Why I Think The OUYA Will Succeed (And Get Better)

Openbox A1 is one of many:
http://www.alwaysinnovating.com/products/hdmidongle.htm
http://www.youtube.com/results?sear....4.0.56.411.12.12.0...0.0...1ac.1.ZVVtPiQXYY4
http://dx.com/c/consumer-electronics-199/hd-media-players-103/android-hd-players-191

If it's about specs, XBox beats OUYA, my PC beats XBox.

I see another one Android device to support fragmentation and another one marketplace to support segregation.

PS
I'm not against OUYA, I'm just skeptical.

 

I did say that other features were more important than specs, but obviously it's still better to have more power. In that regard, OUYA beats most Android devices, XBox beats OUYA, and PC beats XBox.

In any case, having a look at these, it appears OUYA solidly beats all of them in terms of performance.

This is a flawed argument. It's not like having the Google Play store, where an application actually working on your device can be a bit of a crapshoot due to fragmentation. Every single one of the games in the OUYA marketplace will be 100% compatible with the player's console for the singular reason that there is one and only one OUYA.

 

That's not true if we're talking about "Automatically playing existing Android games" which is half of what's supposed to make Ouya worthwhile. Those games will still be a crapshoot, and will have to be played via whatever weird virtual touchscreen system the controller ends up with. If you're making a game specifically for Ouya, then it's basically a separate platform from a regular Android release, since you would probably have to support its controller, want higher res content for the big screen, and need to go through Ouya's own certification and licensing, which so far seems stricter than most other consoles.

 

I also wanted to say there's a difference between wanting them to succeed and thinking that they will succeed. Despite what it may sound like, I'm not hoping they'll fail; I think it would be cool to have another console on the market. The more games the better! But the reality of the market makes me think this just isn't going to happen. They seem to mostly be riding on the wave of big-corporation-hate and indie support that has been the theme of the last few years, but banking on that alone is not enough. Thousands of indie games fall to the wayside every day and despite all their complaints, most people still always buy everything from the big corporations they hate before they buy from the little corporations they've never heard of.

 

They never did say that it would automatically play existing Android games. The two main reasons they went with the Android OS was that, for one, it lets developers know they can port their existing games with relative ease, and for another it lets developers start making games now long before it's released.

What? How so? So far all they've said is that games need to have some free playable component (such as a trial). That's not restricting at all. On the contrary, it makes perfect sense.

 

I didn't read all of the posts here, but let me clear up one confusion that everyone seems to have about the Ouya.

Android != Phone
Ouya != Google

Everyone getting that? Its an operating system developed by Google. It does run on specific smartphones, but just because something says Android does not mean it is, in any way, associated with the Android phones or Google Play.

Ouya is a separate company, and it will have its own, separate library of games.

Now, to answer the big question of "Why get an Ouya, when I have an XBox or PS3?"

Because Ouya is open and accessible. With a little bit of company approval (far less than other consoles), anyone can develop a console game and load it onto the Ouya library. That is not true for XBox or PS3. Heck, that's not even true for Steam!

And even though its not impossible to get your game on XBLA, the barrier to entry is so different, that there will be thousands more titles on the Ouya than any other console library.

Think of it like the AppStore, but with the controls and display of a console. AND you can (at least) try out every single game for free.

 

Ouya is not Google. You will not be playing your Android PHONE games on the Ouya unless those developers specifically make a port for the Ouya (which I imagine would be a simple matter, considering it uses the same OS).

 

a unity game can already be released on ouya as it is using android software so any games on your phone can be played on the ouya console

 

And? How does that make this 'suspicious'?

How can you claim it's the easiest console of all to use when you haven't ever used it? And what exactly makes an Xbox so hard to use? You literally shove the game in the game-hole and it starts it. You don't even have to shove it precisely; it has friendly disc guides to pull the disc into alignment. I've seen five year old kids change Xbox games.

Read the chart, I never claimed that the Ouya was the easiest console of all time to use.

What I did say is that in a quick opinion I'd rate its likely ease of use as somewhere between 1 and 2, the same as a Wii. I also considered the 360 and PS3 raging from 2 and 3. So they may be slightly more complicated, or they may not.

Differences that I suspect will exist is that the Ouya doesn't rely on disks [or installations from disks], possibly a cleaner UI, and possibly a focus on explaining how to use the controller. At worst, I can't seeing it being more complicated that the other consoles, and at best it might be a tad more approachable.

The cost should be the same as the Wii, and PC's can have a cost far less than any console, especially if all you want is a PC that can play phone games.

