Ouya is considered a black horse in the video game industry, but the Kickstarter-funded startup has continued to surprise gaming pundits. And now, Ouya has teamed up with Mad Catz as part of a bigger plan to be "everywhere."
The Android-powered $99 Ouya micro console started shipping on March 28, 2013 but early on, its release was plagued by numerous problems. Despite encountering all the difficulties, Ouya was able to make considerable noise amidst the launch of highly anticipated consoles such as the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4.
When Ouya was first released, gamers lamented the lack of supported video games as well as certain issues with the console's controllers. Moreover, many video game sites gave the new console unimpressive reviews. Regardless of its rough debut last year, the company behind Ouya is growing ever more ambitious with aggressive plans for 2014.
"I think we have bigger goals this year," said Ouya CEO and founder Julie Uhrman. "Last year was really a proof year for us - proof of concept, proof of business model, proof of hardware, proof that we could build an ecosystem where gamers and developers engaged on a regular basis. We feel pleased that we achieved all those goals. This year is really about growing Ouya and finding ways to bring games to more people, regardless of where they pay."
Following the strong showing that Valve's Steam powered consoles made at the Las Vegas CES earlier this year, Ouya is planning on taking a similar route by creating a platform and ecosystem that will run on various devices.
"One thing you'll start to see is Ouya on other people's devices," Uhrman said. "For us, we'll always have a minimum set of standards so the games will work well on our device as well as others. It's the hardware plus an ecosystem."
Uhrman has kept his promise because now Ouya has entered into a content agreement with Mad Catz to bring Ouya to Mad Catz Android-powered micro console M.O.J.O. To sweeten the deal for Ouya fans, "the price of M.O.J.O. will be reduced to an MSRP of $199.99 in the United States with similar price adjustments taking place in all major territories," a press release stated. The Ouya-powered M.O.J.O. will release in spring with "all existing and upcoming OUYA content available on the Mad Catz Micro-Console."
"Up until now, the game console experience has been locked inside a box," Uhrman said. "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."
"With more than 680 games and 33,000 developers signed up, OUYA features an impressive catalogue of content from AAA developers and independent publishers, all of which are designed to replicate the core gaming experience, taking advantage of the TV and controller," said Darren Richardson, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. "This agreement with OUYA encapsulates our vision of an open software platform powered by M.O.J.O.'s high-performance hardware, and supported by the entire ecosystem of GameSmart gaming accessories. We believe today's announcements will widen the appeal of M.O.J.O. introducing it to a greater number of passionate gamers."
Slowly but surely, Ouya's ecosystem continues to grow and there are currently slight over 680 titles available for the console. More importantly, the number of developers who have committed to building games and apps for the microconsole has now reached over 33,000. However, the dark horse will still have a tough battle ahead as the big guns in the industry, such as Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo continue to dominate the video game landscape.
