Ouya Message Board

Currently, any game on the Android-powered Ouya microconsole must be free in some way, shape or form, be it a free demo or free to play business model. That situation is set to change next month, when the Little Console That Could drops its free-to-try requirement.

Polygon reports that Ouya head of developer relations Kellee Santiago announced the shift at this year's Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco. "In response to developer feedback, in order to give more flexibility to game-makers to decide what content they want to make on Ouya, starting April we're making the free-to-try component optional," Santiago said.

The Ouya team also announced that games "exclusive" to the Ouya can launch concurrently on PC as well, thanks to changes made in developer agreement deals. This follows the company's recent branching out, which will allow Ouya content on devices that are not an Ouya console. [Image: Ouya]

Ouya Everywhere aims to put Ouya games on other company's consoles, and it's kicking off that process this spring on MOJO, the Android microconsole from Mad Catz. MOJO launched in December, and one of its highlights is the eventual ability to stream PC games. Along with the Ouya news, MOJO is getting a price drop, from $250 to $200 in the US.

Ouya currently has 680 games and 33,000 developers on board, and all of that - plus any coming content - will hit MOJO in the spring. Ouya founder Julie Uhrman announced Ouya Everywhere this week, adding that the company is thinking about building a Steam-esque PC application as well.

"Up until now, the game console experience has been locked inside a box," Uhrman says in today's press release. "Together with the hardware veterans at Mad Catz, we end that. Today's announcement signifies the inception of a truly open platform where independent developers can bring their creations to the platforms where gamers actually play: everywhere."

Or, for now: on another Android microconsole. [Image: Mad Catz]

First came the Ouya Android microconsole. Then came Mad Catz's M.O.J.O. Android microconsole . Today Mad Catz announces the M.O.J.O. microconsole will be playing host to Ouya content. I am so confused. Read more...

First came the Ouya Android microconsole. Then came Mad Catz's M.O.J.O. Android microconsole . Today Mad Catz announces the M.O.J.O. microconsole will be playing host to Ouya content. I am so confused. Read more...

Ouya Everywhere aims to put Ouya games on devices that aren't Ouyas, such as televisions or PCs, CEO Julie Uhrman revealed to Slashdot and A-list Daily. Uhrman plans to announce details about Ouya's software initiative this week.

"One thing you'll start to see is Ouya on other people's devices," Uhrman told A-list. She continued, "We started with a $99 box, but we always wanted to create a console platform that can live on other people's devices. We just knew it was going to take us a little bit of time to get it ready. Now we think the software is good enough, it's ready to be embedded in other people's devices. We actually started having some of these conversations during CES, and the takeup was so great that we're really jumping into the strategy with both feet this year."

Ouya signed one deal at CES, Uhrman told Slashdot. The company aims to craft a games-delivery system that "could be another set-top box" or "could be the TV itself," she said.

Ouya is talking with partners about bringing its games to PC, and the company is "thinking about" building a Steam-like application. Porting Ouya's Android games to other platforms is conceivable, according to Uhrman: "Based on our strategy to bring games to gamers wherever they are, it is absolutely conceivable that we will."

Update: Ouya confirmed reports with our friends at Engadget. [Image: Knightmare Tower, Juicy Beast Studio]

Ouya Everywhere aims to put Ouya games on devices that aren't Ouyas, such as televisions or PCs, CEO Julie Uhrman revealed to Slashdot and A-list Daily. Uhrman plans to announce details about Ouya's software initiative this week.

"One thing you'll start to see is Ouya on other people's devices," Uhrman told A-list. She continued, "We started with a $99 box, but we always wanted to create a console platform that can live on other people's devices. We just knew it was going to take us a little bit of time to get it ready. Now we think the software is good enough, it's ready to be embedded in other people's devices. We actually started having some of these conversations during CES, and the takeup was so great that we're really jumping into the strategy with both feet this year."

Ouya signed one deal at CES, Uhrman told Slashdot. The company aims to craft a games-delivery system that "could be another set-top box" or "could be the TV itself," she said.

