The news of Robotoki’s Human Element appearing first on OUYA is likely to make a few more people sit and listen about what the console has to offer, and for me it opens up a new possibility for the low cost console. You see, compared to other consoles, even compared to iOS, OUYA’s barriers to entry are ridiculously low, and it’s all because it runs Android.
The cost of developing a game for Android, in terms of software tools etc. can be, basically, zero. Sure, you have to pay for frameworks if you want to use them, but pure Android is free; all you have to do is download the SDK. That link will take you there, and you could start developing right now on, basically, whatever platform you have installed on your PC, Mac, laptop or netbook.
Hell, there’s probably a few tablets out there that you could develop for Android on, although I wouldn’t recommend it.
iOS, by comparison, charges you right out of the gate, and you need to have a Mac to develop on. That’s all well and good if you have a Mac but if you don’t then you need to throw down a pretty significant chunk of change just for your development environment, ignoring the need to buy any devices you might want to try to test for.
To be fair to Apple though, you do have the advantage that you’re not trying to hit a moving target in terms of device spec. If you’re a serious developer it’s probably worth having a decent number of iOS platforms about, particularly to compare different versions of the OS on the device rather than in the simulator, but it’s still a pretty solid target.
Android, by comparison, has so many different phones with different chipsets and different screen sizes, as well as different versions of the OS that may or may not be updated at some vague point in the future, depending on the device, that it’s been a bit troublesome for developers at times. Things have certainly gotten better over the last few years but there are still issues around the wide array of hardware that can be a headache for developers. It’s much the same as the PC market was at one point, but there again things have gotten better over time.
[drop2]That’s one area where OUYA may prove to be a bit of a boon, you’ve got one target platform and one version of the OS to hit. That’s it, you’re done. The console itself is pretty low cost as well, which will surely help out indies but may also make it seem attractive as a test-bed for ideas from bigger developers.This is where we cycle back around to the announcement from Robotoki. They’re announcing a prequel for Human Element on OUYA because, judging by the video he put out, Robert Bowling supports the console. However, I suspect the price of development for the platform and the opportunity to have a chance to experiment on a platform that’s actually connected to a TV was a huge draw as well.
I firmly expect to see more and more developers taking that approach, to launch experiments, like those from 22 Cans, or to put out a prequel that’s both a way to test mechanics and an advert for your larger game on the more powerful consoles. Even if OUYA stays limited in terms of sales, I can imagine people putting out these sorts of smaller projects. They may have a smaller market but that also makes the price of failure much lower.
Whilst these type of projects won’t necessarily be what sells OUYA to consumers, at least not to a wide market, they’re still something I’d love to see. If developers have a lower cost of development I can certainly see them being willing to try more experiments and take more risks to test the waters for larger projects somewhere down the line.
Anything that encourages that is absolutely fine by me.
Crocadillian
I find it really amusing as to how much cynicism it has drawn from people who are all to easy to criticize the “Big 3”, yet defend them now this turns up. I don’t think it matters that established developers aren’t particularly interested, because there’s a lot of unestablished developers that are, and has sparked a lot of interest in game development. I think we’ll see something special along the lines of the PlayStation minis, only better, and on a platform that supports the F2P model, online gaming and other things? Even better :D
xdarkmagician
If t fails miserably it’ll be because of one of two reasons. 1- the community just doesn’t support it. 2- Sony, MS, Nintendo and Apple figure out some way to have it removed.
Ouya has the most important thing any video game company needs… creativity. With no boundaries or restrictions to govern creativity the machine could have the power to redefine gaming. It’s only limited by the communities imagination, not some corporate agenda or market study. Sure there’s going to be alot of shovel-ware, even more crap, but there’s still going to be some gems in there too. Considering there’s a good percentage of gamers who only play a few games or even just CoD on their consoles already. One good hit is all Ouya needs. But I fear that the mega-publishers will look at a community developed game and say “Your action platformer looks like our action platformer” and will sue anybody who produces anything simular.
Although I am nervous about having micro-transactions on an open platform.
fs
Its a shame its not very popular (around these forums anyway) I think it has the opportunity to take off and really help the industry. Gaming needs a platform that everybody can relate to. We have the tools these days to create music, film and art – but we can’t just sit there and create a game, definitely not without professional tools and a degree, with the Ouya you have something that gives everybody the chance to create what they want. Instead of only having the choice between the games you like, you could present your own ideas. Its a long shot, but people need to give this a chance.
KeRaSh
I completely agree and that’s why I backed this project. Coming from years of experience with Android there is one thing Ihave learned very quickly. It has the most amazing community I’ve ever been a part of. Just look at XDA or Cyanogenmod. If it’s open, people will support it and at 99$ that’s a risk I’m willing to take.
There was one Kickstarter game that I really can’t wait to see on the OUYA. The people behind it got an early OUYA dev kit pledge in and will port the game once it’s released. The game is called Echoes of Eternia and it’s an old school RPG. The ingame screenshots look amazing. If there are a few more games like that, the purchase was already worth the money.
I’m very optimistic about the OUYA. I really want it to succeed. Lately I’ve been spending a lot of time playing indie games and if this is the go to patform for creative, new games then I’ll be right at home. To be honest. I’m kind of bored of most of the big name titles these days. Very few franchises make me squee like a little girl. I need a breath of fresh air. :)
fs
I’m glad its not all negativity, I think once people start using it and a few decent games are available people will be much more interested. The thing is, these great ideas aren’t always popular at first – take social media for example. Facebook wasn’t very popular until enough people had tried it and then it boomed, same with Youtube and I think although Ouya is different from a social media site or video community in many ways it is very similar in it the sense that is gives the community the chance to share their ideas with millions of people. As I said above, if people give this a chance like people gave Youtube and Facebook a chance it will be a success.
colmshan1990
Does anyone really think a truly open console can work?
Just look at the related articles- Android Football Manager, piracy rate of 9:1.
What do you think that would be for full-priced titles?
job
so im enjoying my ouya game and i think i will purchase some extra crystals/cars/ammo etc so do i just pop my credit card details into an open platform and cross my fingers ?
KeRaSh
People really need to learn what open actually means. It does NOT mean that payment information will be sent unencrypted to OUYA server…