What happened to the big Android gaming revolution we were promised? The Ouya team raised 8.6 million dollars from its Kickstarter campaign back in 2012, and released its tiny console to consumers about a year later. Despite the incredible hype surrounding the whole endeavor, sales were extremely lackluster. Now, it seems that the development team behind the Ouya is trying its damnedest to get acquired -- possibly by a Chinese company.
Recode is reporting that Ouya is currently shopping itself around(Opens in a new window) to potential buyers in the US and China. According to unnamed sources, these talks are mostly focused on acquiring the development team. The Ouya platform itself isn't exactly a hot commodity, so it's no surprise that other companies aren't interested in building on that specific flavor of Android. After all, a team with a console launch under their belts is worth much more than the flagging Ouya brand.
In a vacuum, the Ouya isn't exactly a barn burner. It has a few decent games, it can stream video, and you can emulate classic games -- that's about all you can say for it. When you compare it to the PS4, Xbox One, PlayStation TV, and FireTV, the Ouya looks even worse. It doesn't have the horsepower of modern consoles, it doesn't have the backing of a major company with deep pockets, and the $100 price point is being matched by superior devices.
Regardless of the Ouya's many failings, the people and ideas behind it are worth investing in. The core concept obviously resonated with many people in the gaming community, and the development team is driven to disrupt the console market. Maybe the Ouya itself is a lost cause, but that's not an indictment of small, developer-friendly consoles on the whole. After all, both Microsoft and Sony have doubled down on facilitating indie development and self-publishing during this generation.
Just a few weeks ago, Ouya announced a partnership(Opens in a new window) with the major Chinese electronic company Xiaomi. Ouya games will be playable on Xiaomi's smart TVs and set-top boxes, so it seems possible that this is where the Ouya team is headed. China just recently lifted its 14-year ban on game consoles, so the Chinese market might just be the saving grace for the Ouya team. The competition is just too strong to fight against in the west, but cheap Android-based platforms might have a bright future in China and other emerging markets.
