Ouya: Bringing Games Back to the TV

By now I'm sure you've at least heard the word "Ouya" uttered from some gamers lips or read it on your timeline. They probably said it wrong and you probably did the same in your head. It's pronounced ooo-yah. It's the latest buzz with articles featured on websites from Game Informer to Forbes. Hopefully you have concluded that it is a gaming console. Indeed it is and it claims even more.

Ouya is bringing gaming back to the television. I never knew it went away. Apparently there are a lot of "gamers" who "game" on their cell phones and iPads. They're taking a lot of action away from the television and the folks behind Ouya want to move them to a console. A lot of gaming has become submerged with cellphones/tablets because it is cheaper but it is also convenient. Who doesn't like gaming on the go? They're spot on when they say a gamers best memories happened on the television; most of us did grow up that way and it just feels right. However, will these cellphone/tablet gamers ditch their iPads and iPhones for a controller?

There's talk about different symbols, on the buttons, for the color-blind.

This upcoming, strange-sounding, gaming console is an android-based TV box. This means no physical games. Games will download to the console via a kind of "app store" similar to one you would find on your smart  phone. Unlike PSN or XBL; Ouya boasts a cheaper way to buy and create games deceivingly labeling a picture (on Kickstarter) "All games free to play." Yes games will be free to play but not all of them. As stated on Kickstarter, "At least some gameplay has to be free." In other words, a demo or a portion of the game is required to be free. Certainly some games will be completely free but I am a skeptic. The gaming industry is a world full of creativity and those that just want to express it. However it is also a business; people want and need to make money from a product.

Every Ouya console is a dev(eloper) kit. What does this mean?  Simply, anyone with the knowledge and capabilities will be able to make their own game free of charge. The console also welcomes hackers. They've designed the console (and controller) to easily open as they've used standard screws. Therefore hackers have easy access to the guts of the console and will be able to create their own peripherals; connecting using USB or Bluetooth. I am not a hacker and get quite confused by all the hieroglyphics, numbers, and plumbing behind the technology. Luckily the specifications of the Ouya's hardware are easily listed on Kickstarter.

What really matters to me is the games. Not the technicalities behind how they're made or designed but how entertaining they are. As far as the exact games/apps that are will be on the Ouya; they're keeping that under wraps. They already have a few names on board that you may recognize: Meteor, Mojang, and Twitch.TV. Today (7/19) it was announced that game developer, Robotoki, will release the game "Human Element," for the Ouya. The dev kit leaves it open for a lot of new, unique, games or a huge chaotic mess. I'm hoping it's the former. Personally I will wait for more developers to announce their support of the Ouya before I throw money down. For now I will wait and admire the snazzy looking controller. 

Industry veteran, Julie Uhrman, conceived the idea of the Ouya, and has said the most important part of the Ouya is it's controller. It is designed to become a "love letter to console gaming" and the team behind Ouya is calling it "the Stradivarius of controllers."  It looks quite sleek and has all the usual things you expect from a controller (analog sticks, D-Pad, and a typical button set-up). It will also include a touch-pad for games making their way from the tablet/smartphone to the small screen.

If all the information on the Ouya has you thinking "I must have it!" have no fear, you can reserve one before its release to the public. All you need is $99 (or more). Simply visit Ouya's Kickstarter page and do some clicking. Come March 2013 and it's all yours.

Megan Bethke, NoobFeed
Twitter | Facebook | Email