Sho_Nuff82
Member
What the fuck people?
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OUYA - A new $99 console powered by Android [Kickstarter ended, $8.5 million funded]
- Thread starter GK86
- Start date
GameplayWhore
Member
If it does become popular, I should point out that it'll probably be really easy for "me too" companies to make devices with the same specifications but lower build quality for lower prices. Have they done anything indicating preventative measures against such a possibility?
Having a strong lineup of developers backing their DD service is the preventative measure, really. That's not something you can easily duplicate.
GameplayWhore
Member
Ah, and they'll be able to lock the service to their own devices? Like, by keeping a record of serial numbers?
Then fix it notch.
If anything the OUYA just puts added pressure for devs to make their games on android.
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
It's a disaster in regards to what they are pitching this thing as.
If you buy one and hack it to run emulators and the tablet version of Netflix or whatever, that's your own prerogative, but it's certainly not going to have any of that out of the box.
For what it's being pitched as (a video games console), the chances of it succeeding on any level are very slim.
grimshawish
Banned
Whilst I think the Blinding of Issac situation is ridiculous; Minecraft isn't just a 'shit out the arse' game - what do you want him to do? Invent nano bots that allow 'downloadable hardware'? No Android devices can run
Why?
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
Obviously the million+ Android devices activated every day isn't enough for them. But this will certainly change their minds.
Hero_of_the_Day
Member
I would think Ouya would outperform it by a pretty big margin. Isn't that a single core CPU, versus Tegra 3's quad core?
You can get one of these for about $70. Same thing, but with a gig of ram instea of 512MB. I actually have one coming just for something to play around with.
I see no reason why the mobile version can't be up to par with the pc version. It is basically like Minecraft classic now.
If their is a dedicated system that is receiving a ton of attention and is selling very well why not dev on android. You get the OUYA console and millions of phones, tablets, netbooks, toasters, and set top boxes. You are missing out on a huge market if you don't create on android.
GameplayWhore
Member
Of course, there were a ton of console developers who were hesitant to make a game for the Wii because those developers were used to a very specific control scheme that other consoles used or had been using, simply because they'd have to overhaul how the controls worked, and they thought doing so would not be a comfortable fit for the existing user base.
In this case, there are a ton of mobile developers who might be hesitent to make a game for the Ouya because those developers are used to a very specific control scheme that other mobiles have been using, simply because they'd have to overhaul how the controls work, and they might think that doing so might not be a comfortable fit for the existing user base.
edit: (this is more of a "why Android developers might steer clear of the Ouya" post, so it doesn't really address your specific point -- sorry about that)
element
Member
I have to disagree. Most kickstarters you are buying a product, not investing in one. Take my friend's book he kickstarted recently. He wanted to publish a book. He asked for enough money to get it done. His goal was to publish it himself, not get enough money together and then take it to a big publisher like randomhouse and sign a book deal.
Here they are doing exactly that. They are just taking people's money. Finishing up the rest of their R&D and THEN go to VC/Angel Investors to get the rest of the money they need. I just think it is kinda dirty.
Notch point is that it isn't the same experience. Telling someone Minecraft isn't the same as Minecraft PE. There are reasons why there is a PE version.
I doubt it. Why would devs want to make games on a platform that have INSANE piracy rates? 10 to 1 (pirated vs paid) in some instances. Sometimes higher!! They also will have to make their own store front because Google will NOT allow this as a supported device (similar to the Kindle Fire), so they will need to make their own store system, will just fragment the market even more. Android devs will have to support Google, Amazon, OUYA, and others? No thanks.
Vyse The Legend
Member
I'm not sure what to make of this thing. There are some pretty big names behind the project. But, will it actually get made?
Actually 50,000 are available, and at the rate that the Kickstarter has been slowing, I'm not sure if they'll get through all of them. Maybe, though
4.1 is suppose to help curb the privacy. Which they have plenty of time to upgrade to(and hopefully do).
The are making their own store to make the approval process easier, to give more freedoms to the developers, and to make a 30% cut of sales. Not because Google won't support this device. Same thing with Amazon. They didn't want to make a device to support, and sell Google services.
