Today, video game systems are dominated by Sony, Microsoft and
Nintendo. They make big, expensive, state-of-the-art gaming consoles
that attract the world's top developers and the most intricate games.
But the fastest-growing video game segment has no use for all those
bells and whistles. Smartphone and tablet games are cruder and simpler
but are often as fun and innovative, and immensely popular with the
average consumer who would never dream of shelling out $500 for a video
game console.
What if those casual gamers could play games in the same vein as those
smartphone titles, but designed around the living room experience, on a
console that costs less than $100? Ouya, a Kickstarter-backed video game
project, is betting that people would bite.
The $99
Ouya
video game console is a fascinating concept that at times delights with
inexpensive, high-quality games. Though it is both crude and
temperamental, the little box still manages to win you over with its
charm.
Ouya is packed with the same guts as a smartphone or media streamer. It's small and silent.
Related story: Ouya hits store shelves
But then you turn on the console, and chaos ensues. There is no easy
way to search for games or even organize the ones you have. There is no
central online framework for multiplayer gaming. And for every amazing
game, such as the Ouya-exclusive "
Towerfall," there's a truly awful version of some Android game.
To cut through the noise, Ouya attempts to spotlight the worthwhile
games. Its staff curates a top picks list, and the console displays a
list of most-played titles. It's a concept that mostly works.
At its best, Ouya is home to wonderfully fun multiplayer games with
stripped-down-but-stylish graphics, and short-but-sweet single player
adventures. There are already a half dozen games that are worth paying
for, and for a device that video game developers have only had access to
for a few months, that's not bad.
The big plan for Ouya is to
work with top independent game developers to produce exclusive titles
for the console. And big name publishers like SquareEnix and Sega have
begun porting over some of their biggest franchises in the form of Sonic
and Final Fantasy. It's not enough to for Ouya to fall back on just
yet, but it's a solid start.
Most games will fall between $5 and $20 and every game features a free playable demo of some sort.
But even the handful of titles worth paying for aren't always a joy to
play. Some of the more ambitious games, especially the 3-D titles
running at the highest of high-definition resolutions, tend to fall
victim to lag.
Related story: The $99 box that wants to crush the Xbox
The controller, which Ouya has engineered from scratch, is functional
and gets the job done. But that's about the best that can be said about
it. Although many Ouya games simply don't require the same level of
ergonomics, tactile feedback, and responsiveness that a big-budget
console game would require, the controller still feels a bit cheap.
The four trigger buttons on top of the controller are too close
together, and there is a sporadic lag between button presses and the
action on screen. The performance of the touch pad in the middle of the
controller is so inconsistent that most users probably are better off
just ignoring it.
Luckily, Ouya allows users to connect any USB
or Bluetooth game controller, including Xbox or PlayStation controllers
-- if a particular game provides the support for third-party
controllers. It's part of Ouya's open-source strategy: If the console is
theoretically capable of doing something, developers will be allowed to
do it. If a developer can write the code for it, Ouya will support any
piece of gaming technology under the sun. Ouya has no real rules or
limitations.
What will make or break the Ouya, however is the
software. It wants to be a destination for game developers to
experiment, and a galvanizing product for the emerging indie game space.
Whether or not consumers really want that remains up in the air.
The company says it's committed to constantly improving and evolving
the Ouya platform to better serve gamers and developers, and this has
already been evident in the early updates it has released so far. It's
not unreasonable to expect many of the Ouya's issues to be solved via
future updates.
For those who are intrigued by the Ouya, it's
cheap and promising enough that it's worth buying and tinkering around
with. For everyone else, it's probably better to wait.
But keep an eye on the Ouya, because it's hardly a failure.
![Trayvon Martin supporters, many dressed in hoodies, are continuing to protest the acquittal of George Zimmerman through mostly peaceful rallies from coast to coast.
Read more from @[10150138890205613:128:NBC News] - http://nbcnews.to/13iyV90
Photo: People rally to honor Trayvon Martin at Union Square in New York. (Getty Images)](https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/p280x280/1070050_10151470967377303_1911614198_n.jpg)
![GOOD STORY - Dog survives 4 alarm fire in Flower Mound: Probably the biggest incident we missed over the weekend (Friday) was a 4 alarm large home fire in Flower Mound on High Point Dr. As @[185089074835889:274:Alertpage] posted, Flower Mound FD units arrived to find heavy fire from the attic of the home. The family was uninjured, but crews were alerted of the family's missing dog, Amber, believed to be inside the home. 3 & 1/2 hours later, Amber was found ALIVE inside the burning home! Amber is now safe and hanging out with her family. We are sorry to the family for the loss of their beautiful home, but what a great story midst such a tragic event. (Thanks Sheri Baldwin with @[128843620554777:274:Shots by Sheri] for the picture). Here is a Lewisville FD chief after crews rescued her.](https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/s843x403/994498_600970183257181_326809392_n.jpg)
A look back at those we have lost in 2013.