The Wii is considerably more expensive, and PC's that can pay games well tend to range from $600~$1200. I'm waiting to see this supposed sub $100 gaming pc?

Like I said, you could build your own OUYA for less.

The act of 'building your own Ouya' required significant time know-how, which simply doesn't exist in the mass market.

"Novelty" doesn't make much sense... there's nothing at all novel about the Ouya from a user perspective; it's the most limited of all consoles and has no interesting peripherals.

I think consumers will find the Ouya itself is novel.

The Wii and PS3 have things like motion controls and cameras; the Xbox has one of the most interesting motion devices ever made.

Yes they do, and if you'll note I rated them accordingly.

Screen size is irrelevant; you can plug any of those into any size screen.

Nope, it's important because it's about perceived use-case. Few people plug their PC's into their TV as a games console even though it's been completely possible for more than a decade [something Steam is trying to change]. The users and developers have expectations about how devices will be used, and therefor the ecosystems are tuned differently.

Ease of dev... you've never deved for it, and we have no idea what their cert process is going to be like yet; how can you be so certain that it will be the easiest console to dev for ever?

What makes you think anything about this is certain? You seem to be attacking me based on your own misunderstandings.

I understand there are different hardware configs, but these days there's very little that indie game developers do these days to specifically target any particular hardware.

First off, why the assumption of indie game devs? Secondly, why the statement that there's little one can do? Thirdly I explained earlier why I see PC game dev as a comparatively harder environment.

 

Why do think this has anything to do with 'big-corporation-hate'?

I forgot the memo that said: "Buy Ouya, chuck your Xbox in the bin, and play games made from people we've certified to be broke!"

 

One thing I'd like to point out, it's only natural that people are skeptical of the OUYA. It's something new that was previously unheard of.
The thing is, everything the OUYA is being compared to is already wildly successful, while the OUYA is not because, well, it hasn't even been released yet (I hear early developer preview versions start rolling out on the 28th). Once the OUYA becomes more successful (and possibly more powerful with later iterations), it won't be just the small indie guys anymore - the big players will start to come in as well. Some already have (Square Enix).

 

Almost all the Ouya praise I've seen is basically "Yeah! This console's going to be for REAL games! Not bad stupid sequels like big companies make!" Even the OP and half the posts in this thread are praising it because they think it will somehow attract "innovative" indie game developers because Microsoft and Sony are allegedly stifling indies. Half of Ouya's Kickstarter page and website are all about how it's going to attract innovative indie games by virtue of being more "open" than MS and Sony without any real explanation of what makes them any different.

 

The thing is... it's not. There have been several attempts at new "indie" consoles that were going to revolutionize gaming, and they all failed miserably. It's not the newness that worries me; it's that I've already seen this idea fail multiple times.

 

Without any real explanation? You must not have read much.
They very specifically stated that by "being more open", what they mean is:

There are no "developer kits". The OUYA itself is what you use to test your games
The ODK is free
There are no developer subscriptions, unlike say Apple or Xbox Live

It's massively cheaper, and massively less restrictive. That's why it will attract more indies.

 

Oh... in that case, it's even less attractive. So it won't have any games at all unless people specifically write an Ouya port. That's not good.

We know that they're going to curate their own market and have certification, just like Xbox and PS3, but that in addition to that, they're also limiting the types of games you can sell to F2P only. People are assuming that they'll be magically faster at certification than MS, despite the fact that MS has a hundred people and a million dollars put into a certification team while Ouya has, as far as we know, a few random guys who've never done this before. The fact is we don't have any idea what their cert process or license terms are yet, and people are just taking them on faith that somehow it will all magically be easier to pass cert for while simultaneously having stricter cert criteria than other consoles and a much smaller cert team. That's a dangerous assumption.

 

Really? Because I haven't really heard of them. They obviously didn't get nearly the same kind of press that OUYA is getting.

 

No, actually on the contrary, it's a good thing for OUYA. Rather than having game compatibility be a crapshoot, every single game you find on the OUYA marketplace will be 100% guaranteed compatible with your OUYA. I fail to see why that's in any way bad for OUYA.

What? No, they never said that anywhere. All this means for paid games is you have a free trial version so players can try out your game before they buy it.
Is that really so much to ask?

Plus, unlike PS3 and Xbox, OUYA isn't going to require, as Microsoft puts it, a "proven track record" of successful games - because let's face it, VERY FEW indies have such a thing.
While OUYA will possibly require developer "certification", I can just about guarantee you it will be loads easier to obtain than either PS3 or Xbox.

 

Like I said, you can do XNA with an Xbox as a dev kit, and despite that you guys think it's "so hard", I really don't see why it's any harder than Android. And PC's and phones also don't need dev kits.

