It all started so brightly for the Ouya console; one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns ever, the Android-based system raised $8.5 million in funding and gained an astonishing level of support almost overnight. Many within the industry started to confidently predict that this open-source wonder would be the saviour of gaming; the platform to rattle the cages of Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo, transforming the tired and predictable console arena in the same way that the iPhone revolutionised the way in which we play portable games.
However, in recent months cracks have started to appear in the hype. With developer units now in the hands of the press, early impressions have started to appear online - and they make for dismal reading. The long list of killer exclusives promised by the team behind the system has thus far failed to materialise, which is another significant worry. The system’s release is looming, but the positivity which was so palpable not so long ago is starting to evaporate, and harsh reality is flooding in.
Gaming journalist and Ouya-skeptic Alexander Stevens spoke to us about the system’s future, and thinks that its one of the Ouya’s selling points - its open nature - is actually irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.
'One of the biggest myths the team behind the Ouya have successfully created is that there's some kind of impenetrable wall keeping independent developers from creating content on popular, established platforms and that somehow the Ouya being open-source is going to give would-be game designers a venue that no other platform offers,' he says.
'It's never been a better time for independent developers to get in on the PC gaming market, and if you want to create an App for the iOS platform the only thing standing in your way is a $100 fee. Ouya being open-source is something that sounds good from a marketing perspective but has little practical impact.'
Another key weakness is the fact that Ouya is running Android. Although we’ve argued in the past that Ouya could give Google’s OS the edge over Apple’s, traditionally speaking the Google Play store enjoys little in the way of exclusive support from game developers - if you think of the best games you’ve played on Android, chances are an iOS version exists, and probably existed before the Android iteration. This could prove to be a real headache for the team behind Ouya.
'Momentum is clearly on iOS' side,' Stevens explains. 'While both Android and iOS have hundreds of thousands of apps, iOS is the winner when it comes to gaming and its users spend more money on software than Android customers. While that trend holds, it's difficult to imagine a situation where developers will find the Android platform attractive for exclusive titles, and the Ouya isn't going to change that.' The somewhat barren list of Ouya-only titles seems to support that stance.
As we said before, early reviews of the developer version of the console haven’t been kind - although it’s not the finished article, there’s clearly been some fundamental mistakes made with the system. 'We can see a common theme throughout these early reviews,' Stevens says. 'Considerable controller lag and issues with its physical design, no compelling titles and a lack of polish regarding the interface. I'm confident this theme will continue as more reviews are released over the coming weeks.'
And what of Ouya’s supposed threat to the established console manufacturers? Is there really a chance that it could usurp the PlayStation and Xbox? 'Absolutely not,' replies Stevens. 'In fact, Ouya's PR has been backpedaling on its claims to challenge the big three, saying that the console was never meant to be a direct competitor. People buy consoles to play Mario and Call of Duty, and to use as media hubs. You can purchase an Xbox 360 for the same price as an Ouya and an extra controller, and gamers know this.'
Time will tell is Ouya can really make an impact in the gaming sector. As is often the case, pioneers are the ones which end up with arrows in their backs; while the notion of a games console powered by Android isn’t as mad as it sounds, the market probably isn’t ready for that just yet. Android needs to grow and gain exclusive content before it can be seen as a viable platform, and Ouya could well end up being little more than an attractive and cheap way of getting Google Play content on your TV screen.
'The Ouya is like a car that runs on dreams instead of an internal combustion engine,' says Stevens with a wry smile. 'It has a small, dedicated and vocal fan base, but that's not enough to turn it into a mainstream success.'
by rgoodwin via Featured Articles
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