Ouya is talking with partners about bringing its games to PC, and the company is "thinking about" building a Steam-like application. Porting Ouya's Android games to other platforms is conceivable, according to Uhrman: "Based on our strategy to bring games to gamers wherever they are, it is absolutely conceivable that we will." [Image: Knightmare Tower, Juicy Beast Studio]

Sleepwalking puzzler Back to Bed is back on track thanks to assistance from Danish investment firm Capnova. The investment prompted the team of students from the Danish National Academy of Digital Interactive Entertainment (DADIU) to form an official studio now known as Bedtime Digital Games.

Capnova's history of video game investments include Playdead's Limbo, PressPlay's Max and the Magic Marker and Full Control's digital adaptation of Space Hulk for iPad. Bedtime Digital Games Project Manager Klaus Pederson told Polygon that the funding from Capnova will make a second game from the developer possible.

Back to Bed was scheduled to arrive in late December 2013 before being pushed back during the developer's restructuring. Players guide a sleepwalker through dreamlike, 3D puzzle-platforming environments in the game, which will come to PC, Mac, Linux , iOS, Android and Ouya. The developer earned $13,312 on Kickstarter in March 2013 to initially fund the game. [Image: Bedtime Digital Games]

Arguably the best deal on an Ouya we've seen in a while has surfaced over on digital commerce site Stack Social. You can grab an Ouya console, controller and a $25 credit towards games right now, all for $85.

Sorry, this deal is only available to folks in the continental United States. Also, this is the 8GB console, not the new 16GB console Ouya revealed last month. This sale ends in 12 days and price includes shipping.

Need some ideas for what to spend that $25 on? Towefall is a strong candidate, as is Double Fine's The Cave and free-to-play roguelike Soul Fjord. There are over 500 games in total to choose from.

The Ouya is an Android-powered games console whose marketplace is characterized by having free demos of every game offered there. Ouya ships with the latest updated firmware, which was introduced late last year and augments much of the Ouya's user interface. [Image: Ouya]

An updated version of the Android-powered Ouya console is available in North America starting today. The new box, outside of sporting double the storage capacity, comes with a refined controller, improved WiFi innards, a new matte black finish and all of the latest firmware updates, right out of the box. It also features a slightly steeper price tag of $130, which is $30 more than the current Ouya console.

A similar version of this console was offered in North America during the holidays last year, albeit in a matte white color scheme. You can grab this new Ouya through Amazon or directly through the Ouya shop. Image: Ouya

An updated version of the Android-powered Ouya console is available in North America starting today. The new box, outside of sporting double the storage capacity, comes with a refined controller, improved WiFi innards, a new matte black finish and all of the latest firmware updates, right out of the box. It also features a slightly steeper price tag of $130, which is $30 more than the current Ouya console.

A similar version of this console was offered in North America during the holidays last year, albeit in a matte white color scheme. You can grab this new Ouya through Amazon or directly through the Ouya shop. Image: Ouya

There's a new Ouya in town, $129, all murdered out, and available now. This latest release borrows the expanded 16GB of storage from the limited edition white Ouya we told you about back in November.Read more...

Soul Fjord is now available on the Ouya store. Developed by Airtight Games, the rhythm-action game stars an afro-sporting viking named Magnus Jones, who is hacking through enemies to get to the afterlife nightclub Valhalla. The developer describes its gameplay as "an extreme mash-up of rhythm game meets dungeon crawler with a roguelike twist," so death in the Norse mythology-based world holds some permanence, as seen in the game's launch trailer. Soul Fjord is free to download and supported by in-game purchases.

Airtight previously launched first-person puzzler Quantum Conundrum for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Creative Director Kim Swift also served as co-creator of Valve's hit puzzle-platformer Portal. If that's not enough star power for the funky game, its soundtrack comes from Grammy-nominated Journey composer Austin Wintory.

