Ouya Teams Up With XBMC

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Posted by Unknown on Wednesday August 8, 2012 @02:10AM from the it's-like-boxee-only-different dept.

New submitter JG0LD writes "The team behind open-source media platform XBMC announced yesterday that it would be working with the developers of Ouya to make sure that XBMC works on the still-developing but widely hyped Android gaming console." From XBMC: "Regardless, we are delighted to announce that XBMC will be working with Ouya to ensure that XBMC works well on the Ouya platform. Ouya's Android underpinnings and XBMC's work on Android (soon to be merged into master, pending final sign-offs!) will dramatically speed up that effort, as will early XBMC dev access to Ouya prototypes."

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Oh man, not another console by crazyjj · 2012-08-08 02:10 · Score: 4, Funny

My TV only has so many inputs, you know.
I already had to add an extra power circuit in my living room to accommodate my Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U, OnLive console, Valve console, Atari 2600, Region 1 blu-ray player, Region 2 blu-ray player, Laserdisc player, VCR, DVR, POW, laptop, Apple Mini, 100-speaker sound system, and 300" 4D TV.
Last week my dog disappeared and I'm pretty sure he's somewhere behind my entertainment center. If anyone has some mountain climbing gear and a Jaws of Life, I would very much appreciate a hand.

--
What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
1. Re:Oh man, not another console by MickyTheIdiot · 2012-08-08 02:14 · Score: 1
  
  I'm running into the same issue. Early on when I got my newest TV I had to get 4 port HDMI switcher. Now that is full up and when the Ouya comes out (which I gave money to in the Kickstarter campaign) I will upgrade that to an 8. It's getting a little crazy with all the stuff that can be attached.
2. Re:Oh man, not another console by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 02:19 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Between this and clean water, indoor plumbing, and air conditioning I don't know how we manage anymore.
3. Re:Oh man, not another console by ThunderBird89 · 2012-08-08 02:27 · Score: 1
  
  Call me crazy, but aren't such consoles meant to replace several of the consoles you're talking about? Like a VCR, DVR, laptop, Apple Mini, Region 1 blu-ray player, Region 2 blu-ray player, etc.
  That seems to be the point of such media center consoles...
  
  --
  Hyperbole: I use it liberally!
4. Re:Oh man, not another console by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 02:31 · Score: 0
  
  Oh man. My new 55" LED LCD TV's built in speakers were horrendous. I had to get a Pioneer Elite AVR so I could hookup some Polk LSi speakers. Now the sound is great. A little bulky but so much better. On the plus side when I hang my TV on the wall there will be fewer cables running down the wall.
  But living room life is still hard. I got a Logitech harmony 600 remote to control everything but it often fails to turn off one of the components. Then I have to go into the menu system of the remote to manually turn it off. Also, the remote burns through AA batteries in 1-2 months depending on use. I'm going broke!
5. Re:Oh man, not another console by Zocalo · 2012-08-08 02:36 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  But apart from the clean water, indoor plumbing, air conditioning, and the HDMI switchers... What have the Romans ever done for us?
  
  --
  UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
6. Re:Oh man, not another console by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 02:38 · Score: 0
  
  This OP merely needs a reasonable HTPC and a NAS to rip all his media to. Seriously, it's 2012, all your media should be available to all of your devices unless they're locked down like console games.
7. Re:Oh man, not another console by CanHasDIY · 2012-08-08 02:40 · Score: 1
  
  Call me crazy...
  You're crazy, dude.
  
  With a capital C.
  
