OUYA - $99 USD Game Console

[shmuppyLove]

For $99 you can buy a Wii Mini!

Well in Canada you can, anyways.

[Friendly]

Surely you are joking. No matter how much anyone dislikes Ouya, it doesn't deserve to be compared with Wii mini. That's just an insult. Just like Wii mini itself is an insult.

Anyway, my stance is, Ouya deserves our support. The current video game industry is completely screwed, and we all know it. Of course Ouya has little chance of making any difference against billion-dollar multinational corporations, but come on, who doesn't want to root for the underdog?

[BareKnuckleRoo]

I thought the whole point of buying a console as opposed to a PC was that it was a strong, self-contained piece of hardware that you didn't have to worry about upgrading constantly just to make it run new games, because it was fixed hardware. I can see what they're trying to do with it, but it's not like back when a PS2 or Xbox was more convenient than to upgrade a computer to those capabilities; it would appear that even a modest PC can match or outperform it, and PCs aren't limited to Ouya-specific hardware/software.

It'd be nice to see it carve out its own niche in the gaming market, but I'm not really convinced it's going to be anything more than a 'geek cred' console people own more for the hipster indie element.

[Ganelon]

Although static functionality is a big reason for consoles, I would say the most important advantage for consoles is the library itself. If the PC had every game the 360 did and at higher quality for top end systems, then I would still go for the PC version. But since there are so many games that consoles have that PCs still don't, I generally prefer to have everything on consoles.

Subsequently, what concerns me still about the Ouya is its lack of exclusives and enhanced versions. Is there any such game that meets the bill that folks here are actually looking forward to? I'm not a fan of betting on the mere possibility of having games I enjoy; I've never bought a system without a game in mind. Combined with the lack of physical releases and my general disinterest in indie games, it's still difficult for me to see where the appeal will be. If anything, having yet another storefront after XBL, PSN, eShop, Steam, App Store, Google Play, Steam, and others is sort of distracting.

However, I agree that I'd much rather buy an Ouya than a Wii that removes component video, all internet capabilities, and all GCN controller ports and backward functionality.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Combined with the lack of physical releases and my general disinterest in indie games, it's still difficult for me to see where the appeal will be.

Yeah, I'm already worried what'll happen when XBLA gets shut down. That's a lot of games that'll potentially be lost (like Indie games that need an internet connection) or unavailable due to hard drive failure. The console itself will probably long outlive XBLA shutdown.

However, I agree that I'd much rather buy an Ouya than a Wii that removes component video, all internet capabilities, and all GCN controller ports and backward functionality.

Who the heck was the Wii Mini intended for, anyways? I can see late adopters hanging onto a bunch of Gamecube games, but it's basically only for people wanting the barebones Wii experience (who will already have a Wii or will probably get a Wii U).

[DJ Incompetent]

Who the heck was the Wii Mini intended for, anyways? I can see late adopters hanging onto a bunch of Gamecube games, but it's basically only for people wanting the barebones Wii experience (who will already have a Wii or will probably get a Wii U).

Nintendo had console data leading to the conclusion that canadians either had the highest ratio of playing disc games or had the lowest ratio of connecting to the internet. That's supposedly why they're being targeted with this version.

[njiska]

Who the heck was the Wii Mini intended for, anyways? I can see late adopters hanging onto a bunch of Gamecube games, but it's basically only for people wanting the barebones Wii experience (who will already have a Wii or will probably get a Wii U).

Nintendo had console data leading to the conclusion that canadians either had the highest ratio of playing disc games or had the lowest ratio of connecting to the internet. That's supposedly why they're being targeted with this version.

Yeah, I somehow doubt that. I'd be willing to guess more modded consoles and less purchasing from the eShop.

[KBZ]

Nintendo had console data leading to the conclusion that canadians either had the highest ratio of playing disc games or had the lowest ratio of connecting to the internet. That's supposedly why they're being targeted with this version.

Canadians have traditionally had a higher rate of internet access than every other country that isn't South Korea. Per Capita of course (source). Only downside is the extortionist prices we pay.

Maybe Nintendo is just putting it out as a feeler for in a smaller pond. Consumer habits are pretty much the same in Canada when it comes to videogames and tech. Should it end up being a disaster (which is just might), it wouldn't exactly tarnish their reputation and they would have learned about the importance of each feature this box is missing.

[Friendly]

In-depth video of an OUYA dev unit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d36yvq1KoU

The person who created it is mispronouncing the name, though. It's not "Ohyuh", it's

/ˈuːˌjə/ OOH-yuh

[Jeneki]

The correct way to pronounce Ouya.

[null1024]

The correct way to pronounce Ouya.

I shouldn't be laughing so hard, but that was brilliant.

