The OUYA Gaming Console sparks a buzz in the gaming world.

By Ase Ptah, Writer, WorldSwagg.com

August 24, 2012

Calling all hackers and game developers! There's a new hackable, open-platform gaming console coming and its sparking a serious buzz. It's called the OUYA (Ooh-Yah) Boxer8. OUYA is an Android powered console that plugs right into your TV. In gaming, TV is the last closed platform. The team at OUYA intend to crack that platform wide open.

So, what are some features? How about an OUYA exclusive Final Fantasy. You'll also be able to stream PC games through OnLive! It'll have the award-winning XBMC media player. Are you into League of Legends or StarCraft? You can watch them both on OUYA via Twitch.TV. The console will have music videos courtesy of VEVO. Also, bump your favorite music through the iHeartRadio and TuneIn apps. Developers of the system plan to use the free-to-play model. So, all of the games will be free. well, some entire games will be free, some will be demos that you can upgrade later. Still, all of the games are free to try. OUYA must be proud of there controller. They're calling it the "Stradivarius of controllers"

The controller has all of the standard buttons, sticks and triggers which boast to be fast and have laser precision. Its unique feature is the touchpad, for games that will cross over from the tablet and smartphone platforms. The price tag for the console and one controller...$109. In this economy, that seems pretty reasonable.

Remember, OUYA is open source and hackers are invited. Literally anyone can make a game. So go ahead and crack it open, don't worry about voiding the warranty. That because OUYA is  a console and a dev kit. You can even make your own peripherals. There are no costly SDK or license fees to dish out. Indie developers can create games, publish them to OUYA, set there own price, then split the profits 70/30

The Los Angeles based OUYA team is lead by industry veteran Julie Uhrman. Product Designer Yves Behar, creator of the Jambox, is also on board. With the current state of technology, the team set out to make a quality product that's cheaper to build. Also,  OUYA wants to bring to the market games that are cheaper to create and buy. The boxer8 project was launched on the fund-raising site Kickstarter.com. The goal was to raise $950,000. in one day, over $2 million was raised. As of today, they have raised almost $9 million on Kickstarter.com. It's safe to say, there's interest in this product.

After E3, there wasn't much excitement about what's to come. The PS3 nor Xbox 360 showed anything that sparked true interest. Some fans gave credit to Nintendo for trying to move in a new direction. Still, the Wii-U got mediocre reviews. Some saw the Boxer8 as something different

For the hard core, the Android platform may not best fit for serous gaming. Plus, the console is open. So look for a slew of garbage wackware to flood it's market. The bright side is that less restrictions usually breed more creativity. So indie and AAA game developers will have a chance to do something fresh and different.The next video game imagineer could be reading this article. Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have closed the doors to their platforms. OUYA may open a new door that'll lead to a new era in gaming. The system is said to hit the public March 2013. You can pre-order your OUYA Boxer8 at www.Ouya.tv now. The specs and a video are below. Hotep, I am Ase (Ah-Shay), satisfying your tech munchies for WorldSwagg.com

Specifications:

• 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)

Sources;

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ouya/ouya-a-new-kind-of-video-g...
http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/11/editorial-ouyas-success/
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/10/startup-seeks-funds-for-10...

Story: Worldswagg.com