Update on OUYA Development (ODK)

If you were in on the Kickstarter then you probably received the update today on how game developers can get started developing for OUYA sooner than later. If not, here is the link to the posted article:

ouya.tv/game-developers-how-to-get-started-on-ouya-now

I can't wait to get more information so as to determine the probability of getting Construct 2 games on their platform.

Some of the more interesting notes:

1) OUYA will be powered by a TEGRA 3 chipset so you should be able to grab any existing device on the market and use that for testing until the official boxes are made available.

2) They made the shift from Ice Cream Sandwich to Jelly Bean

Any thoughts on the viability of OUYA? I'd love to see it happen. The more choices the better.

Don't ask us, ask Ashley.

Or more appropriately ask Ouya if they plan on supporting html5.

The OUYA software is basically android. And Construct supports CocoonJS and directCanvas for that. And also i think chrome now runs on android also but i dont't know what version of android the OUYA will be using.

Better ask CocoonJS and directCanvas guys to support OUYA.

Hey guys, thanks for the replies.

I think I should have posted this in a different section. I was looking more for thoughts around having a potential new platform/market to target rather than a request to add this to a bucket list for Ashley (though I wouldn't mind hearing his and Tom's thoughts). :)

Anyway, tomasabril, it is based on Android; they recently noted that they are going to launch straight into Jelly Bean rather than ICS which was originally proposed. And yes, Chrome runs on Android...

But definitely good ideas from you guys to follow up with OUYA (to see if access to a browser is even possible) or see if anyone is going to publish a wrapper that would be supported.

I think it's always good when indie developers have another option to publish to and hopefully we will get an opportunity to see some C2 games eventually in whatever form of an app store they have.

Thanks guys!

... I was looking more for thoughts around having a potential new platform/market to target ...

Yes, that's really the question, isn't it? Just what is the potential of OUYA? Is it worth an indie developer spending precious time targeting a plaform that is - well, as Joel Hruska puts it in a sober assessment, "exciting, innovative ? and probably doomed".

Yes, there is no doubt that they have their work cut out for them. I guess it's one of those wait and see things.

I am definitely interested in developing for the Ouya. I'd imagine that if its running pure Android. All we would have to worry about is the Gamepad support.

I don't think it's a viable long term platform. I haven't read the doomed article and will shortly, but I want to give my own formed opinion before being validated or having differing opinion on why I don't think it will be successfull.

That out of the way. I am a Kickstarter for the Ouya. I believe the Ouya theory could be beneficial. I did not get the email as I didn't put in the early developer amount. I just put in for a machine at 120.

Ok why I think it's doomed. Funny enough it's the controller. That's the simple beginning and end and reason, but let's go into why.

The platform(Android) is a new wave of mobile user simple OS(android, iOS and W8). The success of these OS(android/ios) are not in the OS itself, but instead the meld of user behavior and effective software interface. Think about this while I tangent on the subject.

The PS3 is a great TV game console. It plays Blueray which is the successor to the DVD. It's an excellent device that "just does everything". It has a browser, software, movie player, music player, gallery......... the PS3 launched in Canada(where I live) at 800$ and has numerous price drops? So why is it not the ONLY Blue ray player out there? Why do we need the other BR players? Simple. The OS is designed around the classic PS3 Controller and over all it sucks. The UI is not intuitive or quick. It worked fine on the PSP where it was originally designed. The streaming video player using the PS3 remote is a nightmare. I have been using it to watch movies from Vuze on my computer. The entire interface is aweful. Now I spent the time to learn the controller, but it's a learning curve. It's a hurdle. The mass market does not want a hurdle.

When it comes down to it the pointer is a awesome interface. The Touch Screen is a brilliant human behavior orientated interface. History of compute interface again and again shows that a pointer based interface is a very important factor to success. Computer Mouse, Touch screen, Wii-remote, NDS, the pen, the finger. Even in older games we have had to simulate a pointer with a controller. Anyone remember putting in a name on old console games. With either a pointer finger sprite or box over the letter. The success of the PS1 and 2 comes from being the same device as the competition, but easier and providing better data storage. We clearly see that when Nintendo went pointer it was a succesful disruption. However Nintendo is choking itself with it's own other decisions.

I'm hoping I making my point to some extent. It's time we get back to the Ouya. The Ouya is a machine that is not suppose compete with the other consoles... except that it does by the developers own words. So the UI is designed for an old style controller(XBOX360).

Ouya big selling point is the open platform of software. For developers and players. Is really the open platform and free game model going to really boom the industry? It's just a game machine that uses Android. With a bad interface. I think the controller is the week point as the controller defines how we interact with everything on the console.

now having ranted about that. I WANT an OUYA. I personally enjoy android games and March is way to far away.

EDIT: Read the article

Oh as usual. When a companies either accidental purposefully produces a product that appeals to the human behavior it is a success. That's why C2 sells. It fills a market. It's why Disney does extremely well over all these years. it's why boy bands keep coming around. music companies sell to the large market of 10 to 15 year old girls. It goes on and on.

Ouya designer is the same way. Rather than talk about the behaviour of people it talks about a machine and industry.

I hope the best for Ouya, but it needs commercials coming out now.

