In the latest and potentially biggest Kickstarter news to date, industry veteran Julie Uhrman has launched a Kickstarter for a brand new prototype game console, entitled Ouya. Partnered with designer Yves Behar, the goal of the box is to bring the cutting edge of games creativity back to the living room. In her pitch video, Uhrman laments the traditional console industry for their closed platforms and cost prohibitive structure, which in her estimation has sent many of the most creative and talented small developers to mobile platforms. With the Ouya running on Android 4.0, Uhrman aims to create an affordable home console experience that is wholly open to both developers and customers alike. Developers will love it because there are no expensive SDKs to purchase (each Ouya is its own SDK), nor are there any expensive licensing fees. Customers will love it because every single game will be required to have some sort of free component, whether it be 100% free-to-play or a free demo, and no amount of tinkering or customizing your console will void the warranty; Uhrman even goes out of her way to welcome hackers.
Initially seeking $950,000, the Ouya Kickstarter has flew past its initial goal in roughly half a day and continues to climb. A lot remains unknown about how the console will be distributed, but the initial drive has proven people are interested in an open source box for the living room. The Ouya is expected to ship Q1 2013 and cost around $100.
For a full rundown of the box’s specs check out the Kickstarter page.
Source: Kickstarter
