OUYA (Android Console)

[xbs]

OUYA will be available tomorrow (June 25th, 2013) at several stores in the US and UK.

Anyone ordered one yet?

Main purpose media center or gaming?

[xman]

I have seen it and thought it made the Rpi look like a calculator. Very low 12vDC operation, can support a USB hub, wireless controllers. Seems everything the Rpi was supposed to be and they encourage you to rip it apart. About $100 but you get what you pay for I guess.

[xbs]

IMO they couldn't be more different...

The RPi is an educational project.
It's a single board with no case/power supply/peripherals included.
It's a cheap way for students and schools to get involved in computer science and programing.
There are several XBMC "builds" to choose from, made by third party fans/users, and there's no official XBMC build for it.
It's a non-profit project with a huge fan/user community.

The OUYA is a kickstarter console project aiming to the general videogamer.
It's a complete system with case, power supply, controlers, etc.
Runs Android, althought you can't add a google account and need a credit card to use it, and it's also an official sponsor of XBMC.
Could be a very profitable platform... PS/XBOX beware
Oh, and team XBMC have made public that they will support the OUYA officially, meaning, they will be focusing on providing XBMC support for the OUYA.

[AwesomeNurd]

I've watched a video on YouTube, it seems nice, but I am waiting for the next JXD handheld S7800

[xbmcstedt]

I've been following the Ouya project a fair bit but am disappointed by the lack of audio output and SD card port. Other than that it's a bargain device compared to the Raspberry Pi and every-other Android device I've looked at.

... and need a credit card to use it ...

This is not correct. Payment info is optional but is required to purchase content/apps. All apps are free to try/demo/play. You can setup and use the Ouya with only your login info (account/password).

If I can get around the audio side of things then I'll probably grab one for XBMC sometime. Also my main display only has up to Component input, no HDMI, so that's another block.

[whufclee]

Yeah these look good, there's a fair bit of discussion on them over at xbmchub where a few users already have them. I really can't see any comparison between these and the r-pi, like xbs said they are totally different platforms made for totally different uses.

We'll have to see just how the gaming development goes and whether or not it will be releases that are OUYA specific or you can use them on any android device (as I suspect will happen). Like I say it looks good and kudos to the team for making this product but with the exception of the game-style controller I don't really see how it differs from many other android boxes.

[xbmcstedt]

... with the exception of the game-style controller I don't really see how it differs from many other android boxes.

Ouya isn't the box per se, it's the marketplace. For $99 you get a development console and the ability to publish/sell software.
http://www.totalouya.com/apps-and-games/

Also, from everything I've been able to find there is no better Android box for the money.

.

[xbs]

Sold out at Amazon US and UK.
It's getting some bad reviews from tech critics.

[Geeba]

Yeah I was tempted... but reading the reviews its getting slated!

[professor_jonny]

i like this but it is a shame there was not an internal hdd option (zif) and or sd interface.

it is great in its concept but we are yet to see if if developers jump on and they will be a bit reluctant until it becomes more popular and it wont become popular with out people buying into it.

if only they could secure a few ouya only releace games from the big players and shake up the big boys.

[xbs]

Any good android xbmc device will cost more than ~100€/£, so if xbmc runs flawlessly on the OUYA the gaming/emus part would be like an extra

[xbmcstedt]

Yeah I was tempted... but reading the reviews its getting slated!

Which reviews? Aside from the shipping issues with some of the pre-orders & backers I've heard lots of good things.

I've heard issues with the bluetooth and wifi reception but I think that's to do with the aluminum cover (should be easy to remove?). I'm only using hard-wired network connections here.

[xbmcstedt]

Can anyone give a first-hand comparison of Plex vs XBMC? I see it's been released for Ouya.

http://www.ouyareport.com/2013/06/plex- ... -ouya.html

[xbs]

Google ouya review and you'll find it.

http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/06/25 ... review-no/

Bad points, from what I've read, are controller lag, controller quality, overheating, gaming lag and low frame rate on some games.

[bigkidoz]

He doesnt even mention the media playback which is what most of us are interested in.

