Before devices like the Nvidia Shield made their debut, non-console gaming on the TV was a bit of a mess. Razer made an attempt with its Forge TV and the acquisition of OUYA, but now those devices are officially being shut down.
We told you that investment bank Mesa Global accidentally let out in June that Razer had acquired flopped-Android-gaming-box maker OUYA, and today the company has made that acquisition official. Ouya’s Android-based gaming box quickly fell flat a couple years ago after receiving millions in funding through Kickstarter.
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A new report today supposedly confirms that Ouya, the company behind the Android-based gaming console, has been bought by Razer, a San Diego-based company best known for its hardware and accessories aimed at serious gamers. We first learned that Ouya was looking to sell the company in late April when a report claimed the company was struggling to manage its debt after less than stellar hardware reviews for its product.
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The Android-based OUYA gaming system never panned out quite like everyone expected. After receiving $8.5 million in funding via Kickstater, the device received mixed reviews and never caught on with the average consumer. Now, Forbes reports that OUYA is in desperate need of a buyer. According to the report, investment bank Mesa Global, which also handled Songza’s sale to Google, has been brought in to manage the sale of OUYA.
If you’re one of the unlucky few who purchased an Ouya at some point in the last few years, you now have reason to celebrate. While the Nexus Player—which was announced last week—was the first Android TV device to hit the market, it looks like the Ouya might have effectively become the second. Amazingly, the Android TV operating is in the process of being ported to run on the Ouya by a team on the xda-developers forum lead by member cbwlkr.
Despite its highly successful and highly publicized Kickstarter campaign, OUYA hasn’t really caught on as a serious gaming platform. As other TV-friendly Android-based gaming platforms like Fire TV and Android TV start to take shape, the crowdfunded console needs a competitive edge to make its brand more appealing. Aware of this, OUYA is testing a new all you can eat subscription model with a $60 per year cover charge.
The Kickstarter-funded, Android-based Ouya debuted last year to some so-so reviews, but gaming console isn’t giving up just yet. Ouya, which retails for $99 for an 8GB unit, is making the limited edition, white 16GB unit now a permanent addition to the lineup and making it black according to TechCrunch.
Ouya will maintain the $129 price tag for the storage-increased model, but both versions will see some iteration to the hardware…
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We thought $35 was pretty cheap for Chromecast, but if you don’t even want to lay out that much (or, more likely, can’t get your hands on one at the moment), there’s an app for that.
XDAdevelopers (via Phandroid) pointed us to CheapCast, a free app in the Play Store that enables any Android device to emulate a Chromecast stick. Install it in two devices, one of which could be an Android TV or OUYA, and you can broadcast from one to the other. Don’t, however, expect full functionality at this stage …
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According to a new report from GameInformer, sources have informed the publication that Amazon is working on a new Android-based gaming console that could land as early as the end of this year. There’s not much to go on other than the fact that the console is said to have its own dedicated hardware controller and take advantage of content already available through the Amazon Appstore. The news follows a report from Bloomberg in April that claimed Amazon is planning to release a set-top-box to compete with Apple and Google.
According to those we spoke with who have knowledge of the in-development hardware, Amazon will be leveraging the titles already available on its platform. Each day, the company offers one productivity or game app for free and stocks a healthy library for its own devices, like the Kindle Fire. The console will also have its own, dedicated controller.
The two reports could very well be describing the same product, and VentureBeat adds that it has heard similar rumors but nothing solid enough to post prior to the GameInformer story. It’s also worth noting that Amazon has continued to hire game developers for its recently launched Amazon Game Studios, which published its first mobile title on iOS and Android last year.
Of course an Android console from Amazon makes us think of the $99 OUYA and the upcoming GamePop consoles, but whether it will be a full-fledged Apple/Google TV competitor or a dedicated gaming system is still unclear. GameInformer says the Amazon Android console will launch “most likely by Black Friday.”
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The $99 OUYA Android games console that raised an incredible $8.5m on Kickstarter, and which started shipping to backers in March, is now available on general sale. Best of all, if you missed out on it on Kickstarter, it will still only cost you $99 from Amazon and other retaillers.
The OUYA is pretty much a Nexus 7 without the screen: a NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of internal storage with a USB port that allows both USB keys and external hard drives to be connected. It comes with a wireless controller with removable faceplates. Hook it up to your TV and the box outputs at full 1080p HD …
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GameStik, the compact and affordable gaming console, has began shipping dev units to its early Kickstarter backers.
Yesterday we showed you Wise TiVi, an Android-based HDMI stick currently looking for funding, but GameStik delivers a more streamlined approach to portable gaming and has more than met its funding goal.
GameStik, which will likely face much competition with Ouya, is currently available for pre-order for $79.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CvgdBTmon8]
OUYA, the Android-powered alternative gaming console that raised millions of dollars in mere days on Kickstarter, just revealed that it partnered with Square Enix to release Final Fantasy III as its launch title.
Check out the announcement below.
Kickstarter [via Engadget]
UPDATE: OUYA met its $950,000 goal. The project is now at $1,252,480…and it still has 29 days left to go.
OUYA, an Android-powered gaming console for the television, just posted its hefty funding goal on Kickstarter, and it already raised over $500,000 in 13 hours.
The Los Angeles, Calif.-based folks behind OUYA had one main premise in mind when undertaking this revolutionary project: “Let’s make the games less expensive to make, and less expensive to buy.”
OUYA’s controller, console, and interface will come in one package that doubles as a dev kit. There is no need for developers to buy a license or SDK, and they already familiar with the platform, so gaming production should be a breeze. Developers will even have access to OUYA’s open design, so they can make plenty of games that take full advantage of the television. OUYA only requested that developers make some of the gameplay free either through a demo with a full-game upgrade, in-game items or powers, or subscriptions.
OUYA noted it could even change AAA game development: “Forget about licensing fees, retail fees, and publishing fees.”