Sunday, March 31, 2013

OUYA - The new kid on the block that wants to shake up the world of gaming


Today saw the launch of the OUYA games console, shipped today to its supporters. The development of the new device was crowdfunded by Kickstarter ( Ouya attracted over $8m (£5.3m) in funding from 63,416 backers).
 OUYA uses Google Android technology and the open design will allow games developers to more easily design new games products for the device as OUYA say  'Developers can wave farewell to the roadblocks of bringing a console game to market. Anyone can make a game: every OUYA console is a dev kit. No need to purchase a license or an expensive SDK. It's built on Android, so developers already know how it works.'
The market for games consoles is of course a small pond containing some pretty large, carnivorous competition, however I hope that a company which sends the following message to hackers and mashers has the necessary support and business acumen to survive and thrive - 

'Hackers welcome.

Have at it: It's easy to root (and rooting won't void your warranty). Everything opens with standard screws. Hardware hackers can create their own peripherals, and connect via USB or Bluetooth. You want our hardware design? Let us know. We might just give it to you. Surprise us!'

So all you gamers out there, your help is required........

'All we need is you. 

With your help, we need to: 
  • Convert our prototype to production-ready models and get all the regulatory approvals (yeah, we need these to sell them)
  • Deliver developer kits (for early developers so we can have games on day one, though every console will include an SDK once we launch)
  • Place our first production orders (we are working with a manufacturing firm with lots of game hardware experience, but we need to know how many to make!)
  • Ideally, fund some initial game development (i.e., 1st-party games)
And if you’re international, we want your help too…gaming is global, and we will get you OUYA. We still have a lot to figure out in regards to rights and countries, but it can be done. Look what we've accomplished already!'

Show the world, through your numbers, that you're out there.



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