From Ars Technica:
Recent games shows like the Game Developers Conference and E3 have come and gone with little fanfare or hubbub surrounding the Android-powered Ouya console other than small promotional displays and a seemingly stillborn Ouya Everywhere initiative. This week, Ouya has tried yet again to get gamers' attention by way of a crazy, limited-time bargain: the Ouya All-Access Pass.
The pass, which costs $60 and lasts for a full year, is meant to unlock seemingly unlimited access to the Ouya online store's major paid offerings: namely, "one-time purchases under $30 such as full-game unlocks and level-pack add-ons." However, the fine print explains that downloadable content designed to "enhance gameplay" with options such as "extra lives and power-ups" is not included in the All-Access Pass, which may create a blurry line between what content is and isn't included. Ouya's Chess 2 , for example, doesn't include a full "unlock" purchase but rather coin packs used to enable online play at a cost per online session.
The promotion comes on the heels of a March change in Ouya policy allowing developers to make paid games that don't include free demo versions or in-app purchases. That shift made particular sense for a wave of serious games coming to Ouya, including That Dragon, Cancer, and Thralled, whose sensitive content might be undermined by "pay more to keep going!" alerts mid-stream.
It appears to need the attention:
Though Ouya has yet to announce firm sales figures for either its hardware or software, developers have routinely complained about low sales for their Ouya fare. A Gamasutra report from last October saw that issue come up as a recurring theme, and our own interviews with game designers have echoed that sentiment in kind. In an e-mail interview, Chess 2 developer Zachary Burns told Ars that "there is no money in the [Ouya] userbase," though he was quick to express unabashed appreciation for the promotional and developmental support given by the official Ouya team.
However, those interested in this deal are too late, as:
the promotion has already been closed. Visitors can enter their e-mail address at the promotion's link to receive an alert if/when it resumes.
(Score: 1) by NullPtr on Thursday July 03 2014, @08:46AM
I lost interest when the Android book I'm using to learn from posted this:
http://commonsware.com/blog/2013/10/11/dropping-ouya-chapter.html [commonsware.com]
Annoying the very people you need to build a healthy development ecosytem? Why? What did you gain from that?
Looks like I'm developing for normal Android devices then...
(Score: 2) by tathra on Thursday July 03 2014, @10:07AM
i cant really point out any one specific thing as being responsible, but reading the summary gives me the impression that the whole point of this Ouya console is just to extract as much money as possible from consumers, with gaming and quality as a secondary or worse goal. requiring money for "full-game unlocks" and having extensive paid DLC (which is nothing more than an unlock code for stuff already on the disc/cartridge the way some game companies do it), and online play requiring you to pay each time? ugh, sounds like its exactly what we need to ensure gaming continues in a race to the bottom.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 03 2014, @06:58PM
Ouya started out with the premise that every game was free to download and play. (Though they seem to have dropped this requirement recently) This meant developers had two options to earn their livelyhood: 1. Go the old shareware/demo model, where players could enjoy parts of the game for free and pay for the rest. Or 2. use paid for in-game consumables like most mobile games out there on Android and iOS. Both of these options use the Ouya in-app-purchase system. As a developer, you can define products as entitlements (which you buy only once) or consumables. (only valid for one use or short time)
It pains me to hear you feel that way. I worked on a game called iO. We chose to treat the first 10 levels of the game as a demo, and require a single one time purchase for the other 140 levels. We've tried very hard to make it a very fun, interesting, polished, quality game. We explicitly chose to do the ethical thing and NOT to participate in the race to the bottom and instead deliver an honest product treating the player with integrity. Though it hasn't done us much good in the end. Sales are a joke.
(Score: 2) by tathra on Thursday July 03 2014, @08:01PM
that statement only makes it worse, because it very strongly implies that everybody else involved in Ouya development IS in a race to the bottom, only caring about making money, rather than creating a good game.
(Score: 2, Troll) by jasassin on Thursday July 03 2014, @10:26AM
1. The name is pretty lame, wonder who the chomper was that thought of it.
2. It looks really fucking stupid. It makes an N64 look like a Lamborghini.
3. DLC. If playing the game without a $400.00US Sword of Azaroth isn't fun, fuck you and your shitty game.
4. I got a shady vibe off the first article I read about these assholes. My instincts rarely fail me.
jasassin@gmail.com GPG Key ID: 0xE6462C68A9A3DB5A
(Score: 3, Informative) by Vanderhoth on Thursday July 03 2014, @10:56AM
Seems like some pretty unwarranted hate there.
I actually do own a Ouya, why does how the console looks have anything to do with how it plays? The N64 was one of my favorite consoles of all time, next the the SNES. Console gaming has sucked so much in the last 5-10 years because all this generation of gamers care about is flashy graphics and shiny bobbles sitting under their TVs. The quality of the game play and stories has seriously degrades and consoles are nothing more than extremely locked down out-of-date PC hardware in an edgy case now.
I will admit I don't use my Ouya as much as I intended, but for none of the reasons you listed. Many of the games I bought for the Ouya have come out on Steam for Linux and honestly I'd just prefer to play on my PC because I have a wife and 2 yr old I have to share the TV with which makes it difficult to sit down for a few hours of gaming. But there isn't anything wrong with the console itself.
"Now we know", "And knowing is half the battle". -G.I. Joooooe
(Score: 3, Insightful) by MrGuy on Thursday July 03 2014, @11:03AM
The Ouya was originally hyped as the David to the Big 3's Goliaths - the little console that would bring sanity and affordable prices back to the console experience. A console for the people! It was Android-based less because Android was inherently a great console OS, but more because it gave Ouya access to an extensive and thriving game ecosystem where developers wouldn't need to do a ton of upfront investment for the platform (a necessity when you're an upstart - doesn't matter how good your platform is if no one's writing software for it, and as an independent you can't command much of a launch lineup).
The the SteamBox was announced. It's ALSO a David to the Big 3's Goliath as a console. But unlike Ouya's attempt to monitize Android games, SteamBox can offer access to Steam's already formidable lineup of PC games out of the gate. The steam summer sale $5.99 titles are already a step up than most Ouya titles today.
Yes, the Ouya and SteamBox have slightly different targets, and their catalogs have little overlap. But given a choice in $99 consoles, are you picking up the one that lets you play Angry Birds on a big screen, or the one that allows you to play a-few-year-old AAA games at reasonable prices?
Ouya's niche as the "affordable console for the people" is going to be gone, and soon. And I think they know it and are panicking.