The crowdfunding success story of Ouya is not over yet as the Android-powered games console’s makers have secured deals with major retailers to stock the device this summer.
Production of the Ouya console and controllers got under way last summer when the console smashed its Kickstarter target of US$950,000, raising a whopping US$8.6m from more than 63,000 backers.
As well as manufacturing the product, some of this money has been pushed into game development for Ouya and users can expect exclusive titles to come with its launch, including a unique version of Final Fantasy 3 from Square Enix.
And, that launch is coming in June of this year, when the console will be available from Amazon, GameStop, Target and Best Buy. Kickstarter backers will be first to receive the device in March and in April Ouya will start shipping to those that have pre-ordered since the funding period ended. According to CEO Julie Uhrman in an interview on The Wall Street Journal’s Digits blog, there are already more than 68,000 console orders to be fulfilled.
But wider availability in June will mark the official release of the console, which will be priced at US$100 and US$50 for additional controllers.
The 16-button Ouya controller also comes with a touchpad and these accessories can be used to control other things, such as an Apple TV. Such is the open nature of Ouya, which encourages gamers to get involved, build games and modify the hardware. There’s no fee for developers and submission is said to be fast and easy.
Designed specifically for use with a television set, the Ouya console is about the size of a Rubik’s cube, but it’s packed with an Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB flash storage, USB 2.0 port, micro-USB port, a HDMI port, support for 3D and HD gaming, and Wi-Fi, Ethernet and Bluetooth connectivity options.
