OUYA as a platform option on indiedb Thread

Hi,

I'm making an OUYA game. Just put it up here on indiedb and awaiting approval. However, at the moment, I've had to list it under android. This is a bit misleading as it won't work on all android devices, just the OUYA. So my suggestion is for a new platform option for OUYA

I know a bunch of other developers who are making games for the OUYA as well, so if you do this, I'll be sure to let them know they can put their games up on this site and get involved in the community (as I hope to myself over the coming months)

Thanks
James

sounds ok, but not sure as its not been released yet.

if I'm not mistaken the ouya is still developper-only source development kit stuff so when they release the customer version they should add it on indiedb

Yeah, at the moment, only developers who backed on kickstarter have got their dev kits and console. Anyone can make a game for the OUYA right now by downloading the sdk, but clearly only those with consoles can actually play the games!

JamesCoote wrote: Hi,

I'm making an OUYA game. Just put it up here on indiedb and awaiting approval. However, at the moment, I've had to list it under android. This is a bit misleading as it won't work on all android devices, just the OUYA. So my suggestion is for a new platform option for OUYA

I know a bunch of other developers who are making games for the OUYA as well, so if you do this, I'll be sure to let them know they can put their games up on this site and get involved in the community (as I hope to myself over the coming months)

Thanks
James

The only thing is we do not like having a million devices to choose from in that particular selection. Imagine each version of the android phone we would need to add for different fragmentations of the OS. I believe right now there is no real need for it since it is apart of the android family, though if enough people want it I guess I have no problems with it.

May be necessary for indie devs, and it still can be a major platform for everyone just like PS/Xbox. Time and popularity will tell, when it comes out for customers.

I'm with Henley. OUYA really is just an android variant not sure it justifies it's own platform. of course if it becomes a dominant player people are specifically building for we can consider it then

This is one of the (perception) problems OUYA has. Everyone just sees it as another android device, or as android games but on the TV. Which it isn't (Edit: or which it is trying not to be at least)

Edited by: JamesCoote

It might be trying to shed that image, but we all know that that's exactly what it is

JamesCoote wrote: This is one of the (perception) problems OUYA has. Everyone just sees it as another android device, or as android games but on the TV. Which it isn't (Edit: or which it is trying not to be at least)

Thats all it is. I can plug my tablet into my tv (won't even need a cable soon, wifi hdmi ftw), buy a gaming controller for android (its arguable as to whether a controller would actually improve the experience), and boom I have something like (better than) an ouya.

Edited by: lancer611

Came across this topic while looking for an answer to the same thing. I'm developing an Ouya Exclusive, and it would probably be easier for people to find it if Ouya was a category. While I understand the logic in not having a different heading for every android device, the Ouya is different in that it has its own store, where other phones all just use the google play store. The Ouya also has specific hardware (the controller), where other Android devices are primarily touchscreen devices that all behave in the same way.

I do see that "Android Console" is a category that was probably added more recently in response to this, which is where I'll put my game for now.

Someone wrote: Thats all it is. I can plug my tablet into my tv (won't even need a cable soon, wifi hdmi ftw), buy a gaming controller for android (its arguable as to whether a controller would actually improve the experience), and boom I have something like (better than) an ouya.

You're right that a gaming controller would not improve the experience in that scenario, because games designed for tablets are not designed with controllers in mind, and few ever will be because there is no standard and no wide support for them. The Ouya has solved that problem with consistent hardware and an Ouya Specific store. So I would argue that that solution would only be better than the Ouya if you could get a huge number of people to support that setup to the degree that designing a game for it is financially viable for developers. Will Ouya be financially viable? I don't know yet, but having a specific device with a clear cut purpose is step one in getting consumers onboard.

spicygyrogames wrote: The Ouya has solved that problem with consistent hardware and an Ouya Specific store. So I would argue that that solution would only be better than the Ouya if you could get a huge number of people to support that setup to the degree that designing a game for it is financially viable for developers. Will Ouya be financially viable? I don't know yet, but having a specific device with a clear cut purpose is step one in getting consumers onboard.

I agree. While it is an Android variant, it is also quite different. It has no power management, so all four cores run full speed without throttling, it has a different IAP model (more like a hybrid console/social IAP model, actually), and a consistent console control API. For example, control schemes will drift between flavors of Android, but not between iterations of OUYA (any other devs out there who suffered the whole Ice Cream Sandwich menu-button/overflow-button transition? yeah...). It would be like Xbox radically changing their button layout. And, of course, that is just one example of consistency to ease things for developers.

I think the question should not be "is it different enough from stock Android to support?" but rather "will it be impactful enough to deserve it's own category?" This, of course, is a huge unknown. Perhaps we'll have to wait and see. Personally, I would be more in favor than against, but then again, I'm not on the hook to pay for or maintain it...