Do they say that specifically? How are they going to pay their certification team to handle this huge influx of indie games from random unlicensed developers?

I'd say only slightly cheaper, and possibly more restrictive depending on what you want to do. The cost of an Xbox dev kit is really not that much compared to what you stand to gain if you sell on Xbox Live. I think I'll have to wait and see what their actual cert process and licensing terms are going to be before assuming they'll automatically be so much more streamlined than the companies who have been doing this for decades and have spent billions of dollars on it. You can't have a walled garden of certified games while simultaneously claiming that every random 12 year old and his mother are going to be able to easily sell whatever crap they want on there.

 

You might be young... google "Indrema" and "Phantom".

 

It's bad mostly because now the only way they can get any games is if game developers specifically port to Ouya. A console is worth nothing if people aren't making games for it. If it came with the built-in ability to run Android games (even shakily) that could have been a cool feature. Sort of how the new generation of each MS and Sony console let you play the games of the console before it... that's not the primary purpose, but it helps at launch because people know there will at least be a decent selection of games they will be able to play on it even if the launch fails.

From their kickstarter page, in the FAQ:

It's more than most consoles ask. And it's not really the more restrictive terms themselves that worry me; it's that they somehow need to have people to go through every submission and make sure it follows their terms.

 

I believe it's actually a 30% royalty on game purchases or IAP revenue.

 

Not really, it's entirely possible (and would be fairly easy) to automate this.

Except that, for paid games, it just means including a free trial (which really can't be that hard), and free-to-play games are entirely unaffected by this requirement. And it is a huge benefit for players, who now can decide whether they want to buy a game or not by actually playing it.

 

Ah, but as I've proven before there is already a huge selection of launch titles, so this isn't really an issue.

 

To be honest makeshiftwings, I think you've hit the nail on the head.

Steam, iTunes App Store, Steam, Play, PS3, 360, Wii. All extremely successful because of their well known policies of not checking submissions against a set of terms.

That's the crux of the matter here, and why the Ouya will fail.

 

lol. NPSF, you have provided my daily laughter. I thank you.

 

This is $138 and comes with Mario cart I promise that will bring more fun then a Ouya and some crap games, and what games that can compete with Mario cart will be on the Ouya anyway... invest in that instead!

 

Quite a few of the games on the rather sizable launch title list actually look like loads of fun (for example, Offensive Combat and Dusty Revenge)

 

And the Ouya is going to be more fun than the Wii and some crap games...

Logical fallacies are fun.

 

The fact that the Wii has been out for something around six years makes it have a large group of high quality games.

 

Even if that is true, you missed the point entirely.

 

Some people really need to get out of there bubble where they only talk to and associate with people who think and believe just like them. By some people's logic, since I have a Wii, PS3, and 360, I don't need to buy a WiiU, nor a PS4 or Xbox 720. Those systems are going to have so few games when they come out.

 

With all due respect, it is assumed the people that come here to these forums are because they are game developers or want to be game developers. It's past time some of you start thinking more like developers and less like gaming fanboys.

 

Unfortunately, that is how many people will think. "Should I buy original Indie game from OUYA? Hmmmm.. "(looks at new promoted xbox720 AAA title)... "Hell with OUYA, GIMME THAT MONSTER INESTEAD"

Also, their still IS unresolved educational crisis in game development for indies, OUYA just will be plagued by many crapped games, it pains me the most, but it will.

But most likely, it will launch, and will exists mainly on that new-risen wave of enthusiasm and trust, and then probably evolve into something entirely different.

 

Maybe. Maybe not. There will be crap games for sure (even XBLA has it's share of crappy titles), but one only has to look at sites like Kongregate to realize it probably won't be such a big issue. Kongregate has literally zero submission review, they are just auto-uploaded. You'd think this would result in a huge number of crap games, yet due to their rating system the crap games sink to the bottom never to be seen again, and the front page prominently features all of the truly great games the site has to offer.
I imagine OUYA will be the same.

 

The same thing was said about the original Xbox back in 2001.

 

Well, TBH you don't need to buy a Wii-U until a new xbox and PS3 are going to come out, that is when the exclusives will come (except of course Nintendo ones) plus a price drop, but I prefer getting it early just in case there is a price drop and I get some free games

That is not because i'm a fan boy that is because I don't think there is a PS3/Xbox 360 bundle that cheap, also noting that with the wii you can use much cheaper controllers like fake game cube ones which are sometimes like $10 each and that is cheaper then I could find for PS3 or Xbox 360 controllers.

