A Possible Future

   So the past couple of weeks, the internet gaming circles have been buzzing about The Ouya, an open source gaming console priced cheap and running on the Android OS. At the time of this writing, the Ouya has raised 5.5 million dollars on its Kickstarter page, and will probably hit around six million before the Kickstarter is over.

   So what exactly does this mean? The console is built for developers. If you feel like making a game for the Ouya market (which is a branch of the Android market), go right ahead. Each console will be it's own dev kit and they (the people behind Ouya) encourage their backers to open the console up and do whatever you see fit to the hardware and software, all without voiding your warranty. With developers already backing the project (Jenova Chen, Mojang, Robotoki to name a few) and expressing their excitement for the project, this could be the next step the gaming industry needs.

   I think it's safe to say that I am pretty excited about this project. It appeals directly to people like me who want to make games for consoles, but don't see an easy way to do it. This has a chance to create a new generation of developers and designers the same way the first generation was born from the people that were writing their own programs for the Apple II.Imagine how easy it will be to invite your friends or family over, tell them to pick up a controller in your living room, and ask them to play the first level of a game you started building last week.

   I have read a lot of stuff about this Ouya and I see what people are saying. A lot of people are saying it will be a great device if it ever gets produced. Yes, there is still a chance that this won't happen, that these people will take all of our money and not be able to uphold their end of the bargain, and there are those who think that this is going to be the outcome. That the Ouya is just another project that promises so much, but is too good to be true. I hope that doesn't happen, and I don't think it will. I believe that it will see production, and backers that have paid for this new console (close to 40 thousand, if my simple math is correct) will get what they want: A new console that breaks the stereotype of what a console should or can be, allows you to be the game designer that you always wanted to be, and does it for 99 dollars.

Ouya Kickstarter: Here