OUYA - $99 USD Game Console

[DJ Incompetent]

How deep do you need that tested? Just to see how XBMC looks and acts on there? Local media? Or the full client-server functionality?

Client-server stuff you'll be waiting awhile. I was gonna experiment with Plex & XBMC after I prepare my 750GB of tracks to serve through my house.

Save me time and provide the (known free) .apk file in the smallest possible link if you could. I gotta type links into Ouya's browser to sideload. Saaadtown.

[Udderdude]

Thanks for the impressions DJ Incompetent, it seems like the input lag and lack of quality control is still a serious issue.

[Friendly]

How deep do you need that tested? Just to see how XBMC looks and acts on there? Local media? Or the full client-server functionality?

Client-server stuff you'll be waiting awhile. I was gonna experiment with Plex & XBMC after I prepare my 750GB of tracks to serve through my house.

Save me time and provide the (known free) .apk file in the smallest possible link if you could. I gotta type links into Ouya's browser to sideload. Saaadtown.

Oh, I just wanted to know about local playback, and unfortunately I have no idea where to find a short link to the .apk, sorry.
So what kind of file format does Ouya support for USB drives? NTFS or at least ext3?

[MommysBestGames]

I played BombSquad on the Ouya. It has some inspired touches and was pretty fun. It has a claymation-photo look to it. The gameplay has you heaving different types of bombs at AI characters in a few game modes. It supports up to 8 human players, the Ouya version encourages you to plug in all the controllers you have lying around like Xbox 360, PS3 ones--it even has a android app to let you control the guys! They had some funny barbarian AI guys that sound like bad Schwarzenegger impressions. Some nice uses of physics to drive funny animations too.
Apparently it's also on the Mac.

[shmuppyLove]

Here's a link to the XBMC for Android download:

http://is.gd/HGbivX

You'll probably have to enable "Unknown sources" in order to install it, no clue where this is in Ouya settings.

[MommysBestGames]

Ouya takes me back to 6 years old, like the end-2600 or early NES era, a time where there's little gaming press telling you what's good or even what exists. Many of the games on there I have never seen before.

Agreed, it feels like one of those 52-in-1 games. "Wow 50 games I've never heard of it--this is going to be amazing!" Then the reality of the quality sets in.

As for the input lag, I couldn't (still can't--don't have the newer ones) say what the final versions were going to be like since I had the controllers from Jan/Feb for development. Yeah, they were pretty bad, but I was holding out hope they'd get better. Sounds like the first gen of the system is probably interesting only for those that like to tinker with odd game hardware (like myself). I've got a Gamestick coming as well, should be neat to compare the two.

[Drachenherz]

My regular OUYA (no xtra controller) arrived today. Looking forward to hooking it up tonight.

It really IS sexy looking, and the controller looks and feels quite good, actually.

[Ghegs]

Got mine today (after DHL held it in their warehouse longer than it took for the package to travel from Hong Kong to Finland...) and I've been fiddling with it for a few hours now.

During my testing I found some games that I felt had zero input lag, as well as games that had either barely noticeable or noticeable lag. So I guess there is something to it on the software side and it is possible to have games that feel really good, controller-wise. I played only with the official controller, haven't tested any others yet. That segues smoothly into the controller itself - I think it might fool some people into thinking there's more lag than there actually is. The d-pad feels very mushy - I can lightly press a direction on it, feel it hit the bottom, but it doesn't register unless I apply just a little bit more force. Otherwise the controller felt alright - nothing special, but gets the job done. Can't really say anything about the shoulder triggers though, none of the ~10 games I tried out used them.

I think the system could be good, but it comes down to the games now. There's not a whole many games for it now, but then, the system's not officially out yet either. Exclusives are good, but as long as the mobile/indie game ports are done right (ie. no lag, taking advantage of the controller) that might be enough. One of the reasons I originally backed the project was because there are some mobile games I'd like to play with a proper controller instead of touch screen controls or tilting the device around. So I'm hoping to see ports of games like Asphalt 7: Heat or an Ouya-exclusive game of the series.

[MommysBestGames]

Three Sonic games officially announced for the Ouya: http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2 ... with-sonic
All have been previously released, but it's nice to see Sega taking an interest.

[ShmupSamurai]

Even if these titles are just ports, I'm still interested in what else Sega could do with the Ouya...

I've been watching it for a loong long while now, thinkin' about maybe developing a few exclusives for it.

Right now, I'm just bidding my time, waiting for the right moment to snag an Ouya after they've fixed some of the issues(i.e. I'm not going to run sraight for a 1st gen model, to avoid some of the noted flaws-se also: input lag).

Right now, what they really need is a killer app...a game or group of games that A) exclusive to the system, and B) Balls-Off-The-Walls -Awesome(or BOTWA for short).

....and I'd be more than happy to provide that killer exclusive for them.