  --
  An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
8. Re:Oh man, not another console by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 02:43 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  I'm pretty sure he was pulling your leg a little, since there are no Valve consoles yet and "VCR", whatever that is, sounds made-up.
9. Re:Oh man, not another console by Nyder · 2012-08-08 02:49 · Score: 2
  
  My TV only has so many inputs, you know.
  I already had to add an extra power circuit in my living room to accommodate my Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U, OnLive console, Valve console, Atari 2600, Region 1 blu-ray player, Region 2 blu-ray player, Laserdisc player, VCR, DVR, POW, laptop, Apple Mini, 100-speaker sound system, and 300" 4D TV.
  Last week my dog disappeared and I'm pretty sure he's somewhere behind my entertainment center. If anyone has some mountain climbing gear and a Jaws of Life, I would very much appreciate a hand.
  Welcome to life!
  Back in the day, like that Atari 2600, you had 2 screws you hooked the video game console thru, and god forbid you had 2 or 3 or so of those type of consoles. And we were happy for it.
  Then they made the screw type that is most common with Cable TV. Still only had 1 input on the TV, but by then we had more consoles, shit, we were getting knee deep in the consoles by then. But still only 1 input. And yet, it was so much better then the previous arrangement, we loved it.
  Then came the RCA jack inputs, Video and Audio (L & R). Now you had a choice. The old school screw connector, or the new composite video connector! woot!!! Still took years and years before they started including more then 1 of those composite inputs though. Shit, VCR's usually had 2 of them on them.
  Great improvement, plug and play baby!
  Then came component, which for for SD TV's usually only had the 1 input, of course, it still had the other 2 common inputs also. Great Quality, sometimes plugging it in could be a pain if there was still a bunch of composite plugs (which there usually was).
  Now, with LCD HD TV's I find on my TV, a Samsung, 6-8 different inputs. some of them can't be used at the same time, but most can. Not sure if my TV is special or not, but from what I've seen, most modern TV's have more inputs then older TV's. Oh, and the types of inputs? composite, S-Vid, Component, 15pin VGA, DVI, HDMI. Even got a usb plug somewhere.
  And oddly enough, you can buy video switchers. For example, I have a commodore 1902 monitor that I connect my old consoles to. It has a split luma/chrom input (S-Video, but using 2 rca jacks). I use a GameStop video switcher for that. It lets me hook up, composite, s-vid, and component and network cables. So, it works great with my TV, since my TV has component inputs. But I don't use it with the TV. Old consoles look like shit on a 1080p 40" TV. Hence the Commodore monitor. Not sure if they make HDMI switchers, and not going to google it either.
  But you make a good point, we are drowning in stuff we need to plug in for power, plug into TV's, plug into the Internet.
  And I'm jealous, I only can afford a 12" 4D TV.
  
  --
  Be seeing you...
10. Re:Oh man, not another console by BorgDrone · 2012-08-08 02:51 · Score: 1
  
  But you need only 1 HDMI on your TV, it only needs to connect to your A/V receiver. What is the point of a nice TV if you're not getting an equally nice surround sound system ?
11. Re:Oh man, not another console by h4rr4r · 2012-08-08 02:53 · Score: 1
  
  You should get an HTPC and some emulators. The upsampling some of them do really does wonders for the look of old games on modern displays.
12. Re:Oh man, not another console by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 02:56 · Score: 0
  
  Obviously a VCR is a 'Valve Console Redux'. He's so far ahead of us there's been two generations of Valve consoles produced already :)
13. Re:Oh man, not another console by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 03:06 · Score: 0
  
  You have a Wii U already? Because last time I looked it wasn't on sale yet...
14. Re:Oh man, not another console by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 03:29 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Sounds like you need the ultimate remote control. It will take a few years to make but it will last for many years. It's called having Children. That will take of the problem.
15. Re:Oh man, not another console by crazyjj · 2012-08-08 03:34 · Score: 1
  
  Wii, Wii U, Gamecube--I'm pretty sure they're all back there. I would look closer to be sure, but my entertainment system became self-aware some time ago and it zaps me with some sort of electrical field if I get too close to it.
  