Financed by a Kickstarter army of fund-it pundits to the tune of over $3 million, Broken Age is a bespoke graphic adventure like no other. And yet the point of this old-school clique, of course, was to guarantee a game that was just like all those others - old adventures in the grand LucasArts legacy. It should have been nostalgia, made on-demand by Double Fine, but there's more to it; a modern personality.

The delta between what should have been - and what is - lies right in the middle of Broken Age, a sincere story of a boy and a girl breaking free of expectation and tradition. Shay and Vella exist in separated worlds, but you can visit either at any point, funneling your curiosity into the regular point-and-click mold: relaxed exploring, conversing with the locals, and collecting odd inventory objects that are sure to have some weirdly sensible use later. These are the old, uncluttered ways, paired with truly new-feeling art and an irresistible optimism that simply can't be found elsewhere, today or yesterday.

You know, I love Chess. I really do. But like many first-installments, I feel like it left so many questions unanswered.Read more...

Soul Fjord, the Ouya exclusive by Portal creator Kim Swift and her team at Airtight Games (Quantum Conundrum), will be out on January 28. It's free-to-play (with in-app purchases, of course, because nothing is ever really free).Read more...

Quantum Conundrum developer Airtight Games will launch its funkified roguelike Soul Fjord later this month exclusively for the Ouya microconsole, Polygon reports.

Soul Fjord blends '70s funk with Norse mythology, making for a unique aesthetic as players plumb its randomly-generated dungeon layouts. The funk isn't just for show, either, as the game's music plays a crucial role in its rhythm-based combat system. Soul Fjord boasts a soundtrack by Austin Wintory, who previously composed music for thatgamecompany's Journey and Stoic's crowdfunded strategy game The Banner Saga.

Soul Fjord will be available as a free download supported by in-game purchases when it hits the Ouya Discover store on January 28.

Bedtime Gaming's successfully Kickstarted puzzle game Back to Bed has gone to rest its weary head before it stumps us all with some brainteasers. In less metaphorical terms relating to beds, the game has been pushed back from its planned Christmas launch window.

"We know the estimated launch date for Back to Bed is delayed again," reads an update on the game's Kickstarter page. "But we can't put a product on the street that isn't done. This would kill the game! We just gonna have to live with the fact that the game is not going to launch before it's completely done."

The update cites a "restructuring" of Bedtime Games as the reason for the delay, and assured backers that they would not be disappointed. A new release date was not given.

If you're itching to join the Ouya revolution but haven't pulled the trigger at the Android microconsole's $99.99 price point, a coupon code issued today drops the unit's price to $59.99 with free shipping, marking its lowest price to date.

Use the coupon code "calamity" after adding the $99 console to your cart at shop.ouya.tv and you'll get a $40 discount on a new Ouya, with free shipping. Note that if you plan to pay using PayPal, you'll first need to log in and reach the store's final confirmation screen before you're given the option to input the code.

The Ouya earned over $8.5 million during its crowdfunding campaign last year, and now hosts a catalog of more than 500 free-to-try games. The discount code commemorates this week's launch of Killing Floor: Calamity, an Ouya-exclusive top-down shooter created by indie developer Tripwire Interactive.

If you've been curious about the Ouya, the little Towerfall console that could, you can get one of the first real discounts on it from Amazon today, and did we mention Towerfall? [Amazon]Read more...

Read Only Memories, a cyberpunk adventure game from the founders of the GaymerX convention, has successfully hacked its way into people's hearts as well as their wallets. The game reached its Kickstarter goal of $62,064 on December 11, and closed funding yesterday with a total of $64,378.

The actual final funding tally is closer to $126,000 though, as Ouya will match the initial $62,064 goal with their own money in exchange for a period of exclusivity on the system, thanks to Read Only Memories participating in the Free the Games Fund.

Read Only Memories is advertised as featuring "queer-friendly characters," according to the game's Kickstarter page, and also includes non-gender-binary options for players. In one released screenshot, a robot assistant - who also happens to be the mascot for GaymerX - asks which pronoun the player would like to be referred to with, and there's more than just "he" and "she" to choose from.