....... I'm late posting to an old thread :P

I wholeheartedly disagree with the assessment that the Ouya will be a flop. There is a market for retro games. Major companies have already signed on to develop games for Ouya or re-release classics. Bandai, Square Enix, Konami, and more

ouya.tv/blog

The Ouya is in the hardware manufacturing business. They will send a console and in 5 to 10 years likely release another if they system does will or die out. They are basically making a smart phone without a screen. Their development costs will likely be lower than most phone manufacturers.

On top of that you get a high res output for android games. According to the Ouya jobs page they are also seeking people that know HTML5, so they make include their own tweaks to Android to support HTML5.

If you haven't noticed, NotionGames is putting Super Ubi Land on on OUYA. He might be able to give us a little info on making games for OUYA.

The Biggest problem if ODK has no javascript functions to integrate with OUYA Operative System, we might be doomed.

Ouya jobs page is also looking for people proficient in JavaScript and AJAX. I think Ouya will be trying to support it.

Ouya jobs page is also looking for people proficient in JavaScript and AJAX. I think Ouya will be trying to support it.

It looks like front-end job, there no way to make API using javascript to integrate HTML5 games using canvas and webGL.

If OUYA doesn't care about HTML5, only for Java. Will become another like Apple. A bad company for developers.

--"I wholeheartedly disagree with the assessment that the Ouya will be a flop."--

yes, I love discussions. They are insightful. I do this not to change your mind, but to only express the ideas and topics about Ouya. I hope they will bring out much thought on the subject :)

--"There is a market for retro games. "--

I agree. However I feel that this strength applies to mostly portable gaming. Some retro games that aren't portable succeed due to a neglected fan base. Mega Man as an example. Ouya is not directed as a retro machine. That's the indie community mostly and I admit that Ouya is aiming for the small business/indie community.

--"Major companies have already signed on to develop games for Ouya or re-release classics. Bandai, Square Enix, Konami, and more"--

This is inappropriate statement. These companies are already working for support for Android OS. Once the game is on the Android the rest only comes down to adjusting for the controller and the resolution. Also I want to express that these companies are notoriously bad for keeping to there intended support. Just ask Nintendo fans. "Company X announces support for the N64/GC/Wii" months down the road "console [nintendo] does not have [feature] and we will not be continuing"

So there you go. Support is for Android and that doesn't mean solid support for the Ouya. It also doesn't mean Ouya/Android will be seeing the companies AAA games, but instead old ports.

--"The Ouya is in the hardware manufacturing business. They will send a console and in 5 to 10 years likely release another if they system does will or die out. "--

ummm. yes/no and somewhere in the middle. Ouya is a platform of hardware and software. We have no idea what kind of machine longevity the Ouya will be based on. let's take into account that the machine will be the cheapest console on the market at $99(US I assume). Most console launch at the 250+ range. Also Ouya as you point out is based on the mobile device technology.

The Tegra started out in 2008 and has four iterations. That's one iteration per year. Mobile devices are keeping up. This year the release of the Tegra 3, so 2013 will Tegra 3 mainstream year and the release of the Tegra 4. We may see a slowdown on the Tegra chips, but it's unlikely as it's a new underdeveloped area.

In five more years the Ouya will be outdated by four chips and the relative power it brings. Mobile devices don't live by console years and the Ouya who's software is based on the mobile developers(ios/android) can't run on the same console life cycle. The ouya is a middle between mobile technology in a console grounds. I don't see good things as games made for Tegra 7 will not run on a Tegra 3.

--"Their development costs will likely be lower than most phone manufacturers."--

I agree with this. I also believe that the $99 is it's greatest strength. This means it's easier to pay the cost of $100 yearly rather than paying 300$ every five+ years. I know it sounds odd, but let me explain. it's easier to pay $10 out of the pocket monthly than it is pay $100 as whole sum. it's just human spending behavior vs budgetary expenses. MMO's make more money at $15 a month rather than 60$ for 6 months. even though the 6 month package is only 10$ a month. It just comes down to budget hits. $15 a month is less noticeable than $60

I feel that this is the Ouya strength. A yearly or bi-yearly console where software upgrades. it's easier to swallow the price than $250+ a year. So hear I agree very much.

--"On top of that you get a high res output for android games. "--

Funny enough... actually no. The "mass" market really doesn't care about HD. As long as the graphics are good by style. WoW used a lower poly count than EQ2. WoW styled towards a colourful fantasy environment where as EQ2 wanted a more real look. And game after game style is way more important. Heck let's be honest. We are using C2 a 2D engine. Even the earlier comment on "retro" gaming backs this up. it's not about HD it's about good games with effective graphical style.

Again. I want Ouya to succeed, but I believe that it's a console bridge which is betting on lofty ideals. I still want one and I hope for the best. But I don't see this product succeeding based on a mass consumer need. Most of it's Kickstarter success really seems to be from the developers community rather than gamers.

I'm not trying to disaude you. I think you brought up some interesting points regarding the Ouya and I would like to hear more and possibly see a counter examination on what I wrote :) and what I may have missed.

PS. I really dislike the editor that scirra used. Most others will handle inserting the tags based when you highlight and tag it. this one inserts the tag at the end of the document :(

My OUYA console is with the local courier atm so hoping to test performance/support of construct2 on it tonight

EDIT: have run gotten my project running on OUYA but unfortunately cannot get gamepad buttons to map, although the dpad works for directional movement.

Effect heavy scenes may also have bad framerates due to the lack of webGL