  --
  What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
16. Re:Oh man, not another console by gauauu · 2012-08-08 03:36 · Score: 1
  
  Back in the day, like that Atari 2600, you had 2 screws you hooked the video game console thru, and god forbid you had 2 or 3 or so of those type of consoles. And we were happy for it.
  Meh, back in those days (And with the coax connectors as well), most of the video game consoles attached to the tv with switches that you could chain together. So you could easily chain 2 or 3 consoles together with no problems. In the 2600 days, there was a manual switch you had to move to select the atari vs the upstream input. By the NES days, the switching happened automatically.
  But either way, it was no problem to chain multiple consoles/home computers together. Once we moved to RCA and other inputs is when it started getting painful, because you could no longer chain together inputs like that.
17. Re:Oh man, not another console by denvergeek · 2012-08-08 04:07 · Score: 1
  
  A well-aimed shoe never runs out of batteries. Hard on the gear though.
18. Re:Oh man, not another console by aztracker1 · 2012-08-08 04:58 · Score: 1
  
  Ouya can replace your OnLive console.. ;) For what it's worth, I think between XBMC, and some of the other features, it should be really nice... If I can side-load emulators for Nintendo and Sega consoles, all the better.
  
  --
  Michael J. Ryan - tracker1.info
19. Re:Oh man, not another console by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 06:22 · Score: 0
  
  That's the only thing that stood out to you? Not the "Valve console...100-speaker sound system, [or] 300" 4D TV"?
20. Re:Oh man, not another console by rwa2 · 2012-08-08 08:51 · Score: 1
  
  My TV only has so many inputs, you know.
  Heh, I don't even *have* a TV :P
  I suppose I should be happy for things like Ouya and Raspberry Pi for bringing Linux / Android set-tops to "the masses". But I don't really mind spending an extra $100 to get a full Android tablet with about the same or better specs and a touchscreen. I'll put one in the kitchen, a few in the car, one on my bike, one in the bathroom. Maybe the kids could have one to carry around as well, I dunno. Strap one to the dog as well so I can see what he does when he runs off.
  Just hope whatever they do on the Ouya makes it to the tablet segment as well... XBMC would be neat, I suppose. But so far I only see XBMC remote apps on the Market/AppStore/Play/Whatever they call it now.
21. Re:Oh man, not another console by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 10:18 · Score: 0
  
  Last week my dog disappeared and I'm pretty sure he's somewhere behind my entertainment center.
  If you played "hot problems" on your entertainment center, he's not hiding behind it, he burried himself in your backyard.
22. Re:Oh man, not another console by uniquename72 · 2012-08-08 11:28 · Score: 1
  
  Porn. Just turn on the subtitles.
23. Re:Oh man, not another console by exomondo · 2012-08-08 11:36 · Score: 1
  
  What i don't get is why they don't innovate in software and just build the controller? That way people that have Android tablets/phones could use it without an external display and additional device or plug the HDMI out (or some sort of AirPlay-like feature on the Nexus Q) to their TV if they want it on the big screen. Not to mention the rate at which ARM SoCs seem to become obsolete these days, do people really want to replace their console at the same rate as their phones?
24. Re:Oh man, not another console by crafty.munchkin · 2012-08-08 12:17 · Score: 1
  
  You should've gotten the Harmony 1100i - it's so easy to just put back on it's stand and have it recharge every night ;)
  
  --
  ... wait, what?
25. Re:Oh man, not another console by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-09 11:02 · Score: 0
  
  I guess you must have missed the news that XBMC is currently being ported to Android. It is in the beta stage at the moment and not ready for the Play Store, but if you're desperate to get it, you can find builds which you can sideload.
26. Re:Oh man, not another console by fm6 · 2012-08-16 06:06 · Score: 1
  
  You still have your VCR connected to your TV? Why?
The Killer App for them by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 02:20 · Score: 0

Get the netflix plugin working for non-windows builds of XBMC.
Boxee did it, so it can be done.
1. Re:The Killer App for them by h4rr4r · 2012-08-08 02:55 · Score: 2
  
  They can just open the netflix android app if you pick a selection from there.
2. Re:The Killer App for them by nthitz · 2012-08-08 02:55 · Score: 1
  
  There is a Netflix app for Android, so I don't see why this couldn't be done without too much trouble.
3. Re:The Killer App for them by uniquename72 · 2012-08-08 11:32 · Score: 1
  
