OUYA: Optimism or Skepticism?

The OUYA, an Android-based gaming console with the cheap price point of $99, has been stirring up a storm across the internet, not because of its list of killer apps, nor for its design and prototypes, but for the $8.5 million it managed to raise on Kickstarter, the crowdfunding website where members of the public can financially back a project. While many of the backers bought into the hype, it isn’t hard to be skeptical of the project.

What makes the OUYA something worth getting excited about, enough even to put millions and millions of dollars into it? The developers say it best themselves. They tell us they get it: smartphones and tablets are getting all the new titles, and they’re what’s hot. The console market, they argue, is pushing developers away. They claim we’ve seen a brain drain, with some of the best, most creative game-makers focused on mobile and social games because those platforms are more developer-friendly, while the ones who remain focused on console games can’t be as creative as they’d like.

They fear that mobile gaming will be taking over, that all the best developers will stop creating the next Call of Duty or the next Skyrim to make the next Words With Friends or the next Angry Birds. The shift from console development to mobile development, in their telling, means there will be no more epic experiences in games. Instead of thirty- to forty-hour games, you’d find titles built for mobile platforms and meant for five- or ten-minute bursts.

It’s clear that the OUYA is out to solve problems in the gaming world, including a method of combating piracy. One of the most common arguments for piracy is the “try before you buy” approach, where users download a game and test it out before they commit the fifty or sixty dollars for it. Games on the OUYA will be at least free-to-play, which means there will at minimum be a free demo, or the entirety of the game will be free with additional items, upgrades, or other features available at a cost. The OUYA also encourages hackers to create their own peripherals or to tinker with the hardware.

While many are excited over the potential the OUYA may have, that’s all it has right now: potential. According to the project leaders there’s a functional prototype, but there is a long road between a functional prototype and a production-ready model complete with fully tested components and a bug-free online store. What makes the release even more dubious is that the date is set for March. Such a short time between development and release is a tall order even for the Valves and the Microsofts of the world, and it sounds nigh impossible for a startup.

So, is the OUYA a good idea? Yeah. Will it completely change the face of gaming as we know it? Probably not. Will it supplant other marketplaces like Valve or Xbox Live Indie Games? Signs point to no. Will it successfully find its niche? Only time will tell.