OUYA Has a Vision for a New Type of Console Gaming, and over 4 Million in Funding

Kickstarters have been the latest thing of the last few years that has helped new companies get a start. But there have not been that many devoted to the gaming world, and trying to actually fundamentally change how we game. That’s where OUYA comes in.

OUYA is out to help developers by creating a more open platform to get their games out to consumers. No more being that little fish in the big pond, compared to all the big developer/publisher companies. This new console and platform that is built using the Android OS will open the doors to accomplish the #1 thing everyone in the industry is trying to do, get the best possible game in front of gamers. With a console that will only be $99, this may just be the thing to shake the industry up. 

They just started their Kickstarter a few short days ago, and only had a $950,000 funding goal. Well, it seems the community has embraced this concept. The funding is (at the time of this writing) $4,002,626 with over 30,000 backers! Now that is impressive!

We have seen countless great games come to our mobile devices both on iOS and Android. We have already seen how those app stores have taken off and created great revenue models for upcoming developers, and for the OS makers themselves. Why not bring this same type of thing into the console world?

It’s not just about the OS though. The design of the console dashboard and controllers have already been worked on, and look great. Looking at the screenshots they provided, they seem really close to the look and feel of the XBox. The dashboard has big graphics that are easy to select, while the controller is very similar to XBox controller. This is a great thing in my opinion, because out of the “big players” of consoles these days, the XBox is the one you should be trying to emulate.

The specs inside the console are nothing short of great as well. Take a look.

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 

Even though they are far past their goal, everyone should still contribute if they can. This will be a great alternative to get new games from an even bigger pool of developers into our household.

Do you think a more developer friendly console like this is good for the industry, and will change the landscape of gaming?