Cory
Monteith, who played heart throb Finn Hudson in the Fox hit "Glee," was
found dead in a Vancouver, Canada, hotel room Saturday, July 13, police
said. He was 31.
Douglas
Englebart, the inventor of the computer mouse, died Tuesday, July 2, at
his home in Atherton, California, according to SRI International, the
research institute where he once worked. He was 88.
Jim
Kelly, a martial artist best known for his appearance in the 1973 Bruce
Lee movie "Enter the Dragon," died on June 29 of cancer. He was 67.
After a brief acting career, he became a ranked professional tennis
player on the USTA senior men's circuit. Here he appears in the 1974
film "Three the Hard Way."
Bert
Stern, a revolutionary advertising photographer in the 1960s who also
made his mark with images of celebrities, died on June 25 at age 83.
Possibly most memorably, he captured Marilyn Monroe six weeks before she
died for a series later known as "The Last Sitting."
Alan
Myers, Devo's most well-known drummer, lost his battle with cancer on
June 24. Band member Mark Mothersbaugh said in a statement that Myers'
style on the drums helped define the band's early sound.
Singer
Bobby "Blue" Bland, who helped create the modern soul-blues sound, died
June 23 at age 83. Bland was part of a blues group that included B.B.
King. His song "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" was sampled on a
Jay-Z album. Bland was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in
1992.
Marc
Rich, the commodities trader and Glencore founder whom President Bill
Clinton pardoned on his final day in office, died June 26 at age 78 in
Switzerland. Rich often was credited with the creation of modern oil
trading. He lived abroad after being indicted in 1983 for tax evasion,
false statements, racketeering and illegal trading with Iran, becoming
one of the world's most famous white-collar criminals.
Richard
Matheson, an American science-fiction writer best known for his novel
"I Am Legend," died June 23 at age 87. During a career that spanned more
than 60 years, Matheson wrote more than 25 novels and nearly 100 short
stories, plus screenplays for TV and film.
James
Gandolfini died at the age of 51, after an apparent heart attack.
Gandolfini became a fan favorite for his role as mob boss Tony Soprano
on HBO's "The Sopranos."
Country
music singer/songwriter Slim Whitman died on June 19, his son-in-law
Roy Beagle told CNN. He was 90. Above, Whitman poses with his guitar at a
press conference at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London, on February
22, 1956.
Esther
Williams, whose success as a competitive swimmer propelled her to
Hollywood stardom during the 1940s and 1950s, died on Thursday, June 6
in California, according to her spokesman.
David
"Deacon" Jones, who is credited with coining the term "sacking the
quarterback" during his stint as one of the greatest defensive ends in
the NFL, has died.
Democratic
Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey died June 3 of viral pneumonia, his
office said. Lautenberg, 89, had been the Senate's last surviving
veteran of World War II.
Actress
Jean Stapleton, best known for her role as Archie Bunker's wife, Edith,
in the groundbreaking 1970s TV sitcom "All in the Family," died at age
90 on Saturday, June 1.
Ed
Shaughnessy, the longtime drummer for "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny
Carson," has died, a close friend said Sunday. He was 84.
Ray Manzarek, keyboardist and founding member of The Doors, passed away of cancer on Monday, May 20. He was 74.
NASCAR legend Dick Trickle died on May 16 of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 71.
Popular
American psychologist and television personality Dr. Joyce Brothers
died at 85, her daughter said on May 13. Brothers gained fame as a
frequent guest on television talk shows and as an advice columnist for
Good Housekeeping magazine and newspapers throughout the United States.
Jeanne
Cooper, who played Katherine Chancellor, the "Dame of Genoa City," on
"The Young and the Restless," died on May 8. She was 84.
Ray
Harryhausen, the stop-motion animation and special-effects master whose
work influenced such directors as Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson and
George Lucas, died on May 7 at age 92, according to the Facebook page of
the Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation.
Grammy-winning
guitarist Jeff Hanneman, a founding member of the heavy metal band
Slayer, died on May 2 of liver failure. He was 49.
