Can Ouya Compete with Other Consoles?

Since its release in June of 2013, the android based console Ouya has been met with mixed reviews. Many Kickstarter backers were in an uproar after the public received the console prior to backers, and they were disappointed with the founder and CEO of Ouya, Julie Uhrman's, response.

With no surprise, Uhrman still stands firmly behind Ouya, confident about the consoles current and future progress. No clear figures have been released regarding the console's success, however, last summer many developers revealed that the sales numbers for their games were disappointing. Uhrman defended these claims saying, "Monetization on Ouya is so far better than we expected." These reports come from nearly eight months ago, therefore, it's difficult to say if they mirror Ouya in its current state.

Out for nearly a year now, Ouya has seen many changes including price drops, new designs and further features added to the console. Ouya's $99 price tag makes it appealing to consumers, but is it enough for the console?

Consoles are expensive; video games are expensive; and if you don't have money being thrown at you, throwing down $400 for a PlayStation 4 just isn't going to happen. Ouya's big selling point is that it is affordable and that some aspect of each game is made available for free: a demo, level or an entirely free game. Add that to the fact that Ouya is just under $100, and instantly people become intrigued.

Unfortunately, Uhrman announced at this year's Game Developers Conference that this free-to-play aspect would be going away saying, "In response to developer feedback, in order to give more flexibility to game-makers to decide what content they want to make on Ouya, starting April we're making the free-to-try component optional." So, it's not completely going away, it's optional, but this goes against the console's original idea, one that brought it many players and keeps many more playing.

...but so are other consoles.

Available now, Amazon Fire TV was announced on April 2 boasting, among many features, voice search, a 2 GB memory and yes, games - thousands of games. Priced at the ever familiar $99, Ouya has a new competitor. Amazon Fire TV already has big name developers and publishers on its side including EA, Ubisoft and Disney, and the box already offers over a hundred games, with the average price of a game being only $1.85.

Amazon Fire TV is not the first, and will not be the last competitor of Ouya. Gamestick, MOJO and a slew of other microconsoles have been around just as long, are reasonably priced and offer similar features as the Ouya. Furthermore, the Ouya Everywhere Initiative was recently announced, wherein Ouya's content will be available through other devices. The first device to utilize this feature will be Mad Catz' MOJO, debuting the Ouya Everywhere Initiative sometime this spring. If other companies jump on board, it may be worth it to skip the Ouya all together and purchase a similar product that offers the Ouya's features, plus more.

With next-gen now upon us, we are now seeing price drops with last generation's consoles. Price drops that bring their costs close to that of the Ouya. Xbox 360's and PlayStation 3's are now seemingly affordable for those who missed out on the glory of last-gen, and the decision on whether to buy a Xbox 360 or a Ouya may seem like an easy one.

Indie games are awesome...

As of today, Ouya has a catalog of over 700 games including the ever popular TowerFall, Hidden in Plain Sight and the hilarious Fist of Awesome. Seven hundred doesn't seem like much, but considering Ouya has been available for less than a year, that's a heck of a lot of games for the little device.

Inexpensive, indie and fun; what more could you ask for? Sure, AAA games, but they're so last year. Indie games are here to stay and Ouya is giving developers an extra outlet to show off their work.

...you can get them everywhere.

Well, mostly everywhere. Indie seems to be the word of the day, a fad that's here to stay, and indie games are more popular now than ever. With this being said, you can get yourself an indie game just about anywhere. With programs like Steam Greenlight and crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, indie games are available to play and support at every corner. Even the big dogs at Sony and Microsoft have caught onto the appeal of indie games, and players can access an entire library of indie titles on Xbox Live (XBL) and the PlayStation Network (PSN).

Gamers love achievements...

Prior to the release of Microsoft's Xbox 360, achievements and trophies were nearly obsolete. In today's world, the majority of gaming devices come with an achievement system, and, sadly, the majority of many gamers' playtime is focused on hitting 100% completion through achievements. Not a bad thing, but this shows that an achievement/trophy system is necessary to make many gamers fans of a console.

...Ouya's still working on 'em.

Currently, Ouya does not have an achievement system, however, in February the company announced that one was in the works. "There's no planned date for achievements yet...but know they are coming," wrote James Karras, Producer at Ouya. Not having an achievement system set up may be hurting the console by hindering those who depend on achievements from purchasing a Ouya. With little detail surrounding the mentioned announcement, it's hard to tell if an achievement system will attract more gamers to Ouya, but at least it is a positive step for current users of the console.

Local multiplayer gaming is fun...

Ouya offers multiplayer games that can be played with a friend on the couch, bringing back that classic split screen we all loved at some point or another. Nothing compares to sitting next to an actual human being and sharing an authentic multiplayer gaming experience with them. Celebrating a victory with a high five, discussing tactics face to face and berating your friends just isn't the same when it's done through a headset. Isn't socializing fun?

...online gaming is pretty fun too.

Logically, local multiplayer games should be just as entertaining as online multiplayer games, but throughout the evolution of gaming, we as gamers have become all too comfortable with the technology of modern consoles and their games. If you don't have a gigantic sixty inch television, gaming on a split screen can prove to be difficult. You may have to scootch a little closer to the TV, and there's always the worry that your friend sitting next to you is sneaking a peek at your screen - lying, cheating piece of scum.

Ouya has a small library of games that can be played online, however, these games are capable of being played online thanks to the developers, not Ouya. They have yet to offer anything of the likes of XBL or PSN: no friends list, no messaging and no raging into a mic, but the company plans to have such services set up sometime this year.

Can Ouya stack up against traditional consoles? The short answer, maybe. They're lacking in many departments but have said many of these essential features will be available in the foreseeable future. Hopefully this is a promise that will not be broken as many of these features would surely make those questionable of the console lifelong fans.

In its current state, it's up to you whether or not Ouya is the console for you. It's a must have for the indie fanatic, but those accustomed to sticking to AAA games on their Xbox 360 may want to pass it up. You'll have to be the judge.

You can find out more about the Ouya over on it's offifical site: https://www.ouya.tv/

Let us know what you think about this console with a comment below.

Posted: 30th Apr 2014 by Megan B
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