OnLive Coming To Ouya Android Console

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OnLive Coming To Ouya Android Console

Posted by Soulskill on Friday July 27, 2012 @08:25AM from the permanently-minimum-hardware-requirements dept.

Earlier this month, we discussed a Kickstarter project for Ouya, and Android-based gaming console in development by a company of the same name. Their fundraising campaign was wildly successful, and now they've partnered with cloud gaming provider OnLive for the console's launch. (Which is somewhat unexpected, because OnLive already sells its own pseudo-console.) In the same post, the Ouya creators showed their most recent design for the console's controllers.

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There is nothing unexpected about this. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 08:28 · Score: 1

Onlive makes it's money from Subscriptions not selling hardware. There are a ton of TVs with OnLive support now.
Personally I don't like OnLive, but I guess it's nice that it's there. Just like there are Netflix apps on everything now.
Ugh... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 08:29 · Score: 0

That controller design looks terrible and unergonomic. Plus their designer seems to have gone a bit overboard with the brushed metal look.
1. Re:Ugh... by fragtag · 2012-07-27 08:42 · Score: 1
  
  That controller design looks terrible and unergonomic. Plus their designer seems to have gone a bit overboard with the brushed metal look.
  The look of the controller shouldn't mater a bit. The whole point of Ouya is to do what you want with the hardware.
  
  Don't like the look of the controller? Make a new one.
  Want it wireless? Go for it!
  Want to replace the whole case? Big deal.
  
  The best part is...None of this voids the warranty. I think it will be awesome to see the neat stuff that comes out weeks after the launch. Now might be a good time to invest in a MakerBot.
2. Re:Ugh... by Jeng · 2012-07-27 09:00 · Score: 2
  
  The best part is...None of this voids the warranty.
  
  It's things like this that make me think this is vaporware. A warranty is a means of reducing support costs. If creating an entirely new case for the product doesn't void the warranty then the people making Ouya are going to have support costs from hell.
  
  --
  Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
3. Re:Ugh... by CanHasDIY · 2012-07-27 09:02 · Score: 1
  
  The best part is...None of this voids the warranty.
  It's things like this that make me think this is vaporware. A warranty is a means of reducing support costs. If creating an entirely new case for the product doesn't void the warranty then the people making Ouya are going to have support costs from hell.
  The personality types who are most likely to do extensive modification to the device, are equally likely to provide their own support.
  
  --
  An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
4. Re:Ugh... by Jeng · 2012-07-27 09:08 · Score: 1
  
  The personality types who are most likely to do extensive modification to the device, are equally likely to provide their own support.
  
  And the most likely to abuse a warranty by being careless in their modification since, hey if they fuck up, they can just send it in.
  
  --
  Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
5. Re:Ugh... by grumbel · 2012-07-27 09:53 · Score: 1
  
  It surely will be fun for the color blind:
  Game: "Now press the green button"
  Player: "Which one?"
  Game: "The one that looks like a circle"
  Also whats up with the dpad? I thought Nintendo's patent on the cross design expired so that people would now be allowed to build good ones instead of those weird circle things?
6. Re:Ugh... by littlebigbot · 2012-07-27 09:58 · Score: 1
  
  The warranty is approximately 30 seconds.
7. Re:Ugh... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 10:21 · Score: 0
  
  "P.S. We're still deciding on the buttons. For now, we've stuck with the colored circles as placeholders. But don't fret, we won't leave out colorblind gamers. :)"
  Taken from the Update on the Kickstarter page.
  But yeah, the DPad doesn't look like it'll be fun to use.
8. Re:Ugh... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 14:59 · Score: 0
  
  Ouya is going to fail just like Indrema. Why the fuck would anyone be stupid enough to buy one when their phone can already do the exact same things?
Interesting but... by asylumx · 2012-07-27 08:30 · Score: 1

Is it going to be touch-screen or something? Why bother using the android OS instead of writing something more specialized?
1. Re:Interesting but... by h4rr4r · 2012-07-27 08:35 · Score: 1
  
  Why reinvent the wheel?
  The NDK already makes some great looking games possible locally.
2. Re:Interesting but... by redemtionboy · 2012-07-27 08:43 · Score: 1
  
  Because developers like me who are already making android games can easily make a few adjustments and sell our games on this console instead of having to work a lot harder to make a port.
3. Re:Interesting but... by h4rr4r · 2012-07-27 08:47 · Score: 1
  
  Link?
  Or name of your game.
4. Re:Interesting but... by Sonny+Yatsen · 2012-07-27 09:09 · Score: 1
  
  There is a growing number of games on Android that provide controller support already, so it's not absolutely required that an Android game MUST utilize touchscreen technology. Besides, the Ouya controller will have an integrated touchpad on the face of the controller so you can use the controller even while you're playing a game that might require some aspect of touch.
  