The game is expected to ship for PC, Mac and Ouya in fall of next year, with Android and iOS versions planned to release six months thereafter. In the meantime, it's also up for voting on Steam Greenlight.

Wil Wheaton joins a list of celebrity cameos for Broken Age that includes Jack Black, Elijah Wood and even Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos. Wheaton's character is Curtis, a lumberjack under duress at the hands of sentient trees unhappy with his chop-happy ways.

Dino Run 2, the sequel to Pixeljam Games' side-scrolling extinction platformer, Dino Run, failed to meet its goal on Kickstarter, raising $83,476 of a requested $175,000. Dino Run 2 was slated to be an upgraded, fresh game for the Dino Run franchise, with randomly generated levels, multiple dino characters to choose from and multiplayer options, set to launch in January for PC, Mac, Linux and Ouya.

We spoke with Pixeljam co-founder Miles Tilmann in the hours before his Kickstarter ended, and he said that if the campaign failed, Dino Run 2 might never see the light of day.

"Maybe yes and maybe no," he said. "If it is, it will probably take a lot longer than it would if we got funded. We've been doing this for almost eight years though - we've learned the value of patience and careful planning. There are multiple ways to arrive at a goal."

As a team, the plan now is to "mourn a little bit, take a deep breath and carry on," Tilmann said. Here's hoping that wherever Pixeljam is carried, it's on the wings of a giant, majestic pterodactyl.

"Consoles? Please. I only play indie games on my Ouya. I bet you still use government-issued money, like all the plebes do. Meow."

If you loathe fiat currency and love independently produced games, you're in luck. Ouya is now accepting bitcoin payments for its Android-powered microconsole, making it easier to support indie developers without using a credit card. A sense of superiority over your fellow humans is optional, but recommended.

Currently, bitcoins are only accepted for the Ouya unit itself -- the platform's online storefront only allows players to buy games with a credit card. Company co-founder and CEO Julie Uhrman notes that PayPal support for store purchases is coming soon.

Pixeljam has 30 hours to raise $110,000 on its Kickstarter for Dino Run 2. The page already has 1,550 backers and $65,000 - but its goal is $175,000. Pixeljam co-founder Miles Tilmann knows that getting funded at this point is a long (long) shot, but still, he's optimistic.

"The logic centers in my brain say 'Signs Point To No,' but fortunately there's a lot more to the cosmos than the perception of a single person, or even a large group of people," Tilmann says. "Stranger things have certainly happened, and I've seen similar turnarounds in sporting events, telethons and of course Kickstarter campaigns. So, it's not over til it's over. We do not intend to throw in the towel until the very end."

Plenty of Kickstarter projects have reached the same point as Pixeljam - just hours left to raise a ridiculous amount of cash - and they end up calling it quits, canceling the project early. Not Dino Run 2, Tilmann says:

"I'm not really sure what the advantage is to canceling a project, except for freeing yourself from the obligation to promote it. We've put so much into this campaign, it would be a total disservice to ourselves, fans, backers and supporters to pull the plug. Like I implied before, statistical outliers are inevitable, and we have the same chance of becoming one as anybody else. Possibly more so. We have a pretty large following for the original Dino Run, and it could just be they are all the type of lazybones who doesn't take action until someone is blasting a horn in their face to get up off their butt. The final 48 hours of a campaign tend to be that horn."

Make that the final 29 hours.

Ouya is offering a limited edition console for the holidays in North America. The white Ouya changes up the program by offering double (16GB) the internal storage space for $130, which is $30 more than the standard Ouya console.

The console is up for pre-order through Ouya right now. All orders received prior to December 8 will guarantee the console arrives "in time for gifting."

A new update, planned for later this month, will unlock external USB storage on all Ouya consoles. This new update also presents many changes to the UI and how games are listed in the "Discover" area. The next iteration of the Ouya hardware is planned for 2014.

It's a nice day for a white Ouya. Just in time for Christmas, the tiny Android console gets its first limited edition recolor. At $129.99 it's $30 more than the standard edition, but it's also $30 prettier and comes with 16GB storage instead of 8GB, so it all works out. Read more...