[Udderdude]

I'm afraid you'll be lucky if "The little console that could" even sees another model. It's already been vastly overshadowed by next gen ..

[Shatterhand]

I've got mine for more than a week too.

Input lag only happens in a few games, like Ghegs said.

And while there are a lot of cheap-ass ports, there are some pretty good games there (And some of them are Ouya Exclusive so far).

Polarity, Syder Arcade, Bombsquad, Hidden in Plain Sight, Ice Rage, Knightmare Tower, Beast Boxing Turbo, The Secret of Universe Alpha ... all those are fun games on their own ways. I also loved Giana Sisters, though this game is plagued with its own issues.


I don't think the controller is awful. It's not excellent surely, my biggest issue with is with the triggers, which do get sticky sometimes. The analog sticks are pretty good and I had no problem with the face buttons so far. The dpad... could use some work. Could use a lot of work actually, but considering I haven't seen a good 1st party dpad since the days of Sega being in the console market, I guess that's ok.

I think the game library will get a lot better after the official release. If you have the patience to scan around all the games, you'll find some good stuff. And going through all the bad stuff is kinda fun sometimes too

[Friendly]

I'm afraid you'll be lucky if "The little console that could" even sees another model. It's already been vastly overshadowed by next gen ..

Are you salty about having missed the opportunity to have some of your games ready for Ouya in time for its launch?

Input lag only happens in a few games, like Ghegs said.

That's very good news.

[Udderdude]

I'm afraid you'll be lucky if "The little console that could" even sees another model. It's already been vastly overshadowed by next gen ..

Are you salty about having missed the opportunity to have some of your games ready for Ouya in time for its launch?

I'm more relieved I didn't waste any time on the thing. I had multiple people ask me to put my games on it .. I don't regret anything not listening to them :p

[Shatterhand]

I don't think anyone buying an Ouya is sincerly thinking "Oh, I'm going to buy this thing instead of a PS4 or an Xbox One". I surely didn't buy one to play endless clones of GTA and Call of Duty. I still have my X360 for my daily fix of Gears of War. I got it to play stuff like Syder Arcade, which wasn't even accepted by Steam and it's a pretty solid shmup in the veins of Uridium 2 with some gorgeous GFX, or The Secret of Universe Alpha, a game that's very fun behind it's crude graphics and it would never get any chance in any other system.

I understand people are having issues with Ouya, but I also think a lot of the issues are being blown out of proportion. I personally didn't have any issues with it. The laggy controllers are clearly a software problem now -I know the earlier controllers had some serious issues- in most games I get the same type of response delay I get from my XBOX 360 games* (which I am pretty sure its because of my nearly 7 years old LCD TV, but it's an acceptable delay and I've learned to live with it), the wi-fi worked from the go, I know the UI will get revamped, but I don't see it as bad as other people seems to see and I had a fair amount of fun with some of its games.

*After reading so many people complaining about the lag, I actually did some tests comparing response times between the X360 and the Ouya. Ouya does have some games with unresponsive controls, but most of them were actually the same as my X360. One of the games that's actually very annoying is Giana Sisters, which is a lovely game but plagued with bugs and also the problem with the control.

[ShmupSamurai]

I've got mine for more than a week too.

Input lag only happens in a few games, like Ghegs said.

And while there are a lot of cheap-ass ports, there are some pretty good games there (And some of them are Ouya Exclusive so far).

Polarity, Syder Arcade, Bombsquad, Hidden in Plain Sight, Ice Rage, Knightmare Tower, Beast Boxing Turbo, The Secret of Universe Alpha ... all those are fun games on their own ways. I also loved Giana Sisters, though this game is plagued with its own issues.


I don't think the controller is awful. It's not excellent surely, my biggest issue with is with the triggers, which do get sticky sometimes. The analog sticks are pretty good and I had no problem with the face buttons so far. The dpad... could use some work. Could use a lot of work actually, but considering I haven't seen a good 1st party dpad since the days of Sega being in the console market, I guess that's ok.

I think the game library will get a lot better after the official release. If you have the patience to scan around all the games, you'll find some good stuff. And going through all the bad stuff is kinda fun sometimes too

Given what you and Ghegs have said and noted, I don't understand Udderdude's negitivity towards the Ouya(while I do respect his oppinion), though I think the problem is a giant case of not seeing the forest for the trees...i.e. blowing small flaws waaay outta porportion.....and in the case the case that the Ouya doesn't work out, I still have the computer and mobile/tablet markets to turn to.

[Ghegs]

There was a big firmware update when I booted the system up today and the UI is sleeker now. The Discover portion is now much more usable, and they've changed some little things which make the whole thing just a bit more nice to use. Quite a few new games available too, and they finally have a list online as well. Now if you could just click on games there and they would be pushed to your Ouya...

And I can't be absolutely sure, but I think there's less input lag in the games I previously felt input lag on. Can anybody else confirm?