[Stormwatch]

Say "booyah!". Now again, without the "b". That's how.

[Friendly]

Ouya running Sonic 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKvKTVM9lUE

[MommysBestGames]

We got our dev kit, so I put together a silly console size comparison.

[Friendly]

Xbox 1 is missing at the very bottom

[Stormwatch]

And under that, an Atari 5200.

[null1024]

That picture made me realize the Saturn is fucking huge, it's almost the same size as an NES.

[1up]

Is it potentially powerful enough to run shmupmame if it was portet?

[BryanM]

> 1 ghz. Most everything below SH-3 should be super.

Compare and contrast to the Pandora, another overhyped fish. It's pretty remarkable that we're more than double past its specs these days; but reasonable when you think about how ruthless the competition in the market is. Without the ascent of swanked out mobile phones, who knows how much tiny hardware solutions would be languishing..

[ZellSF]

Huh? The Pandora is 1ghz nowadays too. Now if it will only get to 99$ as well it will be perfect.

[trap15]

Is it potentially powerful enough to run shmupmame if it was portet?

Barely. It'd also be pretty difficult to port, since most of the shmupmame builds run on "old mame" that doesn't work on much of anything outside of Windows + x86.
Also, you'd be gaining like 2-3 frames of input lag, so why even bother?

[BPzeBanshee]

Is it potentially powerful enough to run shmupmame if it was portet?

Barely. It'd also be pretty difficult to port, since most of the shmupmame builds run on "old mame" that doesn't work on much of anything outside of Windows + x86.
Also, you'd be gaining like 2-3 frames of input lag, so why even bother?

The Android/iPhone ports use "old mame".

Anyway it'd be better to port RetroArch on there and get the Final Burn Alpha core to work, the work is already there and it'll be more functional.

[Jeneki]

We got our dev kit, so I put together a silly console size comparison.

Should slip a PC Engine in there, they are 5.5 x 5.5 x 1.5 inches. Always loved watching people wtf when they wonder why I have a "credit card scanner" hooked up to my TV.

[BPzeBanshee]

It's interesting to see the X360 being the largest out of that lot, although I reckon the PS3 is probably larger still (that is, the older models, I've seen the George Foreman Grill version in-person and was quite surprised how small and light/cheap it felt).

[MommysBestGames]

It's interesting to see the X360 being the largest out of that lot, although I reckon the PS3 is probably larger still (that is, the older models, I've seen the George Foreman Grill version in-person and was quite surprised how small and light/cheap it felt).

Irony of ironies, I worked on several PS3 games before starting MBG, yet never owned a PS3 myself! I figured I worked on it all day, and at the time my employer (Insomniac Games) was making some of the only games I was interested in anyway, so I never felt the need (I was on Resistance 1, and R&CF Tools of Destruction). Since then though, I definitely wanted to buy a PS3 but have trouble playing everything I want on the consoles I have currently. Some day though, some day.

I have an Atari 2600 in the basement, not a 5200 though. And yeah, I bet the PS3 is even bigger.
Xbox 360 is hoss though! Got one of those earlier versions, where the power supply cord makes you push in two opposing buttons before you can disconnect it from the console, crazy. The whole stack teetered a bit as I took the picture. I figured my new Ouya was going crashing to the ground just after I got it (obviously I was ready to catch it, but that would have been pretty stupid (of me) and sad).

[BryanM]

The SA threads on this doodad are kind of amusing, in a "I have no life" kind of way. I adore that the mods suspended the No Shitposting rule for this one sperglord solely because people found it fascinating. And that there's really nothing to watch until the fireworks go off. A post I found giggle worthy in response to him:

"Have you ever been diagnosed with a brain disorder of some sort? Because it would account for your complete ability to not only express yourself properly but also your weird obsession with a crazy woman's square mobile phone."

[Ganelon]

Here's Nvidia's Project Shield, yet another potential competitor to the Ouya just as analysts predicted: http://www.siliconera.com/2013/01/06/nv ... ed-at-ces/

[EmperorIng]

can none of these shit companies design a controller worth a damn?

[Bee Cool]

Can I get a source on android's inherent input lag? I haven't heard anyone else mention it.

[gct]

Can I get a source on android's inherent input lag? I haven't heard anyone else mention it.

That's because everyone else only plays God damned Final Fantasy VI. Ex-Cyber posted his thoughts on page 6 but I haven't found a source closer to Google and I doubt the problem is much cared for there. All I could find was an interview about lag in rendering UI animations. If you haven't experienced it yourself, all I can say is try it with a game like Contra or even Street Fighter. The lag is definitely there and it is game-breaking.

I sincerely hope the Ouya team can fix this, but unless they are making massive OS modifications I don't see the problem going away.