The Ouya. The “Oooh-yah?” The “we-yeah”? However you say it, the Ouya has the potential to dominate the console market. With a Kickstarter program that has already raised three million dollars, this strange new console is backed by some former heavy hitters in the gaming industry and looks to be capitalizing on the free-to-play model that so many games utilize. The one problematic concept in this gamer’s mind: just what kinds of game will be free-to-play and exclusive to the Ouya that I can’t already play on my PC?
Inspired by the League of Legends model (and the Team Fortress 2 model), the developers of this ambitious new console look to bring back “innovation, experimentation and creativity to the big screen,” (from their Kickstarter page). Probably the most exciting concept behind this console is the idea of mods finally making their way into your living room as supposedly the Ouya is going to be a modder’s dream come true.
We’ll have to wait until March of 2013 (the console’s projected window of release) to find out just what the Ouya has to offer. My only concerns are that this console will only be able to play mobile-style games that are simplistic in nature, utilizing old-generation engines and tech. Not one to be a tech snob, but more powerful tech behind a game allows developers to tell better stories. I’m interested. Especially at $100.