Ouya is a new console being developed to focus on free-to-play games. It’ll also run on the Android platform, be hackable and cost US $99. The purpose is to bring games focused on the mobile, back to the TV screen. And it’s pronounced ‘OOO-yah!’
The company behind Ouya, Boxer 8, is looking to see the console be a form of disruptive technology by offering TV experiences for free games which are currently mobile-phone centric. Those who have the appropriate SDKs will be able to develop games for Ouya and set their own prices, offering developers the opportunity to focus on developing games for the TV without sky-high cost requirements.
Yves Behar and fuseproject are the brains behind the design of the console, which is a small cube and the console’s specs include:
- Nvidia Tegra 3 processor (which can support 1080p HD HDMI output)
- 8GB flash storage
- 1GB worth of RAM
- 802.11b/g/n wireless chips
- Bluetooth 4.0 LE
- USB and SD Card ports
Ouya has been designed to be hacked, meaning hackers can do all sorts to the system and create a variety of mods, which seems to be encouraged as the console was “built to be hacked”. The controller will be similar to what we are familiar with in terms of current consoles’ controllers. It’ll feature 8 buttons, a directional pad, 2 analogue sticks but what sets it apart from the competition is it will include a touchpad for games that are more touchscreen centric. No rumble features or accelerometer will be included though. The controller can be hacked and amended too.
Ouya has gained quite a bit of support from big names such as Marcus “Notch” Persson (Minecraft), Jordan Mechner (Prince of Persia), Jenova Chen (thatgamecompany), Ed Fries (from the first Xbox team), Adam Saltsman (Canabalt) and Brian Fargo (Wastelands 2).
Ouya’s set up a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds and suffice it to say, it’s been a success. The funding goal was set at $950,000 but within just a few days, has reached over $2 million with more than 17,000 backers. Yeah, it’s safe to assume that Ouya’s not going to have any funding issues with this much support.
(Via The Verge)