Though it hasn’t yet hit store shelves, the Ouya gaming console already boasts an unexpected, bizarre existence. Developed specifically to target a presumably extant “cheap console” niche, the Ouya is powered by Google’s Android operating system and is decidedly less powerful than current (or upcoming next-gen) consoles like this on offer from Sony and Microsoft. While the idea of a purpose-built sub-$100 gaming system seems decidedly at odds with modern techie culture (in which “worthwhile” is a synonym for “expensive”), the Ouya immediately attracted a following among prospective owners. Over the course of the console’s 45-day Kickstarter fundraising effort, the concept of the Ouya managed to pull down over $8.5 million and secure a spot as the site’s second most-funded project up to that point.
Once all of this money was raised, the Ouya still had a huge swath of doubters. “People aren’t going to want a casual gaming machine,” they’d argue. “The developers are just going to take the money and run,” shrieked more cynical detractors. Everyone else (outside of the media, anyway) largely forgot they’d tossed money at the idea on Kickstarter, but the developers behind Ouya ignored the haters and simply focused all their efforts on building the best possible gaming console they could. Now, the end is in sight, and the Ouya is almost a tangible reality.
In a blog post published earlier today, the firm shows off an image of its latest developer prototype version of the Ouya (see above). This prototype, the blog claims, is the first solid indication that the firm will be able to maintain its previously-announced schedule for the console’s completion. Come December 28, this prototype and others like it will be shipped to the “hundreds” of developers worldwide who contributed enough through the Ouya Kickstarter to earn an early-access dev kit.
The blog post then goes on to explain that while this iteration of Ouya is just a prototype, the final version of the console will be very, very similar. Owing to the open-source roots of the Android operating system, every Ouya sold will effectively be a dev kit, with full access to all of the special accoutrements that are normally only found in machines owned by game developers. That said, the blog post also includes a vague hint that these first prototypes may host unique features. “… the advance dev consoles you ordered are pretty special – you’ll know what I mean when you open yours. They’re rare drops,” it reads.
Interesting, right? It’s too bad you can’t go back in time and donate enough to the Kickstarter to pick up one of these special prototypes, huh? While time travel is probably unrealistic on your budget, the developers of the Ouya have also announced a contest where you might be able to win an early developer prototype of your very own. You can find full details on the giveaway here, but the most important takeaway is that starting December 10, that contest will hand out a free dev kit every day for ten days. That’s not many consoles, so if you’re interested we’d recommend getting your credentials in immediately.
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