[Ganelon]

Ouya's bizarre E3 showing: http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06/12/ ... -down-ouya

[Udderdude]

They're outside the system, maaaaaaan. You just don't get it.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

A friend of mine's got one of these. Only one controller, and the first thing he showed off was... it has a Super Nintendo Emulator? Yawn.

The controller surprisingly doesn't feel as shitty in my hands as it sounded, the D-Pad is a bit squishy (I think the days of good D-Pads are gone, so few and far between...), but the face buttons don't seem too terrible.

One of the games that's actually very annoying is Giana Sisters, which is a lovely game but plagued with bugs and also the problem with the control.

Really, the Ouya's in a bit of a tough spot as it's trying to market itself as a platform for those games that are outside the mainstream and might not see the light of day otherwise, but if the Ouya attracts a ton of attention from sloppy, bug-filled releases, then it won't be seen as a serious platform. But if it implements a quality control thing (someone in the thread mentioned that Nintendo seal back in the NES days), devs might complain about restriction...

[Jeneki]

Ouya's bizarre E3 showing: http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06/12/ ... -down-ouya

I had to double-check I wasn't reading an article on The Onion.

[BryanM]

Given what you and Ghegs have said and noted, I don't understand Udderdude's negitivity towards the Ouya

The Consumer Perspective

"Don't I already own this product or can buy one for $40?"

The Developer Perspective

"You want me to spend hundreds of hours of my own life to make $20? ... Are you insane?"


While it is surprising to me Square spent the effort to port FF3DS, even with it already on the platform, they are Square and they will sell enough of it to maybe, maybe make a profit off the $10,000-$20,000 investment.... The same does not apply to @UdderdudeRandomInternetGuy#67. That guy has literally anything more productive to do, including posting on forums about his products.

You're freaking lucky to make a profit comparable to working at McDonald's as a startup PC dev...

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Most Xbox Indie games have a hard time getting noticed or making their devs any sort of a noteworthy profit, and that's considering the very large playerbase the Xbox 360 has. The Ouya is already a niche console that's trying to be mainstream (but really, it isn't) so it doesn't have a large playerbase to begin with, and any devs doing original (not ported) games are going to have a really hard time making a profit off their games, so it seems like Ouya is going to mostly appeal to hobbyist developers...

[Shatterhand]

And I can't be absolutely sure, but I think there's less input lag in the games I previously felt input lag on. Can anybody else confirm?

The firmware changelog actually says they've done something to change this. And yes, I felt it too. Though the lag is still there in Giana Sisters.

Edit: It may be noteworthy that Sega is bringing 3 Sonic games to the console. All are Android ports too... still its Sega.

http://www.vg247.com/2013/06/05/sonic-t ... e-on-ouya/

[MommysBestGames]

Ouya officially launches tomorrow. Says it's in Target, Best Buy and more (not sure if it's in brick stores, or just the internet versions).

Also, I've heard Towerfall is good, specifically for the local multi. Anyone played it?

[Super Laydock]

Finally had time to unbox and install my Ouya yesterday and I am actually quite pleasantly surprised with it.

The console itself is quite attractive looking indeed and small enough to fit between the other consoles on my desk without being "in the way".
Also the controller isn't nearly as bad as everyone seems to think it is. (it's actually quite ok)
It fits my hands quite nicely, feels robust and responsive enough and so far no sticky buttons whatsoever.
(I do dislike the way the batteries have to be inserted, but not a biggie I think).

When you first get it, it'll have you connect wifi. This will probably give you trouble. Go to the advanced settings that will look like a android phone menu and connect to wifi from there. That's how I got it to work.

Great advice, certainly helped me out and prevented lot's of cursing. Thanks!
One thing though... wi-fi receiver could be better as it mostly rates signal strength "fair" most, where my ps3 an mobile rate the signal "very strong" (minimal) in the same location.

As far as input lag... it decreased dramatically after I put my LED TV into "game mode" (world of difference).

[gct]

One thing though... wi-fi receiver could be better as it mostly rates signal strength "fair" most, where my ps3 an mobile rate the signal "very strong" (minimal) in the same location.

That's what happens when you put a wireless receiver inside a metal box with no external antenna, and your controller connections will probably be weak too. Just goes to show Yves Behar is an overrated hack, and it's not like his other other projects because this time the Ouya team didn't have any engineers competent enough to fix the problems arising from Behar's stupid design.

Apparently many Kickstarter backers still haven't received their units, Amazon amazingly is sold out. Suspicion that Ouya Inc. are purchasing units back from Amazon to fulfill Kickstarter rewards. LMAO if true.

[ZellSF]

While I don't doubt the Ouya has a crappy wifi antenna... You should never trust what devices say about signal strength.

[Udderdude]

[Stormwatch]

Cut them some slack, the original Famicom also had some serious controller issues.