The Ouya - one small step

[Esperahol]

The Ouya is a console that is supposed to run off of a normal android phone. It comes with a control and people were quick to hail it as the future of gaming. That was perhaps a bit premature. As a side-note did you know about the GameStick, GamePop, Project M.O.J.O., and Project Shield? Me neither. Anyway -

Initial reports for the first couple of units were not very promising. There were complaints about the controller and the interface. The response was that retail editions would be much more user-friendly. Those promised units are now available and already possesses a library 200 titles strong.

Unfortunately the system is not the coming of a new age. It does boast being easily "rootable", small, and easy to set up. It also has the option of allowing people to create games for the system. That's wonderful all things considered, however the console is mainly a way to play emulators on your TV at this point. It lacks original games, a truly functional control, and the overall system is kind of a mess.

That said I think this system should be applauded for presenting something new - and for trying to put out a console backed solely by the public versus some corporate giant like Microsoft or Sony. Oh, and it is currently 99 bucks to buy so... yeah.

 

[crunchyg]

I like Android, and the idea of having an Android console makes sense, but I enjoy my de-cluttered living room and don't need yet another box sitting under the TV. GameStick is more appealing, since it's just a small dongle that can stay hidden behind the TV.

 

[Esperahol]

If it makes you feel better the Ouya is smaller than the average cup. I mean it is very, very, very small. It'd take up little if any real estate. Of course, that small size is part of what limits it's ability to suckage.

 

[Lawnachaun]

I have no interest in the Ouya, or any of the other Android based Mini-Consoles. The games that they offer aren't appealing to me. I use my phone for little time waster games. But I don't "game" on them. Just something that I can play for a few minutes while waiting for somebody or to pass the time if I'm bored. But if I really want to play a game, I always have my 3DS on me when I'm out and about, or, at home, I have real consoles and a PC to play. I would never put any time into the Ouya or any of the other "consoles". I just wouldn't. It's not my thing.

I get the idea behind it, and I get that they are trying to get into an untapped market. But I don't think that it'll ever be a big deal. I mean, you have a smartphone in your pocket, which you use all of the time. And you could play the exact same games on it, as you could on these new 'micro-consoles'. The main difference is, the smartphone you can keep on you and with you at all time, who you'll have to play on the touchscreen screen, which can block some of the image if your thumbs. The micro-consoles, on the other hand, you get to play on your tv with a controller. But you wouldn't keep it on you all of the time. You may take it with you here or there. But on a regular basis, you wouldn't constantly have it on your person. But either way, your still playing the same games, and same type of games, on both, your phone and these microconsoles. I don't see the real upside of these new systems. I mean, they might have a small following. But it'll grow into something big. Not unless something big changes about them.

There are a lot of companies trying to get into this whole micro-console. But they all pretty much offer the same thing. The only company that I can think of that can join in on the whole microconsole business, and possibly make it a viable option, would be Sony. And that's because Sony already makes "Playstation-Certified" phones, and putting their games on the system. And there are other big title games on smartphones already too. Like Final Fantasy and Grand Theft Auto and what not. So if Sony could make a microconsole, and add their older playstation titles onto it, as well as Android game, then it would defeat anything of these other microconsoles. However, Sony would never do that because there would be no need for it. For one, their "Playstation-Certified" phones aren't a big deal anyways, and will be just a small of a deal on the microconsole market. And also, they can already add their older Playstation games onto their current Playstation consoles. So they would have zero reason to join the microconsole market. And neither does anybody else.

Without any real draw into the microconsole market, especially with tons and tons of companies now joining in on it, there's just no appeal and no where to go with it. No where to expand. They are all basically the same type of machines, with basically the same-actual and same-type of games. And they are all basically coming out at around the same time. Just flooding a market with very, very limited potential. The biggest difference between them is the look, basically. Well, the Shield has a 'portable screen", but it's big and cumbersome, compared to a smartphone. So I think that these microconsoles will have a limited appeal, a limited potential, and won't be around for very long. Especially with so many all coming out at around the same time. As any potential market for it will be thinned out across the different platforms. Causing each one to make less then they possibly could have if there had only been one to release. So the limited market it now dividing between all of these new microconsoles, and it's just going to make them all perform worse. Which won't help their cause at all. They are hurting themselves by all releasing around the same time. Which is just another reason why these will fail, in the long run. Unless something changes, or if one could get capture the appeal away from the other competitors, this market won't last long at all.