Ouya’s $99 Android-based video game console finally hits store shelves
thenextweb.com
thenextweb.com
I'm excited to get to play Towerfall[0], one of the console's "launch titles", having been released only a couple days ago.
Action games focused on local multiplayer like Towerfall and 0space[1] are the most enjoyable experiences I've had with video games. In my mind, it's games like these which can attract people who otherwise wouldn't be interested in buying a console. That is, when you see games like those being played, it's easy to see who's winning and how, making it much easier to access.
[0]http://www.towerfall-game.com/ [1]http://teknopants.com/games/0space/
Especially 0space, that game is amazing. Samurai Gunn, from the same developer is also very good. Although I haven't heard any rumours of Ouya, I think Gunn is now being ported for Vita (and possibly PS3/4 I suppose)
You should fully expect to be worse off than the people buying the finished product.
That said I have pretty mixed opinions about the whole Ouya experience so far.
As for the Ouya; I found the communication with them quite horrible so far. You cannot really tell me that 'they are soooo busy' that they cannot just answer mails a lot faster. I mean; they didn't sell that many yet.
If it's any sort of consolation, the current experience is pretty uneven and title selection is sparse - you're not missing a whole lot.
EDIT: In case anyone is curious, I had my delivery 14 days from the #myouyaiscoming email.
My worst experience was when one time I ordered a Lego set from the main Lego site as a gift and it shipped via DHL. It was nearly a week before I got a tracking number. Then it turned out it was shipping (supposedly) from someplace random like Cyprus or Moldova and was still sitting there. Eventually it moved to New York over the course of a couple weeks where it showed no signs of moving. Needless to say I contacted Lego and they just canceled and refunded my order with a brief apology, no questions asked. I had assumed they'd try to figure out what was up and get my order to me somehow, but nope. Oh? Some random DHL shipping thing? It's just a loss and let's move on. And this from Lego, a large, well-respected international brand.
I think Ouya has a problem - their updates and such are too much marketing speak and fake community, not enough authenticity and real engagement.
But I'm also willing to believe that any time DHL is in use, it's basically a given that there will be problems.
It's hard to blame them [0].
>Sorry, I just find it strange when people expect that they "deserve" certain things for backing a Kickstarter project or that the rewards are "promises" that being broken.
In my experience, Kickstarter backers have been remarkably understanding of delays and other project issues - when there's timely, sincere communication about the problems.
Sure, there's no hard contract between backers and creators, but an expectation of good faith isn't "strange", it's perfectly understandable.
They told me it arrived, but it didn't, and the DHL tracking number never worked so I'm not sure how they determined that.
So that's how to get it.
I got mine, I'm not too happy with it, but it was $100. Maybe 6 months from now I can crack it open and fix the major problems with it. But I helped get a company started that is doing something unique. That was worth the $100 alone.
And I wish you would have helped a competent android game device company instead of Ouya, but what's done is done.
The thing that made me think this way is that they claim everything's in order on their end, but they still only sent me the bare package, without the extra controler I've ordered. In a customer service ticket reply, they, however, claim they had to send the console without the extra controler in order to send at least something, and that I'll get the controler in a future shipment.
Bottom line - they can be pissed all they want. They still didn't deliver on their promises.
I am within the first #15000 and in the US and still have yet to receive. I had to contact them when they said everything was shipped 100%. Granted at least they acknowledged it in the last update but it does suck.
"Backers, I am pissed. Some of you have not yet received your OUYA -- and, to you, I apologize." -- Julie (who usually writes OUYA backer emails)
"Unfortunately, the vast majority of those who haven’t yet received OUYA are international backers. It just takes a lot longer to ship to some countries.... Please accept my personal apology for not yet delivering on our promise." -- Ken, Head of Operations at OUYA
I received the "Your OUYA is on the move" email (with a tracking number) 20 days ago, but here's the thing: my shipping address is in Singapore. Things arrive from Hong Kong via regular airmail within days, not weeks.
And that's a great shame, that you took a potential developers place in that order queue (the Oculus Rift suffers this same issue), a developer that is having to wait until retail release to get their hands on a platform they want to publish for.
