What does Ouya actually mean? Not the name of course, I have no idea what “ouya” means. Chances are it’s from some long dead language and means fart face. No I wanna talk about the box ER game console. It will cost 99 bucks, run on android, feature a tegra gpu and an analog controller with a touchpad. Thems the breaks and while this may sound like the worst competition for the PS4 and XBox 720 it is actually in a league of its own. Wait what? This thing is better than a PS4? You must be a moron? NO that’s not what I mean at all. Chances are you’re going to have both a PS4/Xbox 720 and an Ouya. This little silver box (which I dearly hope gets a redesign) brings the comfort of couch play to one of the greatest and open platforms in computing: android. Its an OS that just about lets you do anything, and the Ouya devs are encouraging that with what they call “hacking” which is really just code for not including any obtrusive security.

Short of having a modchip installed in your wiiu/ps4/xbox720 you’re going to be using those systems for exactly what you would expect; playing games published on their network, from a box bearing their logo, using apps or services they choose to partner with and most likely paying for all of these things with proprietary  currency. With the Ouya you can do whatever you want.

There are so many people developing software for the platform and the majority of it is free, with what is essentially a linux pc built for your TV you will be able to use the Ouya as a true media center, browser device or game console. And even though it boasts some modest specs it doesn’t slouch as a gaming device; the android market is chock full of fantastic games and they are coming closer and closer to triple ‘A’ experiences, devices like the Ouya and Xperia play provide just the push they need. Have I mentioned the emulation possibilities? Android features emulators for everything from Atari 2600 to Sega Dreamcast and the Tegra 3 is fully capable of recreating those experiences.

With all the possibility I’m excited for the ridiculously titled Ouya; chances are I’ll use it for everything and at $99 (dollars) it won’t break the bank either. Consoles have come and gone promising us open platforms and console experiences, but with Android that is actually feasible. With the number of phones, tablets and soon PC’s that run on Android it will soon become the most popular platform in the world. Ouya has almost hit $3 million (dollars) well past its $900k Kickstarter goal and I’m not suprised at all.

-Max Romano