  There's Netflix on Windows too, but thanks to Silverlight, XBMC can only open Netflix via IE, which severely limits the use of a remote control. (IOW, it's a lot of trouble because Netflix goes out of its way to make it troublesome.)
Two questions by dbc001 · 2012-08-08 02:23 · Score: 1

I have two questions for the XBMC Android folks:
1. Where can I donate? XBMC rocks and I'm long overdue :)
2. Where can I get fresh builds of the Android port? I can't wait to fire it up on my Google TV!
1. Re:Two questions by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 02:25 · Score: 0
  
  http://xbmc.org/contribute/donate/
2. Re:Two questions by bboitano · 2012-08-08 02:29 · Score: 1
  
  You can donate here : http://xbmc.org/contribute/donate/ Hope that helps!
3. Re:Two questions by Nyder · 2012-08-08 02:52 · Score: 1
  
  I have two questions for the XBMC Android folks:
  1. Where can I donate? XBMC rocks and I'm long overdue :)
  2. Where can I get fresh builds of the Android port? I can't wait to fire it up on my Google TV!
  Google broke?
  http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=Developing_XBMC_for_Android
  https://github.com/xbmc/android
  http://xbmc.org/theuni/2012/07/13/xbmc-for-android/
  
  --
  Be seeing you...
Two Answers by eldavojohn · 2012-08-08 02:30 · Score: 4, Informative

1. Where can I donate? XBMC rocks and I'm long overdue :)
Here.

2. Where can I get fresh builds of the Android port? I can't wait to fire it up on my Google TV!
According to their wiki some porting of libraries may still need to be done but you can clone into their github source for android and try to build it for your device (use their wiki to get started). I think all their development has been done for Pivos which now is an official sponsor of XBMC.

--
My work here is dung.
1. Re:Two Answers by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 02:59 · Score: 0
  
  here you can grab the apk, last time i checked neon was not working so no video accel and no 1080p so far but sd is working fine: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1772433 sorry for no real link, too lazy
2. Re:Two Answers by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 11:16 · Score: 0
  
  It would have taken less keystrokes to make that a click-able link (16 characters) rather than typing "sorry for no real link, too lazy" (33 characters)
My Investigation by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 02:30 · Score: 1

I'm a developer who has wanted to break away from enterprise in this sort of game dev, I would throw money at this product to give it a chance had it not been for all the strange things about it.
No one has explained all the fake in-game footage in their promotional video (They were caught red-handed with Minecraft now weren't they, no wiggle room in that one) or that the dev board (Looks like some mini-ITX thing) featured promotional video doesn't match the pathetically sparse specs (Too many USB ports, no Tegra) and the fact they have not released any detailed specifications so close to their release date is insane. Their domain was registered in June, 2012 (How did they communicate with suppliers before that? Their Gmail accounts?) and is hidden behind Who-Is protection. Also, since when does nVidia sell these chips at such low volumes?
This whole thing smells fishy to me, I've seen the development of projects from internal enterprise hardware products for aerospace to public projects like the not-so hyped (these days anyway, I guess) OpenPandora or the incredibly hyped Raspberry Pi and I don't see Ouya having or having to to tackle the same challenges. They're either magic or something funky is up, it's all just PR and advertising so far.
1. Re:My Investigation by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 02:43 · Score: 0
  
  Notes on the Video:
  
  Featured:
  - Gears of War footage
  - Ouya Menu Screen contains (I guess it's just filler but to stick it in consumer promotional material is misleading):
  * Samurai Vengeance II
  * Shadowgun
  * Dead Trigger
  * Madden NFL 2012
  * Minecraft (They were busted lying about this, in reference to their statement "Minecraft is going to be on it")
  * TripleTown
  * Racing Live
  * Canabalt
  
  Other Features:
  - Julie Uhrman, OUYA Founder
  - Testimonial: Brian Fargo, Founder inXile
  - Statement: Alex Schwartz, Chief Scientist, Owlchemy Labs
  * AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! (Force = Mass x Acceleration) footage
  - Statement: Yves Behar, Product Designer (fuseproject)
  - Canabalt (Made by Kittehface Software)
  - http://www.twitch.tv/ ouya.tv domain created at Jun 20 2012 and uses dreamhost.com who-is protection.
2. Re:My Investigation by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 02:50 · Score: 0
  
