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[ragnar119]

I readed a lot of different things good and bad. Some people say there is small lag in most emulated games.

Here is one:
http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/06/25/ouya-official-launch-version-review-no/

[Bdthemag]

Time for me to be that guy again, but the OUYA is a glorified android phone without the phone capabilities. Its processor is about as fast as the average phone, and despite claims of it being "optimized" I have seen it lag rather horribly (Below 30 FPS) on quite a few modern android games. Not to mention the fact that they can't really get any legitimate indie developers to make OUYA exclusive games, meaning the only possible real use of this is for emulation. Oh wait, emulation is readily available (For completely free, I might add) on your PC, and you can essentially create a low budget desktop PC or even use a laptop for a majority of your emulation needs. There's the argument that it will cost more, as a gaming machine suited entirely towards emulation can run you at around $400 (But at the highest FPS available, I might add.) Why not just get an android phone then? I'm pretty sure there are multiple programs and applications that allow you to connect your android phone easily to your TV, along with a controller.

I'm not going to mention ttoo much he godawful kickstarter campaign, which proved at multiple points many backers where ignorant about the technology in general and the developers readily took advantage of this (A poll done by their backers showed them wanting games such as Battlefield 3, DayZ, Minecraft, and Skyrim for the OUYA. They never once said this wasn't possible.) If you're considering buying this, then I highly suggest you research the technology and capabilities of the OUYA before you potentially make a mistake. If you've read up on the specifications, and are completely aware of what it means, along with knowing how the developers acted during the kickstarter campaign, and you still want to buy it go ahead. But I'm sure if you were oblivious to the OUYA until now, and actually research this "console" then you'll decide not to.

[olemars]

You'd be hard pressed to find an android phone with similar specs for $99, at least around here, and it would still perform worse when connected to TV (assuming it can even output at 1080p).

I've seen performance issues in three cases I've tried out. The PSX emulator, a Unity game, and an unpolished android port. The android ports are really the biggest problem, since the devs will just make it work on the OUYA "well enough" without putting in the effort really needed. Existing Android games are designed for a much lower resolution on small screens and with touch as the primary input. Neither ports well to big TV and gamepad. Another problem is the endless torrent of 8bit retro cliche games.

As I mentioned in the OP, the focus on this thing as a pure gaming console was misplaced from the outset. It will do games, but nothing that competes in pure AAA quality with consoles or PC. It'll do games far better than android phones and tablets as long as games are actually designed for it and not just ported over. Combined as a media center, developer toy and PC stream it is actually extremely powerful for the price.

[Sonlirain]

Well on one hand it has the processing power of an old leaf blower BUT it has tons of games if only due to emulators.
So yeah... if you don't care about the graphics and want to play classics then that's pretty much the console you're looking for.

From what i can tell it's kinda related with the Wii and Wiiu is the only console it really wants to compete with.

[Bdthemag]

From my experience, you actually can get phones ranging around those specs by doing the usual contract deals with the service provider of your choice. You sign up with them, and you get a cheap, new phone.

Also, sure. Developers with purely OUYA in mind will make games that run very well on it, but that initial OUYA interest just isn't going to show. Why would someone spend the time developing for a new console, when they could access a bigger crowd and just sell it on the standard mobile device markets? Along with the fact a lot of touch-screen oriented games ported over simply won't translate well, so if you're stuck with a majority of the games being android ports expect a lot of them to have odd and sometimes pointless control schemes.

And the thing with hacking the console and toying around with it, that's probably the only thing the OUYA has going for it. But it seems there's a lot of hassle in trying to do this. For example, getting the OUYA to be recognized by the ADB on a computer requires manually editing driver files, and a lot of sideloaded games either don't work due to the controller, or just randomly crash. Although I only listed the kind of modding the average person would most likely do, so we'll just have to wait and see if anyone legitimately toys around with the console and makes something neat, but frankly I don't think the interest is there.

Also, just a side-note. The OUYA isn't competing with ANY consoles, not even the WiiU. The WiiU is an actual console for gaming, and I sincerely doubt the OUYA is going to even get close to rivaling Nintendo. I'm not even a fan of Nintendo, but it's just not going to happen.