Or they could just target the Ouya where there won't be any fragmentation. Everyone will have the same hardware, and same controls.
It's a bad thing they have more venues to expose their games to? And it isn't like they have to support all those marketplaces.
How many are you thinking this thing will sell? 200k Lifetime maybe? No pressure for devs at all.
They basically said...nothing.
Weird how they phrase their support from Meteor as if they are making a game or something on the platform, but instead it just seems like a throw away twitter quote. I was also hoping for more details regarding the product, maybe a picture or two..
I am starting to get worried now :/
Delusibeta
Banned
Ah, the piracy argument. If that was ever relevant, no-one would ever make a version of any game for PCs.
element
Member
Piracy is a problem on the PC, but not even close to what it is on Android.
iFishing. 98% piracy rate.
Football Manager Handheld. 9:1 piracy rate.
FaceFighter. 70:1 piracy rate.
I'm sorry, but even on the PC there aren't anything remotely close those numbers. You might see as much as a 30% piracy rate (rare!), but nothing above 50% let alone close to 90%!!
The fragmentation also causes piracy. Hell I rooted my Kindle Fire BECAUSE I couldn't play certain games on it, even though it was an Android device. How are users going to feel that there is a cool game on Google Play, but they can't buy it because it isn't on the Android Device store? Depending how easy it is to hack (which should be easy), they will just steal it.
Easier to publish means lower quality software and more possibility of repackaged APKs.
Why would a developer target Ouya with will have a low user base VS just Android in general with 100's of millions of users?
Ok I see where you coming from and this being their ultimate goal even though they haven't mentioned it openly is partly a legit conern.
I say partly for a couple of reasons.
1) It's obvious from their current staff and design facilities they already have funding from first and possibly second tier investors. They were going to make a push for higher levels of funding with or without the kickstarter. The marketing power of kickstarter though makes asking for funding easier because:
2) They already have 30k customers and potentially more waiting in the wings. These customers are promised a box. Even without higher levels of funding its not impossible for the Ouya team to do a limited production run of 50k units. No SoC company worth their salt is going to pass up on a 5mil opportunity and make the hardware for them after they finish the prototype.
In short with the funding they have now just through kickstarter they should be able to deliver a product to people who pledged. Those units shouldn't hinge on higher levels of angel investment. It is for people who didn't pledge, but become interested once the realize the box is real and the software isn't bollocks, that more boxes will hinge on the support of angels and banks.
Your bearishness on this
I'm still excited for this project but certain questions need to be answered.
As a consumer will they try to get make arrangements with third party devs and Sony/Nintendo in allowing ROMs to thrive on the Ouya for a fee which I wold b willing to pay if it is reasonable. I seriously want dreamcast games and I'm sure many woul love to have playstation 1 games that are playable on ther TV without any emulator related bugs.
Can you get GOMtv, HBOgo and Hulu to make an app for your box?
As someone who wants to be a developer what is their hardware refresh cycle? 2 years IMO is too fast and 5 years is too long for something like this with low end specs.
How is their store going to work so I can advertise myself and any apps and games I would make?
Will their SDK include tools to easily port my games and apps into newer as well as older phones?
I like that the early adopters of the Ouya are dedicated gamers who are willing to spend more than a $1 if I can provide a quality game that justifies my asking price and it makes me feel good that I can make a game they would be appreciated a lot more for what it is than the typical smartphone shopper.
Still I would want to atleast the thre questions I made answered.
LOL, typically the rates are 90 % on PC.
Canis lupus
Member
So, people still interested in this when the new PS3 4000 will cost as much as Ouya? 
element
Member
where are you getting that data?
grimshawish
Banned
Complete tripe.
Delusibeta
Banned
The oft-reported source is the World of Goo devs calculating that their piracy rate is indeed 90%. Most PC developers would love to see a piracy rate lower than 50%, because that never happens, largely because all piracy rates are overinflated bollocks due to the fact that downloads started does not equal downloads finished, never mind lost sales.
rohlfinator
Member
Not trying to sway you one way or the other, but I wouldn't put too much stock into the limited quantities. They've increased that number a couple times already, they'll probably do it again if they hit 80,000.