Chris
Kelly, one-half of the 1990s rap duo Kris Kross, died on May 1 at an
Atlanta hospital after being found unresponsive at his home, the Fulton
County medical examiner's office told CNN.
Kelly, right, and Chris Smith shot to stardom in 1992 with the hit
"Jump."
George
Jones, the country music legend whose graceful, evocative voice gave
depth to some of the greatest songs in country music -- including "She
Thinks I Still Care," "The Grand Tour" and "He Stopped Loving Her Today"
-- died on April 26 at age 81, according to his public relations firm.
Actor
Allan Arbus poses for a portrait with his daughter photographer Amy
Arbus in 2007. Allan Arbus, who played psychiatrist Maj. Sidney Freedman
in the M*A*S*H television series, died at age 95, his daughter's
representative said April 23.
Folk
singer Richie Havens, the opening act at the 1969 Woodstock music
festival, died on April 22 of a heart attack, his publicist said. He was
72.
Australian
rocker Chrissy Amphlett, the Divinyls lead singer whose group scored an
international hit with the sexually charged "I Touch Myself" in the
early 1990s, died on April 21 from breast cancer and multiple sclerosis,
her husband said. She was 53.
Pat
Summerall, the NFL football player turned legendary play-by-play
announcer, was best known as a broadcaster who teamed up with former NFL
coach John Madden. Summerall died April 16 at the age of 82.
Comedian
Jonathan Winters died on April 11 at age 87. Known for his comic
irreverence, he had a major influence on a generation of comedians. Here
he appears on "The Jonathan Winters Show" in 1956.
Sir
Robert Edwards, a "co-pioneer" of the in vitro fertilization technique
and Nobel Prize winner, died April 10 in his sleep after a long illness,
the University of Cambridge said. He was 87. He is pictured on July 25,
1978, holding the world's first "test-tube baby," Louise Joy Brown,
alongside the midwife and Dr. Patrick Steptoe, who helped develop the
fertility treatment.
Annette
Funicello, one of the best-known members of the original 1950s "Mickey
Mouse Club" and a star of 1960s "beach party" movies, died at age 70 on
April 8. Pictured, Funicello performs with Jimmie Dodd on "The Mickey
Mouse Club" in1957.
Former
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a towering figure in postwar
British and world politics and the only woman to become British prime
minister, died at the age of 87 on Monday, April 8.
Designer
Lilly Pulitzer, right, died on April 7 at age 81, according to her
company's Facebook page. The Palm Beach socialite was known for making
sleeveless dresses from bright floral prints that became known as the
"Lilly" design.
Film
critic Roger Ebert died on April 4, according to his employer, the
Chicago Sun-Times. He was 70. Ebert had taken a leave of absence on
April 2 after a hip fracture was revealed to be cancer.
Jane
Nebel Henson, wife of the late Muppets creator Jim Henson and
instrumental in the development of the world-famous puppets, died April 2
after a long battle with cancer. She was 78.
Shain
Gandee, one of the stars of the MTV reality show "Buckwild," was found
dead with two other people in Kanawha County, West Virginia, on April 1.
He was 21.
Music
producer and innovator Phil Ramone, right, with Paul Shaffer, left, and
Billy Joel at the Song Writers Hall of Fame Awards in New York in 2001.
Ramone died March 30 at the age of 72.
Writer/producer
Don Payne, one of the creative minds behind "The Simpsons," died March
26 at his home in Los Angeles after losing a battle with bone cancer,
reports say. He was 48.
Gordon Stoker, left, who as part of the vocal group the Jordanaires sang backup on hits by Elvis Presley, died March 27 at 88.
Deke
Richards, center, died March 24 at age 68. Richards was a producer and
songwriter who was part of the team responsible for Motown hits such as
"I Want You Back" and "Maybe Tomorrow." He had been battling esophageal
cancer.
Legendary
publisher, promoter and weightlifter Joe Weider, who created the Mr.
Olympia contest and brought California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to the
United States, died at age 93 on March 23.
Playboy magazine's 1962 "Playmate of the Year," Christa Speck Krofft, died March 22 of natural causes at the age of 70.
Rena Golden, who held top positions at CNN, died at age 51 after battling lymphoma for two years on March 21.
Harry
Reems, the porn star best known for playing Dr. Young in the 1972 adult
film classic "Deep Throat," died March 19, according to a spokeswoman
at a Salt Lake City hospital. Reems, whose real name is Herbert
Streicher, was 65.