  --
  My postings are informational and does not constitute legal advice. Act on it at your risk.
5. Re:Interesting but... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 09:27 · Score: 0
  
  I like to raise awareness whenever the touchpad comes up. After following Google IO 2012, I learned that Google TV remotes are required to have touchpads. I do not think OUYA controllers having a touchpad is a coincidence.
6. Re:Interesting but... by Guspaz · 2012-07-27 09:44 · Score: 1
  
  What, you need some sort of proof to back up the statement that porting an Android game to the Android-based Ouya will be simple? It's kind of a no-brainer... The Ouya SDK's customizations have mostly to do with payment-related stuff, not the actual interactions with the hardware or OS.
7. Re:Interesting but... by nschubach · 2012-07-27 10:09 · Score: 1
  
  Maybe I'm naive, but I just figured it was more of a request than a demand.
  
  --
  Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
8. Re:Interesting but... by Microlith · 2012-07-27 10:32 · Score: 0
  
  Saying "why reinvent the whell" in the context of Android is redundant. Android is the wheel, reinvented.
9. Re:Interesting but... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 13:36 · Score: 0
  
  No, I wanted to check it out and maybe even buy it.
  Sorry if you hate people making money.
10. Re:Interesting but... by BitZtream · 2012-07-27 22:39 · Score: 0
  
  I could give you about a thousand reasons why using Android for a game console is stupid idea when you could just as easily use a standard distro as the base. The graphics subsystem, which is vitally important to games, being the biggest part of android that sucks ass would be a good starting point for why you wouldn't use Android.
  
  --
  Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
Why is that suprising? by oneiros27 · 2012-07-27 08:32 · Score: 1

If OnLive follows the Microsoft & Sony model of console sales, they take a loss on each one, which they try to make back by selling when you buy games & services. If someone else is making the console, they don't have to take that loss on each console. So they're getting a potential 40k+ new users.
What was surprising was when Sony hit Connectix with the lawsuit to ban the Virtual Playstation. (maybe not in hindsight, with the control that Sony wants, but it made no sense to me at the time.

--
Build it, and they will come^Hplain.
1. Re:Why is that suprising? by HarrySquatter · 2012-07-27 08:35 · Score: 1
  
  They only take a loss initially until hardware costs go down. Neither company has lost money on their hardware sales for a couple of years now.
2. Re:Why is that suprising? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 11:42 · Score: 0
  
  Or possibly they hadn't planned out that 5 years later a different division of the company would put in an anti-piracy measure. Get a new thing to be outraged about please.
3. Re:Why is that suprising? by jonwil · 2012-07-27 13:39 · Score: 1
  
  The Connectix lawsuit was all to do with the fact that unlike a real PlayStation unit, the Connectix product did not (and could not) carry out the checks that identify if the disk is a genuine disk or an unauthorized copy.
That Controller. by Seumas · 2012-07-27 08:34 · Score: 1

That damn controller looks uncomfortable as hell. It's like they took the XBOX 360 controller and stripped out all of the contouring that makes it so comfortable and fitting for the hand. I still haven't canceled my backing pledge, but that's not so much because of my excitement over playing games on it as my excitement at having a conversation piece collector's item on my shelf ten years from now. I'll either end up with a first-run version of a super popular console or an only-run version of a total failure. Either way, it'll be worth having in my collection. Unless it's *such* a failure that it basically just turns out to be the Phantom.
1. Re:That Controller. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 08:41 · Score: 0
  
  They did say that it would be hackable, so I'm hoping they ill keep the controller connection protocol open so others can design and sell controllers for the box. It also has a USB port so i wouldn't be surprised if a PC usb controller will work on it.
2. Re:That Controller. by h4rr4r · 2012-07-27 08:46 · Score: 1
  
  Hopefully they will just be standard bluetooth controllers.
3. Re:That Controller. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 23:05 · Score: 0
  
  It won't ship. They've raised a lot of money, but they also have to ship a lot of consoles.
  They've raised $5,667,198.
  But they have to ship 40,354.
  That's $140.43 per console. Minus 3% for transaction fees and 5% for Kickstarter's cut and you get $129.20. For this amount, they must buy all their parts, make the needed custom parts (including the console shell and controller shell), assemble the devices, and ship the devices.
  Not going to happen. I would be a lot less skeptical if they were charging $200.
4. Re:That Controller. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 23:12 · Score: 0
  
  I wouldn't be surprised if they designed it in such a way that you can just use an XBox 360 controller.
5. Re:That Controller. by Seumas · 2012-07-28 05:00 · Score: 1
  
  I don't see why that's a problem. They intend to sell the final product for $99 and what you're pledging for on Kickstarter is a console from the first production run. So, if after the 8% Kickstarter and Amazon fees, they have $129.20 per console that they already plan on selling at $99 for a profit, then they're doing damn well. They're looking at 30% *above* what they've already determined could be a profitable price to sell at.
  Remember, this money isn't to fund the entire project, which is already pretty far under way, it seems. If anything, this is all just an attempt to get a bunch of publicity and pre-orders for a product that was coming to market with or without Kickstarter. (Though we could easily argue over how this is probably a pretty shitty abuse of the spirit of Kickstarter).
What's an OnLive? by GameboyRMH · 2012-07-27 08:38 · Score: 1, Funny

An onion crossed with an olive? Sounds gross.

