheap, Android based console that caters to small developers.
It seems as though the idea behind the console is to bring a mobile-esque gaming experience to the TV, or at the very least give mobile developers a platform to port or make their games available for a TV experience. Having a very small barrier to entry, smaller developers would be able to get their game onto the platform much easier than they would going through the traditional channels with Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft. It is this way that the creators of the Ouya hope to disrupt the current console atmosphere.
Beyond just games, Android apps can be ported to the system. The first of these is an app for Twitch.TV so you can watch game streams on your TV. That actually would not be too bad for some of the things we do around here. The console is also apparently very hack-friendly, and you can root the thing all you want without voiding your warranty.
The specifications of the console are these:
Tegra3 quad-core processor
1GB RAM
8GB of internal flash storage
HDMI connection to the TV, with support for up to 1080p HD
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth LE 4.0
USB 2.0 (one)
Wireless controller with standard controls (two analog sticks, d-pad, eight action buttons, a system button), a touchpad
Android 4.0
I like that they are upfront about what will be in the console (yeah, Nintendo), but I would like to see a full shot of this controller. Along with the standard buttons, it supposedly has a touchscreen of sorts for games that have been ported over from the mobile landscape. I want to see that thing in motion.
The project is up right now on Kickstarter if you happen to want to back it so you can play Angry Birds on your TV or whathaveyou. The goal for the fundraiser was around 1 million dollars, but as of this writing it’s at nearly 3.2 million, so I SUPPOSE that some people would like to see this become a reality. If they can get a good head of steam about them and launch with some compelling games, it will pretty hard to look away from a $99 console. That’s in “oh what the hell?” territory.
What do you think? Would you line up to get an Ouya?
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