New Console is Making Waves in the Tech World

New Console is Making Waves in the Tech World

by Francesco Nasso, Research Assistant

This past month, the game industry witnessed the rise of a new console that is making waves in the tech world.  Ouya, which set out to raise $950,000 has raised approximately $8.5 million dollars in funding to date and its designers are poised to potentially change the way consumers play games.  The designers at Ouya are focusing on developing an environment where players and game developers can interact in ways that were previously not possible.

Ouya has three goals:

The first is affordability.  Current generation consoles require an investment of at least $250.   After purchasing the console, buying the latest games will cost customers $40 to $60 dollars per game.  Ouya aims to be less costly with a $99 price tag, making it cheaper than most other gaming devices on the market. The designers have made a commitment to include a “free-to-play” component in every game released for the console.  This means that some component of gameplay will be free for players to try with no commitment.

The second is keeping Ouya developer friendly.   Small game developers often complain that licensing fees and development costs are too expensive to allow for development on these consoles.  While the mobile game place is much cheaper, companies have difficult getting their content seen, with numerous apps being released each day.  Ouya occupies the middle space, where developers can create games for a contained user base without having to worry about the products associated with licensing.   Additionally, the console itself acts as its own development kit.   So players can actually design their own games using the Ouya and then sell them on the Ouya online store.

The third is mixing original content with old classics.  Brand new, console exclusive titles are being developed for the system.  So far one game has been announced, Human Element a zombie-survival game where players interact in a post-apocalyptic world.  Popular games like Minecraft and Final Fantasy III will also be ported over to the new system.  Online services such as Onlive, an on demand gaming streaming service, and Twitch TV, an application where players can put up video of themselves playing games, will be coming to the console.

For more information take a look at www.ouya.tv.  You can continue the discussion by sending me an email at [email protected].