--
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
1. Re:What's an OnLive? by h4rr4r · 2012-07-27 08:50 · Score: 1
  
  How about you put it the word you are wondering about into google and see what happens?
  You might just learn something all by yourself.
2. Re:What's an OnLive? by Applekid · 2012-07-27 08:58 · Score: 1
  
  Please tell me your humor sensor is at the shop.
  
  --
  More Twoson than Cupertino
3. Re:What's an OnLive? by h4rr4r · 2012-07-27 09:05 · Score: 2
  
  That was humor?
  How high are you?
4. Re:What's an OnLive? by nschubach · 2012-07-27 09:14 · Score: 1
  
  I voided my humor warranty when I tried to use it in a way that was not intended.
  
  --
  Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
5. Re:What's an OnLive? by Anubis+IV · 2012-07-27 09:19 · Score: 1
  
  It was worth a chuckle. In contrast, your first post's blatant grammatical error made me cringe.
6. Re:What's an OnLive? by Ambvai · 2012-07-27 12:11 · Score: 1
  
  Not a fan of martinis then?
Sure it is... by Beardydog · 2012-07-27 08:58 · Score: 1

OnLive has been "coming to" iOS for like two years now. They've had pictures of iPads floating around their site for ages, and I think there's an E3 video of someone using it. What have they actually produced? OnLive Viewer. So you am watch strangers play a game that you can't play.

It's an impressive service, but they should probably keep their eye on the ball and get it onto popular systems that have the important benefit of actually existing.
1. Re:Sure it is... by h4rr4r · 2012-07-27 09:03 · Score: 2
  
  It is already on Android.
  The issue with getting it on iOS is not technical it is business related. They do not want to give apple a 30% cut of their subscriptions, they probably can't afford to the AAA games.
2. Re:Sure it is... by Sonny+Yatsen · 2012-07-27 09:12 · Score: 2
  
  Wouldn't giving Apple a 30% cut only come into play if OnLive is making subscriptions available via in-app purchases? If OnLive is able to get people to sign up for their service on a website (like, say, Netflix) and set up subscriptions there, I don't see how Apple would be able to take a piece of their revenues that way.
  
  --
  My postings are informational and does not constitute legal advice. Act on it at your risk.
3. Re:Sure it is... by nschubach · 2012-07-27 09:16 · Score: 2
  
  It makes me wonder how they get around the "no app store in the app store" issue Amazon had.
  
  --
  Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
4. Re:Sure it is... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 11:25 · Score: 0
  
  I'm pretty sure the deal is exclusive - you can't provide those purchases any other way than by the App Store.
5. Re:Sure it is... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-29 07:47 · Score: 0
  
  Yo dawg... I heard u liek teh app store, so I put an app store in ur app store.
so... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 09:25 · Score: 0

...Ouya is still a scam.
Why develop their own controller? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 15:37 · Score: 0

Xbox controllers are usb, widely available, use standard connectors. Why waste their time & money designing new ones?
1. Re:Why develop their own controller? by bfandreas · 2012-07-27 17:54 · Score: 1
  
  I just wondered about this one myself.
  I've got a PS2 Twin Shock paired with my Transformer Prime and it works like a charm as long as it is supported by the game. It is even supported by the Amiga emulator I got on it.
  
  The Ouya IMHO is quite possible at the 100$ price point. They can be very cheap. Think Android tablet without the touch screen and the battery and the need to be as thin as an IPad. All stock components. Why reinvent the wheel with the controller? Unless they got a sweet deal with Logitech I wouldn't have bothered. If they had PlayStore on it they'd have an established market...
  ...unless their business plan is a store and taking less than Google and having an already established platform. In which case the might possibly make a killing...
  There are a lot of amazing games on PlayStore at a price point that makes me wonder how they are making any money. Also there is quite a bit of crap. But Sonic works super smooth, Riptide is super polished, ShadowGun is a nice stock-of-the-mill 3D shooter. And they look either reasonably well or amazing on a monitor at 720p.
  
  --
  20 minutes into the future
2. Re:Why develop their own controller? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-28 10:10 · Score: 0
  
  Because many players prefer controller designs that match their console's.
It's called "riding the bandwagon" by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 16:07 · Score: 0

This is what OnLive does... sorry people. There is a lot of internet and press buzz about the Ouya, so what does onlive do? They jump onto the press bandwagon, and say oh yes, we're definitely going to be on that console that doesn't exist yet!
1. Re:It's called "riding the bandwagon" by BitZtream · 2012-07-27 22:46 · Score: 0
  
  I'd wager its more the Ouya guys who are talking about OnLive, it leaves them even LESS to do to make their silly scam seem real.
  
  --
  Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
People who don't already own an iControlPad by tepples · 2012-07-29 08:57 · Score: 1

it's not absolutely required that an Android game MUST utilize touchscreen technology.
Unless you want to reach the market of people who haven't already bought a $62 iControlPad or an Xperia Play phone. If your game costs $2 and it doesn't work well with a completely flat touch screen, then it ultimately costs the user $64 to play.