Kickstarter != Amazon.
An audience of consumers, and bedroom-youtube-reviewers with a short attention span are passing (generally) negative judgement on device that was not meant for them.
"Developer Special. A first-run OUYA (already rooted so you can just get going), EARLY SDK ACCESS, an extra controller, and we'll help you get started. We'll also help you promote your game for ONE YEAR, and your games will be marked with a FOUNDER EMBLEM."
Kickstarter != Pre-order, even for devs
Giving the money on Kickstarter is contributing to their development, giving them a gift in the hopes of helping them succeed. If they wanted only devs to get the device early, then they should have setup pre-orders somewhere else.
Ouya sold it as a consumer ready device, not a developer preview. The fault is on them to deliver on their promises or face backlash.
It also isn't particularly relevant as there was a level that did not sell out at $99 that included an Ouya console, so it's not as if developers were limited by her or him buying it.
Once I get some more free time I'll play around with it as a developer. Perhaps that's where the true value lies.
--edit-- just noticed the £23 premium (after accounting for 20% VAT) for UK purchasers. Never mind then. I'll look for something else.
(cue a bunch of Aussies saying "you think you've got it bad?")
This is most definitely down to the seller setting prices higher in the UK, and significantly so. It makes me feel ripped off, so I won't buy one.
I'm not saying there isn't a justification here, it's just I've never heard of one. There may not be one as we all know that price is often best set at what the market will bear, and someone probably decided that it was a good price point for the UK market.
I'm not sure if this is true for businesses, finding that info seems to be non-trivial.
--edit-- So far as I can tell (from gov.uk)
"The commodity code for importing is 9504500000.
Importing from outside the EU is subject to a third country duty of 0.00 %."
You're right about it being non-trivial.
I also agree about feeling ripped off on many products.
[1] http://www.royalmail.com/business/help-and-support/I-need-ad...
BUT if we're examining the £99 price point, I'd assume there would be economies of scale for the importer that's shipping to (for instance) amazon.co.uk, in terms of US->UK shipping. And that's if it is all shipped from the US to the UK, rather than coming from the Chinese manufacturer via the Hong-Kong distributor straight to Britain, in which case the costs should be comparable.
I probably couldn't personally import one from the US for much cheaper than the UK price, but that doesn't mean I can't still feel a bit miffed!
For example, I had a laptop fail on me (years ago) due to a poorly designed motherboard, device fails at about 13 months old of course, manufacturer offers a new mb for close to the cost of a comparable low-mid end laptop. I sign up to a forum and find the thread, add my rant, buy a new laptop and forget about it. Except on the forum thread the european users are claiming that they are getting their laptops fixed free because the manufacturer is obliged to fix product flaws (which this clearly was) for three years. If that is true, then it has to be factored into the price also.
I think Apple got into trouble with this recently too, when selling Apple Care it was pointed out to them that people already had a legal right to longer/stronger warranty conditions than Apple were selling them, in some countries.
I would be interested to read a proper evaluation/analysis of the effect this has on pricing levels and profitability of hardware businesses in the EU.
I'm curious on how its controller handles touch and mouse-related actions in games.
(But, I have noticed this tendency quite often by the manufacturers themselves.)
Not that it's necessarily unusual, I suppose. Sad though.
Stuff in the US is cheap.
Their consumer culture and lack of public services keeps taxes very low, and prices low to encourage purchases.
Don't be shocked, just think of all the good stuff you have in your country for the taxes you pay.
It's also possible maybe I should have used a different version, I guess?
Ouya has managed to get people a lot more hyped by being an integrated solution, though, so I guess they have that going for them.
[0] http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Wireless-Controller-Glossy-Bl...
But yes, it's silly to have an extra controller cost half the price of the console.
[1] http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ouya/ouya-a-new-kind-of-...
http://dayoftheouya.com/a-list-of-all-known-emulators-for-ou...
Pretty unfair they can't even deliver to the people who got their project off the ground, before they deliver to the public.
I cant really see this being so successful that developers target the ouya as an independent device as opposed to the android platform as a whole, but i hope i am wrong.
Having a bad day, are we?