Read Only Memories plays out in 2064 Neo-San Francisco, when all forms of personal electronics have been replaced by little robot buddies called ROMs. As a young journalist, the main character must uncover the mystery of a vanished friend while surviving the feral streets of this future city. Read Only Memories takes inspiration from 90s adventure games, and one in particular: Snatcher, the cyberpunk adventure created by Hideo Kojima.

Read Only Memories comes from Midboss Games, a newly established studio from the founders of GaymerX, a convention focused on queer issues in gaming. GaymerX was funded via Kickstarter in September 2012, and Midboss is looking for the same success with Read Only Memories.

The team needs $62,064 by December 13 on Kickstarter, and it's part of Ouya's Free the Games Fund, meaning Ouya will match all pledges up to $62,000 if it all works out. The game is slated for PC, Mac, Ouya, iOS and Android, and Midboss wants to have a playable build ready for GaymerX2 in July.

Read Only Memories has queer characters, but it isn't "a gay game," GaymerX founder Matt Conn says: "A lot of queer characters can be presented on an equal level with their straight counterparts. It's really important that we create more games that have queer characters in them, but the point is also not to shoehorn them in."

Ouya will receive an update sometime in the next few weeks that will improve the system's user interface, Engadget reported. Upon installing the update, the Android-based micro-console's UI will more prominently feature cover art for games in sections like the "Discover" page.

Additionally, double-tapping on games will pull up a new menu that offers game recommendations and allows users to purchase and "like" games.

The update will also add support for external USB storage and the ability to add games to your Ouya queue via the console's web store. This month's system update will automatically add BombSquad and Amazing Frog: The Hopping Dead to players' download queues as well, though they'll need to purchase either game to play them to completion.

Max Gentlemen, a game inspired by a spam email of the same name sent to Organ Trail developers The Men Who Wear Many Hats, has greatly surpassed its funding goal on Kickstarter. The game was seeking a mere $500 but ended up grossing over $12,000.

At its core, Max Gentlemen is an arcade-style game about Victorian-era gentlemen seeing who can stack their hats the highest. Players must stack hats while avoiding obstacles across different venues, including the bar room brawl seen above. The original pitch video also reveals a stage coach level.

Max Gentlemen will be a free download on iOS, Android, Ouya, PC, Mac and Linux. The game will feature several different modes, levels, hats, gentlemen and hat-stacking duels against other human players through cross-platform multiplayer. In addition to receiving the game, all Kickstarter backers get a fan-game from Brine Software called Boxing Simulator 1898.

Robin Antonick, the original creator of the John Madden Football series, recently took to Kickstarter to fund his latest project, Grudge Match: Street Basketball. Grudge Match is an arcade-style basketball game in development for PC, Mac, Linux and Ouya by Antonick and co-founder Robert Lindsey's new startup, the Indie Sports Network (ISN).

According to its website, the ISN's goal, to "be a disruptive force in the sports gaming industry," has a lot to do with its Indie Sports League, Market and Gym/Lab systems, which Grudge Match will use. The League is an online multiplayer modeled after Major League Baseball's farm system, indicating tiered "pro" levels and a leaderboard-style ranking system. ISN describes the Market as a place where players can buy and sell in-game creations "like eBay and iTunes for gamers."

The Indie Sports Gym and Lab are the part of the ISN's operation that could cause the "disruption" that Antonick talks about in the project's Kickstarter pitch. The Lab features a coding and scripting system that allows players to create basketball stars, moves, and other in-game items to sell in the marketplace. Antonick envisions the creation system as a means of turning the players into developers as well, as Grudge Match seems to lean heavily on community-created content.

The Kickstarter project is aiming to raise $500,000 by December 8, and the Indie Sports Network is currently planning to launch the game in late 2014 or early 2015. Antonick has been involved in an ongoing lawsuit with Electronic Arts over alleged unpaid royalties related to his work on the original John Madden Football game. A US District Court jury ruled in favor of Antonick in July, awarding him $11 million.