Missed out on that incredibly successful Kickstarter? Feel like Android gaming on your TV is that one thing missing from your life? Then fret no further! The OUYA is officially available today from major retailers like GameStop, Best Buy and Amazon. Retailing for $99, you get the console itself, an HDMI cable and a wireless controller. The marketplace currently has 150+ titles for you to download for free (read: demo).
In case you wanted the nitty gritty about the console itself, here are some helpful bullet points to get your acquainted.
- Console: A sleek 3" x 3" cube of brushed aluminum, OUYA features an open OS with custom interface built on an NVIDIA Tegra 3 chipset that delivers fast performance, amazing graphics, and surround sound in 1080p HD.
- Controller: Designed specifically for OUYA, the controller features all the button combinations for a truly immersive game play experience, including two analog sticks, D-Pad, eight action buttons, a system button, touchpad, and Bluetooth connectivity.
- Games: With more than 170+ games already available for download on the system, OUYA's ever-growing game library covers every game experience imaginable, including Chronoblade, Beast Boxing, Final Fantasy III, Saturday Morning RPG, No Brakes Valet, and Sega's Sonic games. All games are free-to-try. No more discs, and you own your games forever.
- Apps: OUYA fans can access their favorite streaming video and music apps including content directly from Twitch.tv, Plex, XBMC, TuneIn, Crunchyroll, iHeartRadio, and many others.
- DISCOVER Store: OUYA focuses on discovering the most fun games. Games are organized by player engagement, plus an ongoing roster of guest curators share their favorite game picks.
- MAKE Channel: An evolving channel that uses OUYA's built-in software development kit to enable creators to build and test games, later allowing a direct relationship with OUYA gamers through the system.
Since I was one of the early adopters, I can say that the UI has certainly changed for the better and is much more responsive. The games don't always hold up, and can sometimes stutter and lag slightly (I'm looking at you Chronoblade), but overall, for the price, it's not a bad deal. The OUYA is also pushing retro emulation quite a bit, so if that's your cup of tea, and you know, you own the original cartridges, then you can't really go wrong here.
