OUYA: A $99 Android Linux Game Console

[phoronix]

Phoronix: OUYA: A $99 Android Linux Game Console

In the hours today while being pre-occupied with Debian-related matters in Nicaragua, a new Android-based sub-$100 Linux game console received over one million dollars in funding from the community...

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=MTEzNzU

[Nevertime]

Awesome.... still gonna get a wii u but gotta get one of these as well.

[TobiSGD]

Wow, I will definitely get one of those. Nearly 1.8 million dollars in the first 24 hours, the people seem to really like the idea of cheap and open gaming.

[stiiixy]

There's a MASSIVE market for people just wanting a decent console that allows you to download through its interface like you do a phone and not fork out stupid amounts of money. Not everyone enjoys playing on those things. But if you could play the same game on both...did anyone see the specs on this thing? Was that a pandaboard in the video?

It would be especially brilliant if they sponsored (not monetarily specifically) educational software as well.

[TobiSGD]

It would be especially brilliant if they sponsored (not monetarily specifically) educational software as well.

They stated that they want this machine to be open for developers, so it shouldn't be difficult to develop/port educational software for that. If there is a market for such software it shouldn't take a long time until such software is available.

[whaevr]

Before watching the video
Oh joy. Another half baked open source gaming console

After watching the video
Holy shit they might actually be on to something. Im actually slightly interested in buying one of these

[e8hffff]

The controller is too bland. Yeah it's got aesthetic design, but lacks being viable for certain games. Why on earth do they keep making boomerang shapes. You only need at most one handle, and that should be on the left side, leaving the right for direct hand access, as was available in the SNES controller, one of the best controllers ever released, especially for fighting games like Street Fighter.

I think this project could work, but they really need to set standards. The controller is one standard they need to cement. Another allow keyboard and mouse for advanced gaming, like mmorpgs.

[elanthis]

Another allow keyboard and mouse for advanced gaming, like mmorpgs.

I think you're massively confused about what this console is for or capable of. It's a cheap crappy Android phone in a box. It is not a gamer class PC. This hardware is going to have trouble running 1990's style games at today's expected TV resolutions. "Advanced" gaming is not part of the target market for this device.

I also don't really consider this much of a Linux device. It's an Android device. It has the Linux kernel. It has absolutely nothing else in common with any other Linux device. Not to say it isn't cool, but it's about as much Linux as the XBox is Windows.

[Kivada]

My only question is how powerful a system will they be producing for $100, how fast an ARM SoC can they get for that? What about the GPU on the SoC? If they can get something around the same performance as the Mali-T658 http://www.arm.com/products/multimed.../mali-t658.php they will do well as that is stated to have the raw processing power as the GPU in the PS3, which would make it a pretty damn compelling console so long as the CPU is capable of providing the grunt needed for half decent AI.

The controller is too bland. Yeah it's got aesthetic design, but lacks being viable for certain games. Why on earth do they keep making boomerang shapes. You only need at most one handle, and that should be on the left side, leaving the right for direct hand access, as was available in the SNES controller, one of the best controllers ever released, especially for fighting games like Street Fighter.

I think this project could work, but they really need to set standards. The controller is one standard they need to cement. Another allow keyboard and mouse for advanced gaming, like mmorpgs.

Huh? You must hold controllers weird or something, the Playstation's Dualshock controller set the standard for extended play comfort with the largest number of hand sizes as well placement and number of buttons.

So long as the controller has high percision pressure sensitive buttons and analog sticks it'll be adiquate.

If they are going with being open they will likely just use USB instead of custom ports, so yeah you'll probably be able to use the KB and mouse on the only 3 types of game I've ever found them to have some advantage in.

[Kivada]

I think you're massively confused about what this console is for or capable of. It's a cheap crappy Android phone in a box. It is not a gamer class PC. This hardware is going to have trouble running 1990's style games at today's expected TV resolutions. "Advanced" gaming is not part of the target market for this device.

I also don't really consider this much of a Linux device. It's an Android device. It has the Linux kernel. It has absolutely nothing else in common with any other Linux device. Not to say it isn't cool, but it's about as much Linux as the XBox is Windows.

Ture enough, too many people think Android = Linux.

But the OpenPandora manages to run Playstation and N64 class games at only 800Mhz, most of their costs are probably coming from the small scale production since they only have the cash to order the parts in batches of a few hundred to a thousand as well much of the work was still all done by hand in the UK.