The Verge - Ouya: The $99 hackable Android game console

Ouya announces 'Soul Fjord,' an exclusive disco-infused dungeon crawler from 'Portal's' Kim Swift

2013-04-30T13:56:03Z

When we tried out the pre-launch version of the Ouya console, we were disappointed with the catalog — there was plenty to play, but it was still distinctly lacking any halo titles. As Ouya prepares for a retail launch in June, one of its long-awaited exclusives has been unveiled: it's by Quantum Conundrum and Portal developer Kim Swift's team at Airtight Games, and it's called Soul Fjord.

As you'll see in the trailer, the hook of Soul Fjord right now is its aesthetic, described as a fusion of '70s funk vibes and Norse mythology. If you haven't guessed the premise already, perpetual pulp villain Loki is attempting to start Ragnarök, and the game's blaxploitation-influenced protagonist must fight "smooth trolls" and "disco wizards"...

Ouya fires back, says pre-release console isn't ready for review

2013-04-06T02:23:48Z

Ouya is responding to early reviews of its pre-release Android gaming console, saying that the software is still unfinished. In a statement to GamesIndustry International, the company explains that the 60,000 Kickstarter backers currently receiving their machines are participating in a "preview period," and that it plans to send out review consoles in early- to mid-May, constantly improving the product ahead of its June retail release. When we reviewed the Ouya earlier this week, we thought it showed promise, but found an array of problems with the hardware quality, UI, game install process, in-app purchase mechanics, and selection and caliber of games on the platform. In a separate blog post, CEO Julie Uhrman mentions specific problems...

Ouya review: can an indie console take on Sony and Microsoft?

2013-04-04T15:01:54Z

Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo may no longer be the only names that matter in gaming, but the "big three" is still very much alive in people's minds. Even as iOS and Android have gotten better games, and better hardware to run those games, capital-G Gaming remains something done with a controller and a console, and something we do on our big-screen TV.

Maybe that's why Ouya struck such a chord when it hit Kickstarter last July. Basically, the company described a $99 box that would take the many great Android games off of your 4-inch phone and put them onto your TV. Ouya shattered its Kickstarter goal (and a few records for the platform) en route to 63,000-plus backers and more than $8.5 million in funding for the Ouya, and now nine...

Makerbot partnership lets gamers print their own Ouya case

2013-03-27T17:28:04Z

Ouya is positioning itself as a hackable, Android-based gaming console — so now it's letting users modify its case as well as what's on the inside. Thanks to a partnership with Makerbot, the 3D-printing files for the Ouya console enclosure are now available; users can download the files, modify them as they see fit, and then 3D print their own custom cases. You can download the 3D printing files right here and also see a variety of brightly-colored Ouya cases. While it remains to be seen exactly what kinds of modifications to the tiny Ouya enclosure the 3D printing community will come up with, we don't think it'll be long before something unexpected is created thanks to this partnership.

Ouya won't support some online features at launch, wants to be built into your television (update)

2013-03-11T20:30:55Z

Ouya's $100 Android game console will begin shipping to Kickstarter backers in just over two weeks, but it will be missing one potentially important feature. Here at the SXSW Interactive festival in Austin, Texas, company founder Julie Uhrman tells us that the device ~~won't support online multiplayer games~~ — not even by the console's retail release in June. It's coming, though: she says that the feature will arrive "sometime this year."

Watch this: Joshua Topolsky interviews Ouya CEO Julie Uhrman at 3PM ET / 2PM CT

2013-03-11T18:19:03Z

Today at SXSW Interactive at 3PM ET / 2PM CT, our very own Joshua Topolsky will be interviewing Ouya founder and CEO Julie Uhrman. Her hardware startup plans to launch its hackable $99 gaming console to retail stores this June, and will be delivered to Kickstarter backers by the end of March.

Check back here at 3PM ET (2PM CT) to watch the keynote live below.

Ouya shipping to Kickstarter backers March 28th

2013-02-28T17:25:05Z

$99.99 gaming console Ouya will be shipping to its Kickstarter backers on March 28th, the company has just announced. A full retail launch is still planned for June, but the console will be shipping soon to more than developers, who started receiving kits late last year. We're also hearing about some potentially exciting new Ouya projects. While we already knew a bit about what was coming to the platform, the company has announced that designer Kim Swift (of Portal and Left 4 Dead fame) and her team at Airtight Games will develop a new title exclusive to Ouya. An announcement with some real details should be "coming soon," but the game is supposed to have a "completely unexpected, imaginative slant."

Minority Media, which developed Papa...

Ouya CEO says upcoming Android console will be 'best Tegra 3 device on the market'

2013-02-13T22:23:41Z

We're getting ever-closer to the launch of Ouya, the $99, Kickstarter-backed, Android-powered gaming console, and the company's CEO Julie Uhrman has been making the rounds to give eager buyers more info on what they'll get when the console launches this summer. While we already knew Ouya was powered by Nvidia's Tegra 3 processor and that it would run faster stronger than other devices (since the console plugs into the wall and isn't reliant on a battery, unlike most Tegra 3 devices), it sounds like Nvidia is working directly with Ouya to optimize performance. "The partner that we've worked the most with, that is incredibly supportive of developers, NVIDIA, they have multiple people on their team dedicated to our account," Uhrman told E...