I know everyone's looking, with no small enthusiasm, toward E3 and the likely release of some new console systems, but one system in particular is shaping up to be a bigger destabilizing element than anything, and it likely doesn't have a name you'll recognize on it. We're talking about the Ouya, and it's got some very strange things going for it.
Perhaps the most immediately noticeable thing about the Ouya is that it's running on a very unusual operating system: Android. We've seen Android phones, and Android tablets...but an Android gaming console is something of a new one. It managed to raise $8.5 million on Kickstarter last year, and it will be coming our way in fairly rapid fashion. Developers already have theirs, and they've begun putting together a series of games so that a wider launch will have launch titles ready to go.
Additionally, it's easy to notice other differences between the two, like the overall size of the Ouya, maybe only a fifth of the size of the Xbox 360. The controller, however, will prove to be plenty familiar for those who enjoy Xbox 360 gaming.
The Ouya's launch screen looks very nicely laid out, with games, apps, and access to the store available right from the word go. It even comes with a Web browser built in, though it's not clear if that will make it to the full version. If it does, however, this one may have a very nice claim on the living room entertainment market, as Hulu Plus and Netflix may well work from the start. Early tests show that the Ouya's browser can easily handle YouTube, so a wider video focus could be on hand.
That last bit is what really should be unnerving Microsoft. If Ouya's browser carries through to the final release version, and can handle the wide array of video sites out there as well as a normal computer can--and do it without a paywall getting in the way--then Ouya might well be found on a lot of gamers' shelves. Given that the system with one controller is set to cost just $99, that makes this a value proposition, and if it can do video too, then this could just be a serious destabilizing element in gaming. Sure, it's not likely to dethrone the Xbox 360--or the Xbox 720 for that matter--but the Ouya will make an excellent system to have right alongside any other.
Android (operating system) Bethesda Bethesda Softworks Downloadable content Electronic Arts Electronic sports Facebook Fallout (series) Fallout 3 Fallout: New Vegas Gamer Games Google IOS Maryland Massively multiplayer online game Microsoft Microsoft Windows Mobile game Nintendo Oculus Rift PC game Personal computer PlayStation PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 Sony The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim United States Video game Video game console Virtual reality Wii Wii U World of Warcraft Xbox Xbox 360 Xbox Live Xbox One YouTube
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- October 2011
- September 2011
Featured Videos