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Ouya
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About
Ouya[1] was an Android-based video game console that was originally funded through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign.
History
On July 2nd, 2012, The Verge[2] reported on a startup found on AngelList[3] called Ouya that was planning on building a $99 gaming console on Android that was "built to be hacked." The console was said to be designed by Yves Béhar under the direction of Ouya founder and former IGN executive Julie Uhrman[7]. The following day, a number of other gaming blogs and message boards also reported on the company including Kotaku[4], NeoGAF[5] and Eurogamer.[6] On July 10th, 2012, a Kickstarter[8] campaign was launched to fund the initial round of consoles.
Within 10 hours, Ouya raised more than $1 million[9], surpassing its $950,000 goal. After its 30 day campaign, Ouya raised $8,596,474, becoming Kickstarter's most funded Gaming campaign and the second-most funded campaign of all time. At the time, Ouya was also the fastest project to reach a million dollars[10] and the project to recieve the most funding within 24 hours, however both of these records were broken by the Veronica Mars film campaign in March 2013.[11]
Shutdown
On May 22nd, 2019, Razer announced that it would discontinue service on the Ouya,[37] effective June 25th. Gamers will only be able to play games on the console that they've already downloaded. The company had been purchased by Razer in 2015, and the hardware was discontinued. Ouya games were rolled in with Razer's Forge.tv service. Razer is shutting down Forge in addition to Ouya. Razer released a statement encouraging owners to download their games, as all servers will be shut down on June 25th.[38]
Online Presence
Ouya maintains active accounts on Facebook[12], Twitter[13] and Google+[14] where members of the team interact with fans and answer questions about the console. Their YouTube account[16] has uploaded a number of videos of Ouya gameplay. Additionally, Ouya's support team has a Twitter account[15] to help people solve problems in real time. Fans have discussed the console on Tumblr with the hashtag #ouya[17] and on Reddit, where /r/Ouya[18] has more than 7,200 subscribers.
Reception
Many gaming and tech blogs highly anticipated the Ouya console from the start including IGN[19], Gamespot[20] and Wired.[21] In August 2012, Time Techland[22] compiled a list of things that were still unknown about the console, despite the massive Kickstarter support it received. In December 2012, the first 1,200 developer consoles were sent out to Kickstarter backers[23], many of which shared unboxing videos (shown below) and in depth reviews[24] of the hardware and available software.
Full Launch
On March 28th, 2013, final versions of the Ouya consoles began shipping out to backers.[25] As early as April 3rd, one of the first reviews of the console appeared on Engadget[26], who noted the system was "rough around the edges." That week, The Verge[27] reviewed the console as unfinished, giving it a score of 3.5 out of 10 and Forbes[28] reported that many early reviews (examples shown below) were not favorable for the new console. However, a Kotaku[29] piece reminded fans that these were early prototypes and meant to be more of a beta test than the finished console.
In May, additional reviews of the console were posted on ReadWrite[30], IT World[31] and Wired.[32] On June 25th, 2013, the Ouya launched in retail stores with more than 160 free games, selling out nearly immediately on Amazon[33] and the GameStop website. However, approximately 7,500 Kickstarter backers did not receive their consoles prior to this official launch[34], causing Ouya to triple its support team to handle incoming requests.
Highlights
ESA vs. Ouya at E3
At 2013's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Ouya chose to set up an unauthorized booth outside of the venue instead of paying for a spot on the show floor. After hearing of this booth, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) hired several semi-trucks to park in front of the booth, which the Ouya team countered by renting out the spaces in front of the trucks to post signage directing showgoers to their displays.[35] Police were later called on the Ouya booth, where officers inspected the team's permits and let them stay, but the ESA denied making this call.[36]
Search Interest
External References
[2] The Verge – Ouya: a $99 hackable Android game console designed by Yves Behar
[4] Kotaku – A New, $99 Console Called Ouya Is Real and Radically Different From Xbox, PlayStation and Wii
[5] NeoGAF – Kotaku: Meet Ouya, A New $99 Console That's Not The X360, PS3, Wii
[6] Eurogamer – $99 Android console Ouya is a real thing
[8] Kickstarter – OUYA: A New Kind of Video Game Console
[9] Business Insider – What It's Like Raising $1 Million In Less Than 10 Hours To Crush The Xbox
[10] Kickstarter Blog – Ouya's Big Day
[11] Wired – Veronica Mars Kickstarter Breaks Records, Raises Over $2M in 12 Hours
[15] Twitter – @OUYASupport
[17] Tumblr – Posts tagged #ouya
[19] IGN – The Ouya: A $99 Open, Hackable Console
[20] Gamespot – 5 Reasons Why Ouya Could Be a Winner (and 5 Why It Won't)
[21] Wired – Ouya: The $99, Android-Powered TV Game Console
[22] Time – Ouya Game Console: What We Know (and Don’t Know) So Far
[23] PC Mag – Devs Provide First Look at Ouya Console
[24] The Inquirer – Ouya hands-on review
[25] Digital Trends – Why are gamers drooling for the $100 Ouya? Because game developers are, too
[26] Engadget – OUYA review (founding backer edition)
[27] The Verge – Ouya review: can an indie console take on Sony and Microsoft?
[28] Forbes – Early Ouya Reviews Trickle In And They're Not Pretty
[29] Kotaku – Ignore Those Early Negative Ouya Reviews. It Wasn't Ready.
[30] ReadWrite – Ouya's Crowd-Funded, Android-Powered, Cloud-Gaming Console Has Finally Arrived
[31] IT World – Finally! I go hands on with the Ouya Android game console
[32] Wired – The $99 Ouya Is No PlayStation or Xbox, and That's Just Fine
[33] BGR – $99 Ouya Android game console launches, already sold out at Amazon
[34] Kotaku – Late Deliveries to Ouya's Backers Cast a Shadow Over Console's Launch
[35] Yahoo! Games – Ouya tries to crash E3, feuds with ESA
[36] IGN – E3 2013: Cops Called to Shut Down Ouya
[37] Endgadget – Crowdfunded gaming console Ouya will shut down for good on June 25th
[38] Razer – Support Statement
Top Comments
chowzburgerz
Jun 27, 2013 at 03:51PM EDT
Who wants a muffin
May 24, 2019 at 11:30AM EDT