Slashdot Mirror
Why We Should Remain Skeptical of the Ouya Android Console
An anonymous reader writes "We recently talked about the 'Ouya' console — a conceptual Android-based gaming device that's had a massively successful Kickstarter campaign. While most people are excited about such a non-traditional console, editorials at 1Up and Eurogamer have expressed some more realistic skepticism about the claims being made and the company's ability to meet those claims. Quoting: 'Even if we set aside the issue of install base, one of Ouya's selling points could make developers wary of investing in it. Through the pitch video and on the Kickstarter page, Ouya emphasizes the ability to root the system and hack it without fear of voiding the warranty. With a standard USB port and Bluetooth support, it will be possible to use controllers and peripherals with it other than the one it comes with. What this also opens the door for is piracy and emulation. No doubt a chunk of the audience interested in Ouya are those intrigued by the idea of having a box that hooks up to a TV and can run Super Nintendo or Genesis emulators. Others will look at the system's open nature as an invitation to play its games for free; if it's as open as advertised, it should not be difficult to obtain and run illegally downloaded copies of Ouya games.' Ouya CEO Julia Uhrman has responded to the skepticism, saying, 'Ouya will be just as secure as any other Android-powered device. In fact, because all the paid content will require authentication with Ouya's servers, we have an added layer of security. Hacking and openness are about getting what you want to do with the hardware. Rooting the device won't give you any more access to the software.'"
I realise that businessmen have had it easy since the '80s, but at least there was the vague principle that people invest their money in return for some proprietary interest in the ongoing concern. Kickstarter appears to be the epitome of fawning obsequience to the owning classes, where people contribute money in return for a single trinket.
"all the paid content will require authentication with Ouya's servers"
So it'll have Ubi-style always-on DRM. Nice.
I was kind of interested in this project, but upon reflection I'm getting increasingly more sceptical. Too many spurious claims, not enough hard detail. I'll see how (if) it pans out, but I'm glad I'm not a backer.
Well, it's a device sold for a purpose. As long as its satisfies that purpose, it's all good. Console are the epitome of hardware that's not frequently updated, because the goal is to play games, and good games don't need bleeding-edge hardware.
If the console can play good games when you buy it, it will still play good games 4yrs later. No need to obsess about specs.
The Cloud - because you don't care if your apps and data are up in the air.
I'd be worried they completely overextended on the Kickstarter rewards. They may have raised $5M so far, but they also owe:
* About 8% of that to Kickstarter & Amazon (= $400,000)
* 35,000 consoles and controllers to their backers
Manufacturing and fulfillment on 35,000 consoles is going to take an awfully large bite out of their (so far) $4.6M net from Kickstarter.
I'm an electronics designer and the first thing that jumps out at me is that they want to use a Tegra 3 processor. From having detailed conversations with another SoC manufacturer in the same class I'm certain there is no chance in hell they will be able to purchase that processor with only, say, 50k consoles being produced (35k Kickstarter backers at the time of writing).
When we tried it the SoC manufacturer was willing to deal with us at a level of 1 million units and stated they might _consider_ 500k units/pa if we could guarantee a ramp-up.
So this sounds like a total load of shit based on that single glaring fact.
Right, 1920x1080 is way too high res for mobile chips, I mean, the iPad is only 2048x1536, it'll be years before they're able to get up to 1920x1080... wait.
It's already trivially easy to pirate games on all the other gaming platforms... And most of them are also capable of running emulators.
What's really needed however, is a modern day equivalent of the Amiga. A system with a good selection of games, the insert and boot simplicity of a console, and a proper computer underpinning the system that allows people to learn more should they wish to do so. Think about it like this:
Parents don't want to buy their kids a games console because it's not very educational, all it does is play games.
Kids may not be terribly interested in learning how a computer works to start with, but if the facility is there then curiosity will often get the better of them.
Most importantly, the system needs to encourage people to learn about it, and needs to have a simple procedure to return it to a working state regardless of how much you've messed with it.
As for piracy, all the various anti piracy measures do is limit casual piracy, that is kids sharing copies of games with friends, or buying a single copy of a game to play at a lan party... These schemes inevitably get cracked anyway, and instead of buying one copy to share those kids will simply obtain a pirate copy to start with.
http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
Over powered at launch?
Even at launch they barely compete with a decent PC from the same time.
Tegra 3 is no where near as beefy as the SGX543MP4, but yes, your point in general is correct, the GPUs in modern tablets are about as quick as an XBox 360's.
Some of the more 'high-end' Android 3D games support controllers - I have Max Payne, Shadowgun THD, and Dead Trigger, all of which support the PS3 controller with no extra configuration. I haven't had time to play with emulation yet, that's coming, and the emulators out there support controllers, too.
Of course, the Prime costs a bunch more than the Ouya is supposed to cost. I'm still dubious about them getting things ready in time, and getting developer support... but from a technical perspective, it's almost a solved problem.
PHEM - party like it's 1997-2003!
Granted, these guys didn't have Kickstarter available when they first began work on this project. Granted, development of each release has been agonizingly slow. But if you're looking for a small, open console that plays a bunch of games, why buy Ouya when this is out there? Seriously. If these guys ever get serious dough rolling in, the price on these would drop through the floor now that all the sunk costs have been paid for. I want one. Now. It's definitely high on my list to buy once we get our debt paid down.
This article starts with completely the wrong premise. Platforms don't become popular because of DRM. DRM gets put on popular platforms because there is nothing the purchaser can do about it other than do without. The idea that EA would choose not to earn a million dollars on non-DRMed software because they could have gotten 2 million if DRM was in place is ridiculous.
I point to http://www.gog.com./ If an inexpensive console had just that DRM free library of games, it would be a viable platform. There is no question that DRM free software can make money.
Linux runs my server.
A different Linux runs my desktop.
A different Linux runs my Android phone.
A different Linux runs my router.
FRAGMENTATION!!!!