OUYA 'around the size of a Rubik's cube'

OUYA hardware developer Yves Béhar talks about the dimensions of the box and the face button layout for its Kickstarter Android console.

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While Android-based console OUYA still has a few more days of fundraising left, many are curious to find out more about the device. Hardware designer Yves Béhar has answered a few questions about what the final product might look like.

"I don't know what others are doing in the future, but we have made a deliberate attempt to go away from current shapes," he said. "Our console is quite small, around the size of a Rubik's cube, and so it will easily fit anywhere in a room, or be easy to throw in a backpack."

Other revelations in the Kotaku Q&A include the possible inclusion of Start and Select buttons. The face buttons may be named after the console itself (O, U, Y, and A), but Béhar says the team is welcoming "creative suggestions."

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  • reply
    July 23, 2012 2:00 PM

    Steve Watts posted a new article, OUYA 'around the size of a Rubik's cube'.

    OUYA hardware developer Yves Béhar talks about the dimensions of the box and the face button layout for its Kickstarter Android console.

    • reply
      July 23, 2012 2:17 PM

      So... too small to store any powerful hardware.

      And what are the chances they'll run into a mountain patent issues. Has Nintendo lost the cross shaped d-pad patent? Googling OUYA pictures looks like it's obviously cross shaped.

      If the Nintendo patent is actually expired then maybe we'll get some nice cross style pads in the next Xbox controller.

      • reply
        July 23, 2012 2:31 PM

        We already know the hardware is roughly the same as a good android tablet; why would it need to be big given it doesn't need a battery and screen?

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          July 23, 2012 2:46 PM

          we arent japanese. we dont like it when things are small

        • reply
          July 23, 2012 4:40 PM

          The power of an android tablet is fine when your screen is the size of a tablet, and you're using crappy tablet controls. These are going to be hooked to TVs and played with controllers. This thing needs whatever power they can give it.

          These things are $99 shipped. That includes a controller. That's the launch price. The Wii launched at $250. The numbers just don't add up to anything impressive on the Ouya.

          They have grand ideas, and pretty marketing, but it'll be a miracle if this thing is any more than a blip.

          • reply
            July 24, 2012 2:37 AM

            no battery. no LCD. no size constraints. It'll be plastic and nasty but work OK. The price is still awfully tough and it's hard to see much over cost price - some big places must be backing this (not kickstarter). I'm pretty sure nvidia won't even talk to you (to get the tegra3) unless you've got some 'in' anyway so the whole project seems very suspicious.

            Also, 1080p (for a tV) is twice the pixels of lots of dual core tablets right now at ~800p, but this is a quad core. Mobile gpu performance has been scaling pretty quick.

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            July 24, 2012 5:23 AM

            In the big picture (*groan*), TVs have shit resolution. Granted, Android tablets are a bit behind Apple's iPad 3, but there are Full HD Android tablets coming anytime now.

            And input controllers aren't exactly data processing intensive.

          • reply
            July 24, 2012 5:26 AM

            Also, plenty of Android devices can already output HD and Full HD content via HDMI or MHL. Besides, what existing game consoles render and output at 1080p? Not many. So who says this console has to.

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        July 24, 2012 2:40 AM

        the patent has expired yes.

      • reply
        July 24, 2012 5:28 AM

        too small? an iphone can run these things w/o breaking a sweat and it could easily be crammed in that space.

    • reply
      July 23, 2012 5:02 PM

      Ugh if they're getting this guy to design it, they're not spending their money wisely. He's a recognizable name but his stuff looks like every other contemporary industrial designer.

    • reply
      July 23, 2012 5:07 PM

      Almost thought we wouldn't get in our Outa Two-minutes Hate for today.

    • reply
      July 24, 2012 12:21 AM

      I hope they just go with the Xbox's A, B, X, Y. It makes the most sense in a lot of ways. It's always annoying when playing a japanese game where B (or O on the PS) is confirm, instead of A/X. And we read left to right, so it makes sense to have the A on the left.

      The last thing they need is another step between people being able to enjoy their console.

      • reply
        July 24, 2012 12:25 AM

        Also, console-to-PC ports are done using the Xbox version.

        And if indie dev's wanted to port their games from XBLA/etc to OUYA it would make things a lot smoother.

        It's that important to me, that I probably wouldn't buy one if it didn't have ABXY.

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      July 24, 2012 5:18 AM

      anybody else pronounce this like Ahnuld saying "OH YEAAAAH!"?

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      July 24, 2012 9:42 AM

      A similar post was made below but I have to second this, the size of the device becomes irrelevant when you can store quadcore processors in the size of an iphone. If you don't need screen or input of any kind other than a port, this could easily be done. People keep moping about the price, again, it's a small piece of plastic with not much more in it than an iphone. And while I keep using the iphone as an example, as expensive as it is, it is also marked up quite a bit by apple inc. Without this inflation, proper marketing and capital, this can be done.

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