Ouya Launches at Retail Outlets in June

[Timothy Chang]

Ouya Launches at Retail Outlets in June

The Android-based console will soon be sharing shelf space.

It looks like the Kickstarter-funded [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/118982-Ouya-Kickstarter-Ends-with-900-of-Goal-Raised] Ouya won't be limited to its backers and online orders. If you still wanted to get your hands on the open-source platform, it will be heading to retail outlets when it officially launches.

The Ouya will be available in June 2013 via Gamestop, Target, and Best Buy, while online buyers can purchase one from Amazon after launch day. Pre-orders have also been announced, and you can do so via the official website to receive one in April. Kickstarter backers will still get an earlier release of the console when it's unveiled in March.

The pre-order page has a console and controller package priced at $99.99, while an extra controller will cost you another $49.99. CEO Julie Uhrman acknowledged the "premium price" of the controller, citing the "inclusion of the touchpad" as justification for the price tag.

When questioned on the Ouya's future retail performance in the coming year in the face of a new console cycle and a generally negative outlook, Uhrman replied: "We don't need to beat Xbox or Sony or any console that enters the marketplace, we need to carve out our own niche. OUYA offers a very different value proposition to the gaming you can currently experience. It's a box designed specifically for the television that leverages the screen, we support 3D gaming, HD, we support the controller, we added a touchpad to the controller.

"The kind of content you'll see on OUYA, it'll be inventive and creative and has never been on the television," she said.



Source: Wall Street Journal [http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2013/02/05/ouya-finds-a-friend-with-amazon/?mod=WSJBlog]

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[wrightguy0]

I'm looking forward to this, and i want the Ouya to carve out it's niche in the console market, because i think this system could start something in gaming, a trend where it's less about the hardware and more about the quality of games and gameplay. This generation has seen players respond overwhelmingly to non AAA indie games, and Ouya i hope, can bring more of those types of games to more people.

 

[Genocidicles]

I might get one if I got the money lying about. Any word on EU release dates?

Also is that picture to scale? Is the console really that small?

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

Only issue is ease of making games, the ability where a person can actually make the games they imagine. An also if any one can be bothered to finish there game through. Problem is with these things are 99% of games that are made will be complete unoriginal crap.

Hopefully a lot of diamonds will be found in the rough to fuel the imagination of others to buy and make something awesome.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

I'm interested to see how this turns out, because frankly, I don't think there's as big a market as people think. I might pick up some Android games on my phone for when I'm on the go (which is rare), but when I'm at home I barely touch them.

Happy to be proven wrong, though.

 

[SpAc3man]

Haters done declaring vapourware yet? I will hopefully get my LE Ouya in March.

 

[fix-the-spade]

If it makes it to Europe with the pricing level even roughly intact I'll have one.

Even with Tax added on that price will work out to about £75, full console for less than an EA game and the DLC to make it workable? Tough choice.

The biggest potential thorn I see is legal issues. I bet people will start trying to port old console games without sorting the money out first, which could get interesting.

 

[maddog015]

One word: Emulation.

That is if you can install your own APKs on it.

 

[Owlslayer]

Well, great that it's getting launched at retail outlets, as well.
I doubt I'll be getting one myself, but i still wish the Ouya the best of luck. It's something quite interesting alright.

 

[Zombie_Moogle]

I might get one if I got the money lying about. Any word on EU release dates?

Also is that picture to scale? Is the console really that small?

Yeah, about the size of a rubix cube

Only issue is ease of making games, the ability where a person can actually make the games they imagine. An also if any one can be bothered to finish there game through. Problem is with these things are 99% of games that are made will be complete unoriginal crap.

Hopefully a lot of diamonds will be found in the rough to fuel the imagination of others to buy and make something awesome.

I think you just described the entire indie gaming scene

 

[Erttheking]

Ok, I have to admit that I still don't know much about this. What are the pros to this then, say, my 360?

 

[MopBox]

I'm pretty excited about it. Even if the launch titles are superb you can't argue with that console's price.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

I'm really excited about that thing to be honest.

I'm really hoping that the people that got it early managed to create something pretty cool, and I'm excited to play around with it when I do manage to get one.

 

[newwiseman]

Ok, I have to admit that I still don't know much about this. What are the pros to this then, say, my 360?

Microsoft's practices make updating indie games a costly nightmare for developers. [a href="http://www.vg247.com/2012/07/19/fez-save-eating-patch-back-online-fix-would-cost-a-ton-of-money/"] here[/a]

The main appeal will be to the indie game makers that want to make something that will use a controller without having to spend a few grand on an sdk and then a few more on publishing. Plus, at only $99, it should make for a decent media portal for netflix, hulu, or whatever else you may want to stream. Think Apple TV with a controller, and video mirroring can probably be accomplished with some software like splashtop.

My main hope is that it will help make a base line for android game development, since android's biggest problem is the fragmentation of it's market.

 

[aelreth]

Ok, I have to admit that I still don't know much about this. What are the pros to this then, say, my 360?

Microsoft's practices make updating indie games a costly nightmare for developers. [a href="http://www.vg247.com/2012/07/19/fez-save-eating-patch-back-online-fix-would-cost-a-ton-of-money/"] here[/a]

The main appeal will be to the indie game makers that want to make something that will use a controller without having to spend a few grand on an sdk and then a few more on publishing. Plus, at only $99, it should make for a decent media portal for netflix, hulu, or whatever else you may want to stream. Think Apple TV with a controller, and video mirroring can probably be accomplished with some software like splashtop.

My main hope is that it will help make a base line for android game development, since android's biggest problem is the fragmentation of it's market.

I seem to recall that the makers of the ouya remarked that the SDK for the mainstream consoles is in the millions.

 

[Micah Weil]

...is it bad that, as a retailer, I'm looking forward to SELLING these things, rather than playing with them myself?