  Official Ouya Specs:
  
  Tegra3 quad-core processor
  1GB RAM
  8GB of internal flash storage
  HDMI connection to the TV, with support for up to 1080p HD
  WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
  Bluetooth LE 4.0
  USB 2.0 (one)
  Wireless controller with standard controls (two analog sticks, d-pad, eight action buttons, a system button), a touchpad
  Android 4.0
  ETHERNET! (Announced by Muffi 7/18)
  
  The Ouya Dev board, as featured in the video, has too many USB ports, but I guess the prototype dev board more because it's just for testing but you can't tell me that an Ouya dev board shouldn't have a Tegra3. The heatsink is too small to have a Tegra3 under it.
3. Re:My Investigation by h4rr4r · 2012-08-08 02:58 · Score: 1
  
  That second picture only has some surface mount parts for scale, so it seems possible at least they are the same SOC.
  Any pictures with better references for scale?
4. Re:My Investigation by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 03:00 · Score: 0
  
  No, just fleeting glances in the video. Download the FLV and go through it frame by frame in VLC to see difference focuses.
5. Re:My Investigation by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 03:02 · Score: 0
  
  and also using a tegra chipset in an "open" product seems stupid to me, even if google are using those chips in their newest tablet, something like an omap with documentation and open source drivers would be much better imho
6. Re:My Investigation by h4rr4r · 2012-08-08 03:06 · Score: 1
  
  Where are these open source omap drivers?
  The OMAP in my old D1 sure is not totally open. Hardware acceleration for one uses a closed driver.
  I wish intel would get into the ARM game again, at least we could have good open source drivers.
7. Re:My Investigation by SJ2000 · 2012-08-08 03:07 · Score: 1
  
  One of the few mini-ITX platforms with Tegra3
8. Re:My Investigation by drgould · 2012-08-08 03:41 · Score: 1
  
  I'm a developer who has wanted to break away from enterprise in this sort of game dev, I would throw money at this product to give it a chance had it not been for all the strange things about it.
  
  You know you could just learn Android and Android game programming and not worry about the Ouya.
  The developer's tools are free and there are tons of tutorials on the web and YouTube.
  And it's not like there aren't a few hundred brands of Android smartphones, tablets and, yes, even media boxes.
I just took a poopie by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 02:35 · Score: 0

wanna see?
Made me buy by kaiser423 · 2012-08-08 02:43 · Score: 1

I always had a nagging feeling that I should buy an Ouya, it's just so cool. But I just never had the *oomph*, the specific reason to buy one. I'm waiting in line for my Raspberry Pi, and was planning on using it to replace my large XBMC box. Then I saw the XBMC port to Android, and was looking at those little Android machines to maybe port it to. Then Ouya and XBMC kind of came together and made this a no brainer.

Takes care of my casual gaming wants, my want for XBMC on my home theater, and my want for Android streaming on my home theater. All in one box, for $99. This is really convergence for me. Being able to launch the Android Pandora app rather than the XBMC version that Pandora sometimes blocks, and same for Netflix and various other streaming video options while still having XBMC for all of my movies and TV on my NAS, while also having a built in little controller for browsing and casual gaming really has me excited, and really removes like 4 boxes from my home theater, and keeps me from spending $500 on upgrading them all.

Well done XBMC/Ouya. You're definitely contenders, and I am proud to be backing *open* software/standards rather than this Roku/Xbox/whatever crap that I can't hack/customize.
1. Re:Made me buy by cawpin · 2012-08-08 07:04 · Score: 1
  
  Just so you know, the Raspberry Pi version of XBMC works perfectly and will play full 1080P video no problem. It is quite a capable little board.
2. Re:Made me buy by amorsen · 2012-08-08 08:25 · Score: 1
  
  If only it could play 480i video without a problem...
  
