Ouya Makes Its Official Launch

Is the gaming world ready for a $99, Android-powered microconsole? The Ouya has been in the hands of early backers and some members of the media for several weeks, but the Kickstarter-funded open source cube made its official retail debut today.

If first-day sales are any indication, interest seems to be high. CNET reported that the Ouya was already sold out early this morning at Amazon and Gamestop, and Target was also sold out by the afternoon. At the time of this article, Best Buy still had units for sale with free shipping or in-store pickup available.

Certainly fans of indie games have had the Ouya on their radar for some time, as the machine was created with ease of development in mind. The idea is that anyone can create a game for the Ouya, and its makers are touting over 170 games (and several streaming media apps) ready for today’s launch.

It’s also a bit of a paradigm shift in the world of consoles because of its lack of an optical drive or physical media of any kind. All content needs to be downloaded to the console, which includes one controller with its $99 price tag. Extra controllers are $49.99, possibly the highest controller-to-console ratio the industry has ever seen.

Despite raising over $8 million during its Kickstarter campaign, the Ouya has already been the source of some controversy. With no booth at E3, the company tried to get its message out to people during the show by setting up shop in a parking lot less than a block away from the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The ESA, the organization that runs E3, rented trucks to block views of the Ouya display, which in turn led to its creators setting up large orange banners to direct people to their space. The LAPD even got involved, but allowed Ouya to stay after determining  it had all of the appropriate permits.

With the time for stunts now over, the Ouya will have to succeed or fail on its own merits. Is this a legitimate member of the eighth generation of consoles, or just a glorified Android tablet in cube form? Let us know which way you’re leaning in the comment section.