Ouya

The Ouya (pronounced /ˈuːˌjə/ ooo-yah; stylized "OUYA")^[4] is an upcoming video game console running its own version of the Android operating system. Julie Uhrman, a game industry veteran,^[5] founded the project in 2012.^[6] She brought in designer Yves Béharto collaborate on the design of the project, and Muffi Ghadiali as product manager to put together the engineering team.^[7] Development was funded via Kickstarter, raising$8 million and becoming the website's second-highest-earning project in its history. The console is slated for release in June 2013.

The Ouya will feature an exclusive Ouya store for applications and games designed specifically for the Ouya platform. Out of the box, Ouya will include the TwitchTVapplication and access to the OnLive video game streaming service.^[6] Initially it is expected to run on a modified version of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and be open to rootingwithout voiding the warranty (developer models ordered during the Kickstarter campaign for $699 or $1,337 will come pre-rooted).^[6] The console's hardware design will allow it to be easily opened up, requiring only a standard screwdriver to allow easy moddingand possible hardware addons.^[8]

All systems can be used as development kits, allowing any Ouya owner and gamer to also be a developer, without the need for licensing fees. All games will be required to have some kind of free-to-play aspect,^[6] whether that be completely free, has a free trial, or has purchasable upgrades, levels, or other in-game items.

[edit]History

Ouya was announced on July 3, 2012 as a new home video game console, led by the CEO of Boxer8, Julie Uhrman. On July 10, Ouya started a Kickstarter campaign to gauge how many people were interested in the project.^[6] Boxer8 confirmed having a working prototype^[9] with in-progress software and user interface. Boxer8 is expected to provide their own Ouya store for apps and games. The prototype and initially planned console will run on Android 4.1. It features many high-end specs, such as a Nvidia Tegra 3 chip and a price tag of $99 ($95 for 1000 "early birds" to the Kickstarter campaign).

The Kickstarter fundraising goal was raised within 8 hours. Funding continued to increase as more models were made available at various funding levels. According to Kickstarter, in reaching its goal, Ouya holds the record for best first day performance of any project hosted to date. Within the first 24 hours the project attracted one backer every 5.59 seconds. Ouya became the most quickly funded project on Kickstarter to reach one million dollars, and went on to become the eighth project in Kickstarter history to raise more than a million dollars.^[10][11] The Ouya Kickstarter page featured an introduction video, which explained various aspects of the console, showcased the process of designing of the 3" touchpad-sporting controller, and gave viewers a glimpse of the motherboard. It also presented the first looks of the console's game store, showing several games from indie developers who had supported and shown interest in Ouya.

On July 19, 2012, Robert Bowling, former Creative Strategist at Infinity Ward, announced in a blog post^[12] and through an update on the Ouya Kickstarter page^[6] that his newly formed studio Robotoki would be the first developer to commit to creating a game exclusively for the Ouya. The game will be an episodic prequel to Robotoki's Human Element, a post-zombie-apocalyptic game scheduled for release in 2015.

On July 31, 2012, Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy III would be made available as a launch title for Ouya.^[13] On August 7, 2012, the developers of XBMC announced a partnership with Ouya to bring XBMC to the Ouya.^[14][15] On August 8, 2012, it was announced that Namco Bandai was in discussions to bring their games to the system. The same day, Ouya also announced the Plex Media Center is also coming to the Ouya.^[16] On August 9, 2012, the Kickstarter finished with $8,596,475 at 904% of their goal. This made the Ouya Kickstarter the second highest earning in the website's history.

OUYA Developer Console

On October 31, 2012, Boxer8 announced that the first development run of Ouya PCBs, plastic prototype cases, and that they are currently in the Engineering Verification Testing phase of production.^[17] Devkits for the Ouya as well as the software development kit were planned for release before the end of 2012;^[18] on December 28, the console developers posted an unboxing video of one of the dev kits that were being shipped that day.^[19]

There are currently 27 confirmed Ouya games to come with the Ouya and 80 games confirmed by Ouya, or the developer.^[20]

[edit]Reception

[edit]Pre-release

On July 12, 2012 PC Magazine ran an online article stating that the Ouya looked like a scam, based on knowledge of similar projects that turned out to be scams. "I know this because I have seen this happen many times. The most famous "groundbreaking" hardware startup is Fusion Garage, aka the makers of the Crunchpad and the JooJoo, which designed and conceptualized a gorgeous new tablet before realizing that it was impossible to manufacture at the price it promised. Every time you hear Ouya's $99 price, think of how the $199 CrunchPad became the $500 JooJoo."^[21] However, Unreality Magazine defended the Ouya, stating "A scam implies some sort of intentionally illegal deceit. Sure they may be coy about some of the details, but what company isn’t? That doesn’t make it a scam. A scam is deliberately fraudulent; this is a scam. If I get an Ouya and there’s nothing but super glue and lint on the inside then I’ll write a post about how it’s a scam. Until then a company attempting to raise money in any way they can does not automatically constitute a scam."^[22]

[edit]See also