  --
  Finally! A year of moderation! Ready for 2019?
3. Re:Made me buy by cawpin · 2012-08-08 08:42 · Score: 1
  
  What are you talking about? It played everything I threw at it just fine.
4. Re:Made me buy by amorsen · 2012-08-08 09:06 · Score: 1
  
  The Pi only decode H.263 and H.264 in hardware. (Well this is not entirely correct, but you need a license to unlock the other formats, and there is no way to get the license...)
  Some people are trying to decode MPEG-2 in software.
  
  --
  Finally! A year of moderation! Ready for 2019?
Screw 4D TV by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 03:00 · Score: 0

American Idol 2100 is in rerun already.
not Plex? guess xbmc is finally thinking light by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 03:24 · Score: 0

Sounds like the XBMC folks are finally getting off there arses and thinking of the future. With no realistic thin or light clients they seemed to be behind in this battle for a while now. Hell, Plex (which I somewhat dislike) runs on everything from all kinds of PCs, linux boxes of most styles, my ancient Roku and my new damn TV. XBMC not so much. Good to see them thinking about playing some catch up and maybe planning for the future.
1. Re:not Plex? guess xbmc is finally thinking light by 0100010001010011 · 2012-08-08 03:54 · Score: 1
  
  Those are aren't really plex. They are thin wrappers to support the proprietary streaming from the plex server.
  This is the real deal full code XBMC.
2. Re:not Plex? guess xbmc is finally thinking light by profplump · 2012-08-08 04:44 · Score: 1
  
  Regardless of how you feel about Plex "proprietary streaming" is a bit of stretch. Yes, the Plex server code is closed-source (which annoys me), but the streams are MP4-via-HTTP and are accessible via a documented API as well as DLNA.
  Which is important, because the "full code XBMC" still doesn't offer server-client operation, or transcoding, which makes it quite difficult to use directly on low-power machines or in any situation with more than one playback device. XBMC was a great start as one of the first programs to put a TV-friendly GUI on mplayer, and to provide lots of extensibility around that GUI to allow the creation of a variety of video services without the need to re-spin all the complicated bits of playback. And at a time when the only way to get video from a hard drive to TV was via physical DVD or direct connection of a computer (or hacked console) to the screen that's all they needed to provide. But these days XBMC is out-of-date and it needs to embrace centralized (and/or distributed) storage and transcoding to be compatible with non-general-purpose computers that most people use to play video.
  / It's also worth noting the Ouya is supporting Plex as well as XBMC
3. Re:not Plex? guess xbmc is finally thinking light by 0100010001010011 · 2012-08-08 04:54 · Score: 2
  
  > embrace centralized (and/or distributed) storage
  Works just fine at my house. Is your network broken?
4. Re:not Plex? guess xbmc is finally thinking light by cawpin · 2012-08-08 07:03 · Score: 1
  
  This is what I was thinking. I used XBMC on the original XBox up into 2007 to play media from my network. It did, and always has, worked just fine. The new versions are even better, much simpler to add sources and quicker to scan directories.
Re:no more please... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 03:26 · Score: 0

Yeah, now that Duke Nukem Forever was released and the Raspberry Pi is actually shipping, we're running out of vaporware to complain about!
Not everything is available on the consoles by tepples · 2012-08-08 03:45 · Score: 1

Call me crazy, but aren't such consoles meant to replace several of the consoles you're talking about? Like a VCR
Let me know when the films Song of the South and Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night are released (legally) in a modern home video format.

DVR
A lot of programs shown on pay television are not available for streaming through Xbox 360 or PS3. Time-shifting them requires a DVR. In addition, most pay television systems require a decoder box to convert encrypted to something a TV monitor can use, and this is often built into the DVR provided by the pay television operator.

laptop, Apple Mini
Not every video game or other application is published by a publisher that has a license to publish on consoles. In addition, a laptop is almost cheaper than buying a copy of Windows to run on the Mac mini.