Also, I strongly think that if we only think as a developer we will never actually make something great, we must look how others think and people who play games and even those that don't and work out how we can make a game that will draw in these people and give them an experience they will love... this includes reasons as to why they will buy a console, having it easy to put games on is not one by any means.

 

Maybe not, but a reason people would buy the OUYA is if there is a good selection of quality indie games for cheap (or even free/freemium, as may be the case).

That said, I don't think we're going to change either of our opinions on the matter. You've probably already made up your mind, and I've made up mine.

 

One thing I thought was intresting I was looking up the alexa stats of all the websites (looking at demographics).
Steam,Desura, gog.com, kongregate.com, wooglie: 18-24

But ouya.tv is actually 24-34, 35-44. So I am hoping that means we are not going to see the 99 cent app because I hope to god that the older gamers are going to have more money to throw around.

 

I do think OUYA games are going to be a lot more expensive than the usual mobile price of 99 cents, for one because due to the format a lot of these games aren't going to be just your average casual "play while waiting for the bus" games, since the target audience obviously has time to boot this thing up and sit on the couch while playing the games will probably a lot more involved and consequently more expensive.

 

I think ouya is doomed to failure because its not going to do anything that someones cell phone doesn't do.

 

¿Why the OUYA will succeed?. The answer is simple.
¿How much Kickstarter projects have you ever seen with a $8,596,474 fund?
Just think about it.

 

I cant play my cell phone game on my couch on a 50 inch tv with surrond sound using a wireless controller. Now I do wonder if the ouya games are going to be more "core gamers" or casual, I guess there is no real reason to play a 1 to 3 minute game (which is the amount of time a a mobile game is designed to take -- while you are on the toilet or waiting for the bus).

Watch TB destroy tiny troopers, core gamers certainly do not appreciate paying premium prices for casual games.

 

It should also be noted that the Ouya is not going to be a competitor in the console wars. Just like the Wii isn't a competitor.

Many hardcore gamers squabble over whether the PS3 or XBox 360 is better. Not many own both. Many, however, do own a Wii as a supplemental console (a toy to play with the family). Then there are also the non-gamers who own only a Wii (again, as a family toy).

It will be the same with the Ouya. People will own other consoles, but then they will also own an Ouya. Why? Because its only $99, and there will be a ton of games that are free to play (with options to buy, obviously).

There will also be those casual gamers who don't own a console, but will still pick up the Ouya to have some kind of Angry Birds/Cut the Rope/Farmville experience in their off time.

 

I doubt it. 5-minute casual games probably will not succeed on the OUYA platform due to the change in format. You wouldn't see these kinds of games on, say, XBLA, so you probably won't on OUYA either.

And there's nothing an Xbox does that a PC can't do (and sometimes does it better, L4D2 runs smooth as silk even on my subpar machine, but runs like absolute hell during horde attacks on my Xbox). Despite this, the Xbox is still quite successful.

 

I think a lot of poeple will think "Should I buy $10 indie game from Ouya that I can play for free first and decide whether I like it?" Hmmm... (looks at new $70 XBox 720 AAA title)..."Hell with $70 for something I may hate, gimme that indie game I enjoyed instead!"

In my opinion that's the Ouya's biggest bulletpoint: the console price, the game price, and the fact that every single game will have some portion playable for free before you have to pay. This also discourages crap games and shovelware, like plagues cell phones - if nobody ever has to pay for a game unless they like it, then it would be a waste of time/money to release crap. It will take a little time for developers to realize this, unfortunately, so hopefully the Ouya can survive its initial batch of ported moneygrubbing crap.

 

Were can I get a Nvidia Tegra 3 from? especially in a small form factor SOC for under $100?

(Note this how ever unlikely this is true this is a serious question)

 

I am looking at the specs of this device... and if it is on par with the Original Xbox, I can definitely work with it...and just use a basic android license for now...

 

The Tegra 3 beats the original Xbox by far.

And for getting a Tegra 3 for under 100$:
http://www.alibaba.com/trade/search?fsb=y&IndexArea=product_en&CatId=&SearchText=Tegra+3
And here are the SoC:
https://developer.nvidia.com/tegra-hardware-sales-inquiries

 

I was kinda concerned about the specs because I would have to simplify my levels, characters, and shaders to get any kind of decent performance. I am also getting a Nexus 10, which is quite powerful too... just gotta find out if it takes a gamepad via bluetooth...

 

Could you me one of the listed suppliers who will actually deliver me a T3 for under $100? Remembering we still have to somehow factor in controller, OS, ecosystem, labor etc. into the final $100 cost.