That's more of a cultural issue than a technology issue, imo. There's nothing inherent to the Android OS that makes piracy significantly easier or more desirable than on the PC. People just place less value on mobile apps, so they're more willing to pirate them.
Not that OUYA can necessarily avoid that, but by targeting it to the enthusiast gamer and bedroom developer communities, they could hit a market that's more willing to buy games.
Uhh,
Because Minecraft PC does not run well at all on hardware faster than the Tegra3 (like AMD Bobcat based fusion processors) and even on a highend PC it does not run that well.
Hero_of_the_Day
Member
Not as bad as the 100% piracy rate on IOS.
Warning: the above fact is pulled from the same place as yours.
HadesGigas
Member
There is a 200% piracy rate on PSP.
element
Member
Yeah. Let's take an indie game with zero DRM and also who gives it out for pay as you want. I'm talking about BF3, Rage, and others.
They're creating a lot of expectations here. What are the chances this thing comes out in March? Will the store be ready at launch? Is there going to be anything *in* the store, beyond a dozen ports of games you already have on your phone?
As an HTPC for streaming or emulation, it's a good deal. But as a gaming machine they've got a long way to go.
As an HTPC for streaming or emulation, it's a good deal. But as a gaming machine they've got a long way to go.
There are no privacy on Vita and PS3 and they still have way less games than their predecessors.
Dreamwriter
Member
Without a store the box is just something pretty sitting on your floor doing nothing, so of course it'll be ready at launch
And most games won't be ports of any cell phone games because the device doesn't have a touchscreen or accelerometer, and the majority of games in the Android store don't use virtual gamepads. Developers are getting dev kits 3 months before launch, and of course can start working on their games before then since they just use Android. There are going to be 1000 people with those early dev kits, so yes I'd say there will be games at launch (though some of those dev kits are rich people just trying to get an Ouya early, not developers).Uh... shouldn't that decrease piracy?
FieryBalrog
Member
Yeah, and they showed a logo of it amidst "games for the Ouya".
As in "games (that, uh, we'd totally love to have) for the Ouya." Oooh-Yeah!
True, who can resist an additional userbase of several tens of thousands on top of the existing multiple millions of Android devices?
FieryBalrog
Member
where did you get your numbers (for both Android and PC), for that matter?
element
Member
PC from the games I have worked on while at MS and others. Here is the Android data.
Football Manager Handheld 9:1
iFishing - 98%
iFishing 150k illegal downloads a month
Epic won't release Infinity Blade due to high piracy rates of Android
Facefigher - 70 to 1 Android compared to 3 to 1 iOS
Having it for free or removing DRM?
Yeah. That shit is fucking shady right there.
Koopakiller
Banned
What's the point of this thing? This was probably mentioned already but wouldn't you have a similar level of open-ness on PS360 if you go the XBLIG/PSN Mini's route? I'm not sure about PSN Mini's but XBLIG doesn't seem to have a high bar for entry
Then the only other OUYA advantage that I can see would be the price and I doubt that will still be an advantage by March of next year - if the 4 gig 360 doesn't reach $99 by then, it'll come close enough.
So how will this make a market for itself? The video woman says they're running on "big balls" but it seems more like stupidity (if this is actually a legit thing and not a money scam)
Then the only other OUYA advantage that I can see would be the price and I doubt that will still be an advantage by March of next year - if the 4 gig 360 doesn't reach $99 by then, it'll come close enough.
So how will this make a market for itself? The video woman says they're running on "big balls" but it seems more like stupidity (if this is actually a legit thing and not a money scam)
cheststrongwell
my cake, fuck off
I want one of these and I don't know why.
Not even close. XBLIG and PSN Minis are both ghettoized within their respective DD services and have various limits imposed on them with regard to updates, price, file size, how much of the actual system's hardware resources they can use, and a bunch of other stipulations.
Those tens of thousands bought the device for games specifically. Porting to Ouya should take almost no time or effort for developers' whose games are good candidates, so why not do it if there's a decent install base that continues to grow?
Dreamwriter
Member
More than that, what normal gamers do you know who go to the effort of figuring out how to get at the XBLIG store? This device is designed for end-users who want easy-easy-easy everything. Games handed to them on a platter.