Region 1 blu-ray player, Region 2 blu-ray player
A PlayStation 3 console replaces only one of the BD players, not both.
1. Re:Not everything is available on the consoles by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 04:20 · Score: 0
  
  Call me crazy, but aren't such consoles meant to replace several of the consoles you're talking about? Like a VCR
  Let me know when the films Song of the South and Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night are released (legally) in a modern home video format.
  These are widely available already.
  http://lmgtfy.com/?q=song+of+the+south+torrent
2. Re:Not everything is available on the consoles by tepples · 2012-08-08 04:27 · Score: 1
  
  legally
  torrent
  Since when are such torrents licensed by Disney?
3. Re:Not everything is available on the consoles by dave420 · 2012-08-08 05:00 · Score: 1
  
  Who the fuck cares, unless they're trying to seem awesome on Slashdot by picking unreasonable holes in someone's claims? Get the fuck over yourself.
4. Re:Not everything is available on the consoles by Dishevel · 2012-08-08 06:04 · Score: 2
  
  73 years of copyright protection is theft.
  Legally it should have been in the public domain long ago.
  Disney has been buying protective laws for a long time now.
  Morally...Fuck Disney,
  
  --
  Why is it so hard to only have politicians for a few years, then have them go away?
How to get games into the emulators legally? by tepples · 2012-08-08 03:48 · Score: 1

You should get an HTPC and some emulators.
And copy your cartridges and nonstandard-formatted discs to the HTPC how? The Retrode works for Super NES and Sega Genesis cartridges, but how does one copy an NES cartridge to a PC without soldering together a homemade cartridge reader or copy a Wii disc to a PC without using a Wii?
Yes, I know most people will just go break the law.
1. Re:How to get games into the emulators legally? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 04:15 · Score: 0
  
  If you own the cartridge already is it still illegal to format shift/download an emulator copy?
2. Re:How to get games into the emulators legally? by tepples · 2012-08-08 04:19 · Score: 1
  
  If you own the cartridge already is it still illegal to format shift/download an emulator copy?
  Yes, in the United States. UMG Recordings v. MP3.com.
3. Re:How to get games into the emulators legally? by dave420 · 2012-08-08 05:02 · Score: 0
  
  Again, get the fuck over yourself. It's illegal for no good reason, so it's fucking stupid to bow down and spite yourself. Again, unless you are showboating about how awesome you are.
4. Re:How to get games into the emulators legally? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 07:24 · Score: 0
  
  No, there is a copyright exception for masked ROMs.
5. Re:How to get games into the emulators legally? by tepples · 2012-08-08 09:30 · Score: 1
  
  there is a copyright exception for masked ROMs
  The exception as I understand it is that the owner of a copy of a computer program, such as a mask ROM cartridge, may make another copy "as an essential step in the utilization of the computer program in conjunction with a machine" (17 USC 117(a)(1)). The Retrode adapter is designed to do exactly this: produce .sfc and .gen files from Super NES and Sega Genesis cartridges for use with an emulator. But as I understand it, this copy needs to be made directly from the mask ROM, not through a transmission over the Internet. If I'm wrong, I'd appreciate being corrected with citations.
6. Re:How to get games into the emulators legally? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 09:41 · Score: 0
  
  Meet tepples. King of "can't".
7. Re:How to get games into the emulators legally? by exomondo · 2012-08-08 11:54 · Score: 1
  
  He's got a legitimate point if your the kind of person that lives in fear of the feds kicking down your door and throwing you in jail for 20 years for backing up your VHS collection.
Which came first: the Wii U or the Ouya? by tepples · 2012-08-08 03:49 · Score: 1

You have a Wii U already? Because last time I looked it wasn't on sale yet...
Nor is the Ouya. You have a valid point if you think the Ouya will make it to market before the Wii U. Otherwise, crazyjj will plan to own a Wii U by the time the Ouya becomes available.
Cool by geminidomino · 2012-08-08 04:29 · Score: 1

Now if the games don't manifest into reality (they wont. It's been tried before), there's till an actual reason to own one of these things. Since I quit cable, my big MythTV box is just overkill. Might be able to replace it with an Ouya and an external HD or NAS.
Not bad for $99 (already have the external HD and NAS)
1. Re:Cool by Synn · 2012-08-08 06:37 · Score: 1
  
