OUYA Console gets upgraded every year with faster parts

[froggyboy604]

OUYA, the Android based, Kickstarter-backed gaming console, is arriving soon. In an interview with The Verge, Ouya founder and CEO Julie Urhman revealed the company's plan for a "Yearly Refresh" of the console. Scott examines the reasoning behind this. Are you willing to spend $99 every year to upgrade your OUYA? Will you buy one at all? Let us know in the comments!

The Tegra 3 CPU also runs at 1.6 GHz on the Ouya.

Source

Wow, 1.6GHz that is almost as fast as my computer's CPU since my computer CPU is only 1.8 GHz, and it is not even a quad core CPU like the Tegra 3.

This is a good idea as long as game makers make their games work for older versions of the Ouya when the Ouya 2 is released like how some game companies make their games work on older and new consoles, but at different quality settings like fewer special effects on slower consoles.

I like that Ouya is release yearly with better parts this is better vs just comming out with a slim version next year, and a slimmer version after next years, but with no performance or features improvements.

Maybe in a year when the Nvidia Tegra 4 or 5 is released, the Ouya 2 will be capable of Xbox 360 like 3D graphics.

I hope users can re-use the old controller, HDMI video cable, and power adapter, and just buy the new console when it is released for $50 or less since people end up with a lot of controllers, power adapters, and HDMI cables from older versions if they choose to upgrade the Ouya yearly.

A Trade-in program would be nice where you trade in your old Ouya for a new one, and pay an extra 20 dollars or less toward the price of the new console.

 

[Mascot Tom]

So it's basically a computer...

It runs android, you can replace most of the parts in it, it has optional outside attachments, so why is this called a gaming console if it's basically just a budget computer?

 

[froggyboy604]

The Ouya is more like a phone without a screen, but a user interface which works well on TV and a controller. The Ouya plugs into a TV, and uses a controller to control game characters, so calling it a console is easier for people to understsnd.

It is not possible to replace individual parts since the Ouya is one circuit board with the parts soldiered on like phones and tablets with the Android OS.

This video says when there is a new version of the Ouya in a year or more, it would have better parts as technology advances like the Nvidia Tegra 4 will be release latter on this year, so when the Ouya 2 comes out in 2014-2015 in about a year it would use the Nvidia Tegra 4 or 5 instead of the Nvidia Tegra 3.

I think this has more to do with Nvidia update cycle for video chips since Nvidia no longer promotes the Nvidia Tegra 1 and Tegra 2 since most devices uses the Nvidia Tegra 3, so I won't be surprised that earlier Tegra chips are discontinued or short in supply because all modern phones won't use outdated GPU like the Tegra 1-2 if they want to be competitive with the iPhone 5 when the Tegra 3 is the most popular, and powerful Nvidia GPU chip.

 

[Demon_Skeith]

I'm with Tom, just seems like they made a console version of the PC.

 

[Mascot Tom]

It sounds to me like the company is basically doomed.

A life cycle of a console is extremely important due to something called value perception. The longer the lifespan of one console, the more value a consumer will perceive the next console to have. A 1-year lifespan of a console ads up to $1000 in ten years, spanning ten console generations each.
Back when the PS3 had a $600 price tag, it didn't seem like it was worth it, and that was back in 2006. Its been about 6 years, and the PS3 is still Sony's home console. The PS2 launch price was $300, and that ALSO lasted 6 years! Let's do the math!

PS2: $300 divided by 6 = $50/year. 1 console.
PS3: $600 divided by 6 = $100/year. 1 console.
OUYA: $99 divided by 1 = $99/year. 1 console.

So this means that ANY ONE of the OUYA consoles are worth, both in market value and in value perception, 1/6th of an original PS3.

I wouldn't even buy a new android phone every year, let alone this.

 

[froggyboy604]

I think it won't be doomed at least in the first few years because there are 63,416 gamers who backed it on Kickstarter, and people who pre-order it on Ouya's Preorder website , so there be about 100,000 or more Ouya console owners depending on how well it also sells on Gamestop, Amazon, Bestbuy, Target, and other stores. Plus, $99 is a smaller price to pay than $400-700 at once including the price of $60 games, accessories, cables, and HDMI cable, so kids, casual and poor gamers with only $99 dollars to spend will more likely buy the Ouya than a new console they can't afford.

As parts become cheaper because of cheaper labor, shipping cost, and mobile tech (a fast tablet like the Kindle Fire HD now cost under 200 dollars vs 500 dollars a few years a go for an iPad 1) the next Ouya might cost less than $99 like $50-80. I also think there is a chance that you can just buy the console without the controller, power adapter, and video cables if you already own the first one if you want to upgrade to the next one, but don't need an extra controller, video cable, and stuff which came with your first Ouya.

Games which will be made for the Ouya 2 in 2 years will most likely still work on the Ouya 1 like how Temple Run 2 for the Kindle Fire HD and other newer Android phones and tablets still runs on the original Kindle Fire, and older smartphones, and tablets, but at lower quality settings because Android apps are usually compatible with multiple versions of Android, and for different Android phones and tablets with slower performance. Older Games like Temple Run 1, Angry Birds, and Asphalt 6 still work on newer Tablets like the Nexus 7, and Kindle Fire HD.

The Nvidia Tegra 3 GPU is also very powerful, so it still will run a lot of games, a few years from now like how the Nvidia Tegra 2 can still run a lot of Android games without any noticeable slowdown to the common person.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNED0Hm7KUA