[xbs]

[xbmcstedt]

Here's a less biased review, fairly informative:
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/06/o ... e-console/

And another take on it from a non-reviewer who compares it with the Raspberry Pi:
http://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments ... eone_that/


"I bought an Ouya, second hand from someone that was a backer. I paid $100 for the Ouya, everything that originally came with it, and an extra controller. The guy I bought it from mentioned that he just didn't have enough time to use it and hoped I would get good use out of it. He was friendly and offered some help if I needed it while setting it up.

I took the Ouya home and set it up. Setup was really easy. Plug in an HDMI cord, plug in the power cord. Follow the onscreen instructions and you're done. I googled how to install XBMC on the box and had it installed 15 minutes later. I also downloaded a couple emulators and had roms up and running in no time, along with a couple other Ouya games (mainly Bombsquad).

XBMC runs flawlessly for me, over Wifi, in my bedroom. The menus are quick (much faster than my Raspberry Pi that I use in the main room.), videos start right up, and everything just works. As I mentioned, I also have a Raspberry Pi with XBMC. Videos that are choppy on my Pi run smooth on my Ouya (these are mainly large files with 3D, or with surround sound. My Pi is hooked up with ethernet, my Ouya with wireless n).

Games have been great. No lag, and my girlfriend has loved playing Bombsquad and other classic games. She also loves that she can use the controller and navigate through XBMC a lot easier than she was able to with my Pi. That's where the key difference lies between the Pi and the Ouya. The Ouya is easy enough that anyone can use it to do whatever they want. The Pi just isn't. I would have to have separate SD cards or partitions to get the same type of functionality on my Pi that I get with my Ouya, combined with a wireless dongle, bluetooth dongle for PS3 controller, case, and SD cards, which in total would end up costing about as much as the Ouya does anyways. Setting up and using a Pi isn't for everyone as well and can even be a headache for those who know what they are doing.

Now for the hype. If you honestly believed this would compete with the Xbox 360 and PS3, as compared to competing against the Pi and other boxes like Apple TV, Roku, Google TV, then you shouldn't be allowed to make your own purchases. People hyped this up way beyond what the kickstarter claims are. Read the kickstarter again and you will see that the only mentions about AAA gaming are that Ouya could possibly change how people make games by getting rid of publishers and licenses. There isn't anything in there that says you will get the comparable performance of a current gen system.

Compared to other boxes, like the ones I mentioned before, Ouya is the clear winner. I've found it to do everything and more than what those other boxes do, and all for the same price. So lets stop with the blind hate towards something most of us don't even own or seem to understand. Sure, it has it's negatives, the d-pad on the controller absolutely sucks and my A button seems to stick, but nothing about it is as bad as people are making it out to be. For what it costs it is a great, complete, easy to use system."

[xbs]

XBMC seems to run just fine on the OUYA and it's going to get better with time.
Emulation seems great and supports lot of older systems.
You can't really compare a RPi, they are just to different to compare.
At the time nothing really can be compared with the OUYA, it's unique in features and price.

[xbs]

From the OUYA forum...

And while talking about XBMC, lets not forget that Ouya in their wisdom appear to have locked the console to 60Hz. I'd like 50Hz please as thats what my TV broadcasts are and I'd like to use this as a HTPC (with live TV integration).
Also where's the 24Hz option for media playback? 24P files look rubbish when played at 60Hz.
DTS passthrough has been known not to work for a long time, why hasn't this yet been resolved by a later firmware update?

I know Ouya isn't a full on HTPC, but if Ouya didn't want users to ask for these features, then they shouldn't have made such a big deal about the XBMC official partnership.

[spicemuseum]

From the OUYA forum...
...
Also where's the 24Hz option for media playback? 24P files look rubbish when played at 60Hz.

I'd echo that. One of the reasons I waited so long before buying a Pana plasma was to wait for native 24p support. I bought the first (consumer) model which supported it. Nearly five years ago now. Cor blimey. And it's soooo impressive. Locking the source to 60Hz is a deal killer for me.