  I think the games could come for this unlike other consoles simply because it's an Android device. So any Android game dev could basically mod their game to work with a controller and release for this platform.
  And it goes the other way. Release for the console, mod the game to work without a console and you can release to the normal Android game store.
  But even so this will be a killer XMBC box. Just plug in a large USB drive and go to town. I wonder if we'll see SABnzbd ported to Android for this.
2. Re:Cool by geminidomino · 2012-08-08 16:16 · Score: 1
  
  Well, with few exceptions, I honestly haven't been that impressed with the mobile gaming offerings. Maybe they're targeted at the same demographic as the "facebook" type games that I don't play either, but they all seem more like physics engine tech demos than games. When they first started hyping this thing, people were talking about things like "how to get the AA and AAA devs on board" and other delusional stuff like that. That's what I mean when I say it's never going to happen
Re:no more please... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 04:53 · Score: 0

We will always have the HURD. And Elite IV.
Help me, I'm apparently retarded by PPalmgren · 2012-08-08 04:55 · Score: 2

What in god's name does XBMC stand for?!
I see these stories all the time with no disambiguation of the acronym, and I go to their website and can't even find it there. For the longest time I thought it stood for XBox Media Center.
Save me from this nagging question please!
1. Re:Help me, I'm apparently retarded by sayno2quat · 2012-08-08 05:06 · Score: 1
  
  What in god's name does XBMC stand for?!
  I see these stories all the time with no disambiguation of the acronym, and I go to their website and can't even find it there. For the longest time I thought it stood for XBox Media Center.
  Save me from this nagging question please!
  XBox Media Center.
  
  It was originally created for the XBox, and was later ported to the desktop; the XBox version, incidentally, has been discontinued..
  
  It is a little annoying seeing the logo on startup: XBMC Media Center. Has no one caught the redundancy?
  
  --
  Sure I sold you robot insurance. But you were attacked by a cyborg. Not covered.
2. Re:Help me, I'm apparently retarded by slew · 2012-08-08 05:31 · Score: 1
  
  XBMC (was XBox Media Center). Just like...
  KFC (was Kentucky Fried Chicken)...
  AT&T (was American Telephone & Telegraph)
  COLECO (was COnneticut LEather COmpany)
3. Re:Help me, I'm apparently retarded by PPalmgren · 2012-08-08 05:47 · Score: 1
  
  Well, that explains it. Thanks. I wondered if I was thinking of a misnomer since it didn't seem to be for XBox when I'd originally researched it to put on there.
4. Re:Help me, I'm apparently retarded by cawpin · 2012-08-08 07:00 · Score: 1
  
  it didn't seem to be for XBox when I'd originally researched it to put on there.
  When did you look for it and are you talking about the XBox 360? XBMC was originally developed only for the XBox, the original one. After the 360 came out, and the hacking of it took longer than expected, XBMC was ported to Windows, Mac OS and Linux. Now, thanksfully, they're also embracing Android which I am very happy about.
5. Re:Help me, I'm apparently retarded by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 07:00 · Score: 0
  
  3M (Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing)
6. Re:Help me, I'm apparently retarded by cant_get_a_good_nick · 2012-08-08 09:44 · Score: 1
  
  XBox Media Center
  It was named back when it was XBox only. Now that it has many targets, it's pretty much just XBMC. Can you imagine some guy confused "wait, does it turn my Apple TV into an XBox?"
7. Re:Help me, I'm apparently retarded by Andtalath · 2012-08-08 18:44 · Score: 1
  
  Also, it no longer supports XBOX.
8. Re:Help me, I'm apparently retarded by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-09 01:31 · Score: 0
  
  Yeah, forgot to mention that.
We need an Ouya with a built-in screen by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 05:10 · Score: 0

so we can have an Ouya board...
Oh, so you can develop for ouya... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 05:33 · Score: 0

but you can't develop for xbox anymore? Bah.
Yes I know about xbmc4xbox, but the plugin compatibility is lacking.
This by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-08 07:22 · Score: 0

This is why I don't consume TV-based entertainment.