Bobbie
Smith, who as a member of the Spinners sang lead on such hits as "I'll
Be Around" and "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love," died on March 16 at
age 76. Pictured clockwise from left, Spinners band member Pervis
Jackson, Billy Henderson, Jonathan Edwards, Bobbie Smith and Henry
Fambrough, 1977.
Sweden's
Princess Lilian, the Welsh-born model who lived with her lover Prince
Bertil for 30 years before they were married, has died at the age of 97,
the Swedish Royal Court said in a statement.
Alvin
Lee, the speed-fingered British guitarist who lit up Woodstock with a
monumental 11-minute version of his song "I'm Going Home," died on March
6, according to his website. He was 68.
Hugo
Chavez, the polarizing president of Venezuela who cast himself as a
"21st century socialist" and foe of the United States, died March 5,
said Vice President Nicolas Maduro.
Bobby
Rogers, one of the original members of Motown staple The Miracles, died
on Sunday, March 3, at 73. From left: Bobby Rogers, Ronald White,
Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore circa 1965.
Actress
Bonnie Franklin, star of the TV show "One Day at a Time," died at the
age of 69 on March 1 of complications from pancreatic cancer.
Actor Dale Robertson, who was popular for his western TV shows and movies, died at age 89 on Thursday, February 28.
Richard
Street, former member of the Temptations, died at age 70 on February
27. Street, second from the left, poses for a portrait with fellow
members of the Temptations circa 1973.
Van
Cliburn, the legendary pianist honored with a New York ticker-tape
parade for winning a major Moscow competition in 1958, died on February
27 after a battle with bone cancer, his publicist said. He was 78.
Former
U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop died on February 25. He was 96.
Koop served as surgeon general from 1982 to 1989, under Presidents
Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
Damon
Harris, former member of the Motown group the Temptations, died at age
62 on February 18. Harris, center on the stool, poses for a portrait
with fellow members of The Temptations circa 1974.
Lou
Myers, a stage, film and TV actor who memorably portrayed Mr. Gaines on
the comedy "A Different World," died on February 19 at the age of 75.
Los
Angeles Laker owner Jerry Buss died February 18 at age 80. Buss, who had
owned the Lakers since 1979, was credited with procuring the likes of
Earvin "Magic" Johnson, James Worthy, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.
The Lakers won 10 NBA championships and 16 Western Conference titles
under Buss' ownership.
Country
singer Mindy McCready was found dead on February 17 of a self-inflicted
gunshot wound, authorities said. She was 37. During her career,
McCready landed 14 songs and six albums on the Billboard country charts.
Ed Koch, the brash former New York mayor, died February 1 of congestive heart failure at 88, his spokesman said.
Patty
Andrews, center, the last surviving member of the Andrews Sisters, died
at her Northridge, California, home on January 30, her publicist Alan
Eichler said. She was 94. Patty is seen in this 1948 photograph with her
sisters Maxene, left, and Laverne.
Baseball Hall of Famer and St. Louis Cardinals great Stan Musial died on January 19, according to his former team. He was 92.
Baseball
Hall of Fame manager Earl Sidney Weaver, who led the Baltimore Orioles
to four pennants and a World Series title with a pugnacity toward
umpires, died January 19 of an apparent heart attack at age 82, Major
League Baseball said.
Pauline
Phillips, better known to millions of newspaper readers as the original
Dear Abby advice columnist, has died after a long battle with
Alzheimer's Disease. She died January 16 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at
age 94.
Aaron
Swartz, the Internet activist who co-wrote the initial specification
for RSS, committed suicide, a relative told CNN on January 12. He was
26. Swartz also co-founded Demand Progress, a political action group
that campaigns against Internet censorship.
Claude Nobs, the founder of the Montreux Jazz Festival, died aged 76 following a skiing accident.
Richard
Ben Cramer, the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer whose 1992 book "What It
Takes" remains one of the most detailed and passionate of all
presidential campaign chronicles, died January 7, according to his
longtime agent. He was 62.
Director and stuntman David R. Ellis died on January 7. He directed "Snakes on a Plane."
Tony
Lip, who played mob figures in the hit cable show "The Sopranos" and
several critically acclaimed movies, died January 4, a funeral home
official said. Lip, whose real name was Frank Vallelonga, was 82.
Character actor Ned Wertimer, known to fans of "The Jeffersons" as the doorman Ralph Hart, died on January 2. He was 89.
Pop-country
singer Patti Page died on January 1 in Encinitas, California. She was
85. Born Clara Ann Fowler, Page was the best-selling female artist of
the 1950s and had 19 gold and 14 platinum singles.
