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posted by takyon on Tuesday July 28 2015, @01:15PM   Printer-friendly
from the kicked-down dept.

Android game consoles maybe not dead: Razer Acquires Ouya software assets

I wasn't even aware that Razer had an Android gaming division, but apparently it does:

It has bought the software assets of Ouya; and it has acqui-hired the company's technical and developer relations teams to expand Razer's Android TV gaming business, specifically around its Forge TV console and the Cortex gaming platform.

One thing I found odd about the deal: This is only for the software side:

Notably, Razer is not acquiring the hardware part of Ouya's business, specifically the microconsole and controller that helped make Razer's name in the first place.

Isn't Razer mostly know for its gaming hardware? I'm surprised that they wouldn't acquire both sides - unless they really feel that their Android device is that far ahead of Ouya's (which is entirely possible, given the Ouya was a Kickstarter thing to begin with [raised $8.5 million] and as far as I know hasn't had a hardware refresh yet).

The Register explains that Razer has acquired Ouya's employees and assets, but not its hardware division, and will be displacing the Ouya console with its own Android box, Forge TV. It costs $99 or $149 with a controller, the same as Ouya. Methods of migrating to Razer services as well as discounts will be offered to Ouya users. Shaun Nichols notes that this deal comes as China finally ends its 15-year console ban, and a low-cost Android option may gain traction in that market.


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Related Stories

Game Over for Epic 15-Year-Long Console Ban, Says China 10 comments

Videogame giants will soon be able to manufacture and sell consoles in China, after Beijing said it was lifting a ban first instituted in 2000.

Rules were relaxed in the country in 2014 to allow for the production and sale of "gaming entertainment" in the newly created Shanghai Free Trade Zone.

Now, according to the Wall Street Journal , the country's Ministry of Culture said that foreign and domestic console vendors would soon be able to make and sell their wares in the People's Republic.

It means that the likes of home-grown console manufacturer Eedoo, which is backed by Lenovo, will be competing with Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo.

China's gamers – having adapted to Beijing's attempt to protect its youth from supposedly unhealthy content – are big fans of massively multi-player online role-playing (MMORPG), which work better on PCs than consoles.

That said, the world's biggest videogame makers will no doubt be relishing the opportunity to return to such a potentially huge market.


Original Submission

Razer Filing for IPO in Hong Kong 7 comments

http://www.anandtech.com/show/11611/razer-files-for-ipo-in-hong-kong-to-raise-600-million

This week Razer has made a preliminary filing for IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The company plans to raise $600 million for future growth, particularly in Asia. In addition, the funding is supposed to improve the company's overall march with investments in R&D as well as the brand. Razer's recent financial filings indicate Razer operated at a $20m profit in 2012-2013, but ran a loss of ~$70m in 2015-2016 because of multiple acquisitions as well as a tripling in R&D activities with a small uptick in revenue.

Razer started as a subsidiary of a computer peripheral maker Kärna in 1998 and quickly became famous for its Boomslang mouse designed specifically for FPS gamers and launched in 1999. Kärna ceased to exist in 2000 because of financial issues, but the Boomslang was so popular despite its price tag (which was high by the standards of the year 2000) that Terratec brought the Razer Boomslang back to market in 2003. Min-Liang Tan and Robert Krakoff (who used to be the GM of Kärna back in the day) acquired rights to the IP and the brand sometime in 2005 and established Razer Inc., as we know it today. Initially, Razer focused on mice, but the company gradually expanded its product portfolio with keyboards, headsets and other peripherals. Sometime in 2009-2010, Razer began to hire engineers from PC companies like Dell and HP with an aim to develop actual systems and go beyond peripherals. Today, the company offers various gaming gear, laptops, co-developed Razer Edition PC systems, and licenses its designs to others. Meanwhile, Razer is always in pursuit to expand its lineup of products and their distribution.

Previously: Razer Acquires Ouya Software Assets, Ditches Hardware
Razer's New Blade Pro: Desktop Performance in 0.9 Inches and 8 Lbs
Razer Prototypes Stolen at CES


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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by LoRdTAW on Tuesday July 28 2015, @01:51PM

    by LoRdTAW (3755) on Tuesday July 28 2015, @01:51PM (#214834) Journal

    I have used Razer hardware in the past and from my experience, they arent all that great. I had one of their optical mice, forget the model, and the buttons failed after only a year. Their biggest strike is the ruination of the Nostromo gaming pad that was originally made by Belkin. They released a new version of the N2 and switched out the Belkin software for their own which was unable to import your old profiles. The new software also had zero support for the old Nostromo forcing you to upgrade as the Belkin drivers did not work on Windows 7 64bit. Even if you had a classic nostromo N2, it was trash if you were running Win 7 64bit.

    They buy out hardware makers, discontinue/ruin the product and then force you to buy new Razr hardware after they drop support for their acquired products. Fuck you.

    • (Score: 2) by Rivenaleem on Tuesday July 28 2015, @03:34PM

      by Rivenaleem (3400) on Tuesday July 28 2015, @03:34PM (#214889)

      I have a Nostromo too, and can't imagine playing games without it. In fact, the only games I play without the Nostromo are ones that support the 360 controller. I've played years of WoW, hot-key-mashing, and a few other MMOs and RPGs where the keypad gets quite a mashing. It is still as responsive and springy as ever and I've never had issues with the software. I do admit I did not have a belkin device and issues with importing profiles, so I can't speak to that.

      There are some improvements that could be made to the software, like the ability to hard-change the default keys for new profiles, but overall I've been very happy with my purchase.

      However, one anecdote does not good data make.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @04:07PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @04:07PM (#214914)

    preeeetty sure there are soem really good (non-angry bird) android games.
    problem is .. where do i go to KNOW ABOUT THEM?
    -
    the hardware today is like a desert tower to awesome-fun 80's 10 cents arcade BOX mud-hut ...