The OUYA Console

     The console and the controller are two different matters entirely. The controller is large and bulky. It's in fact larger than the console. The console is the smallest I've ever seen. It doesn't being much computing power or memory with it, but the freedom it brings is much more than we've seen from a console to date. Users can create their own content, and buy games from the online market for around $1 per game. The games I've played are tons of fun with friends and easy to learn. The console accepts any type of wired controller once you have an adapter, so chances are that you already have 4 controllers lying around your house. The games are nothing to be astonished by. There's no big hits like Uncharted, Halo, or Bioshock. There are, however, tons of old arcade games and user generated content.

     We spent a long time playing a ninja party game. You start off a game as a random ninja, and everyone looks alike in a room full of randomly moving clones. Your job is to distinguish who you are, and run around to touch all 5 statues. You can't give yourself away to the other players, or else you risk being assassinated. Each player gets one smoke bomb to help create confusion if they think they've been spotted. This is one of approximately 6 mini-games that are all up to 4 players. Talking to your friends to try and fool them is something I found really enjoyable and is greatly encouraged.

     We also played a game called Fast Fast Laser Laser. Each person gets a laser gun and a light saber. There is only one level available in the demo, and it's full of hallways and mirrors that reflect lasers. You can also use your sword to reflect the lasers backwards 180 degrees. It'll continue back through the mirrors and back to its origin point. The goal is to shoot all the other players and pick up all their power ups for speed, shields, and double and triple shot. The game lasts a couple rounds, and it's fun for a little bit. I'm sure it's more fun with more maps, but we only had the one.

     The console is the cheapest we've seen in a long time, and has tons of room for improvement. The best part is it comes with the means for its own improvement. The limits of the OUYA console are up to its users. The most capable hands to date.

Here  is a link to the homepage for the OUYA console.