[Tilla]

If you insist on getting a dumb android device to play bad phone games on your TV, get a Gamestick for $30 less and without the weird restrictions and broken wireless antennas of the Ouya.

[Zangi]

I may eventually get it for the emulators...

[Mistercheif]

Just a comment on the controller and its thumbstick placement - that's the placement that's been used on the Xbox since the original Xbox.

That being said, I also prefer that placement, as after a decade of playing reed instruments, my left thumb is more comfortable resting higher than the right, form holding it over the octave/register key.  Though I probably won't get an Ouya, I already have a decent laptop for gaming, and I'm probably going to get an Xbox One, so I think I'm set on gaming devices for quite a while.

[GP Trixie]

I think the main problem of the OUYA is it doesn't have any game specifically developed for it. And for old games emulation and streaming to TV there is a far better product : the raspberry PI (http://www.raspberrypi.org/ a credit card sized $40 PC with HD streaming capability basically). The OUYA is far to expensive IMO to compete against the raspberry for emulation, and if you want to emulate something bigger in good conditions like PSX , the only choice is a good PC. Without dedicated games, I see in the OUYA only the super small niche between raspberry and low end PC.

[Zangi]

Holy toads, that rasberry thing is small...

Cheap enough to want to try... but looks like you need to pick up some extra stuff...

[olemars]

If you add power adapter, HDMI cable and SD card the R-Pi costs about the same as an OUYA. More if you add in a case and a gamepad. I love the R-Pi, and it has the upside of being far more hackable, runs a proper Linux and has lots of nifty accessories (and especially, an SD-card slot...). But that it should be better as an emulator or media center has no basis in reality. I've had the R-Pi struggle with performance with both emulators and streaming, it's barely got the default XBMC interface running smoothly. Haven't had any such problems with the OUYA.

[PrimusRibbus]

If you add power adapter, HDMI cable and SD card the R-Pi costs about the same as an OUYA. More if you add in a case and a gamepad.

I purchased a power adapter for my R-Pi for $5 from RadioShack, a 6ft HDMI cable for $3.50 from MonoPrice, and a 4GB SD card for just under $5 from NewEgg. I've been able to use USB adapters for my PS2 controllers that I already had lying around, and modified an old hard plastic pencil box to be a case.

I love the R-Pi, and it has the upside of being far more hackable, runs a proper Linux and has lots of nifty accessories (and especially, an SD-card slot...). But that it should be better as an emulator or media center has no basis in reality. I've had the R-Pi struggle with performance with both emulators and streaming, it's barely got the default XBMC interface running smoothly. Haven't had any such problems with the OUYA.

OUYA and R-Pi both struggle with emulation in my experience (haven't had a problem with my R-Pi handling streaming, though, but I don't watch much TV/movies). Really, if you want a good emulation/streaming hub to put behind your TV spend $40 more than an OUYA and get a bookshelf PC, or re-purpose an old PC with a light linux distro (you can find old PCs that will be emulation/streaming beasts at computer repair shops for like $60, often with boatloads of accessories thrown in).

The market is so saturated with great options for emulation/streaming boxes that I just don't see it as a big draw for the OUYA.

[olemars]

Wish prices were like that here I'd be lucky to get a decent HDMI cable for less than $25. And at least $20 each for the power supply and SD card. Best deal I can get for a Pi + basics kit is ca $110.

[G-Flex]

There are a few shortcomings and obvious bad choices,

You know, like the controller's analog stick barely working. Little things like that.

[Tellemurius]

I think the main problem of the OUYA is it doesn't have any game specifically developed for it. And for old games emulation and streaming to TV there is a far better product : the raspberry PI (http://www.raspberrypi.org/ a credit card sized $40 PC with HD streaming capability basically). The OUYA is far to expensive IMO to compete against the raspberry for emulation, and if you want to emulate something bigger in good conditions like PSX , the only choice is a good PC. Without dedicated games, I see in the OUYA only the super small niche between raspberry and low end PC.

The Ras-pi is clocked at 700Mhz with a single core ARM11 compared to the Quadcore 1.5 Ghz Cortex A9 in the Ouya. Reasons why the Ouya plain sucks cause Android is a shitty platform for emulation and being on a Nvidia chipset its shit support.