Ouya Thread

[Flojomojo]

Thanks for all the info, was wondering about all of that. The Razor will play emulators out of the box? No rooting?

 

Yes, the Razer Forge has two app stores -- the Forge store (which is the successor to the OUYA store), and the regular Google Play store. I had the Broglia apps (MD.EMU, NES.EMU, NEO.EMU, and so on) in my Google account, so they came right over without another purchase.

 

They were free in the OUYA store, but they're good and cheap and totally worth buying if you haven't already done so.

 

You could probably side load other stuff using the file explorer method I described, too.

[cimerians]

Those are the ones I have yeah they are great, I had them on OUYA as well. I'll be keeping an eye on it. I mainly want SNES and Genesis stuff on HDMI. I have the Retron that has HDMI out but of course no rom support.

 

I ditched the Ouya, sold it to a friend.

 

I had that going for a while with all the emulators, it was pretty good but I found myself firing a lot of stuff up on my PC and not bothering with it, it had horrible support for any other Google play games too. I side loaded a bunch of stuff but nothing ever worked.

[Andromeda Stardust]

I got one of these after the new year holiday. It's definitely a step up from the OUYA in terms of power. The console itself is a little puck like the old Apple TV or Roku box, with a bright green light underneath. There is no fan or moving parts. The controller is better, though still feels like it came from MadCatz type wannabe territory, way worse than a Sony or Microsoft controller. The store is easy to navigate, and everything that I grabbed from my large Google Play library that was supposed to be compatible seemed to work. Unfortunately, stuff has to be marked as controller-compatible to show up in the store. KOTOR looks great on the big screen in high res with controller support. Please show your support for KOTOR II on mobile, too.

 

I was also able to push a few compatible apps (mainly Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto games) from the Google Play website to the device, with mixed results. Some didn't work, some didn't appear.

 

Moving ROMs around was a little bit of a puzzle. I was able to join the not-very-intuitive ESFileExplorer utility to my Dropbox, and pull some retro games from there. All of the Robert Broglia apps are compatible and work well here.

 

Even fewer of my OUYA purchases appeared in the Forge store after combining my accounts. I haven't paired my OUYA controllers yet, but they're supposedly compatible. I don't know if the OUYA controllers' little touchpads will be supported. The games will need to be recompiled and rereleased for this platform. That seems like a big ask of their developers.

 

The single worst thing about the Razer Android TV is the lack of external storage. There's a USB port, but it is only used for hooking up a controller at this time. It comes with 12GB of onboard storage, which is OK for me, since I'm mostly interested in turning this into a tiny, HDMI-ready Sega Genesis. It's a shame it's not better than the OUYA in every way, though. Perhaps this will come in a firmware update, as it did for OUYA. I do't have an Amazon FireTV but I suspect this is similar in terms of compatibility, power, and functionality.

 

The remote control app, which uses Bluetooth from a BYOD mobile device, is hopeless. It takes forever to connect, and drops off when the screen goes dark. You'll want to use a controller for media.

 

 

The Android TV made me appreciate AppleTV more. This is what I got first, of course. My child dropped the lovely remote on a tile floor over the holidays, shattering the glass. Who makes a game controller out of glass? A silicon case for its replacement is on the way.

 

The AppleTV is mostly better than Android TV in my opinion, as there are many more video streaming apps. There are also more innovative games in the store, but it's the same problem -- very few of the controller-compatible titles have been recompiled for AppleTV. Loading emulators like Provenance is a hacky pain, so the Razer box is well worth the $100 I paid to avoid that particular hassle.

 

Current verdict, as of January 2016: if you got the upgrade coupon from Razer to get the box and controller for $100, it's worth it if you liked the OUYA and don't already have an Android TV. It's not amazing but it seems to work and will likely improve over time.

Thanks for the update Flojomojo. I recieved a Razor coupon from PocketSquare on Ouyaforum.com. If you have an Ouya username and never received the Forge coupon (easy to miss if you opted out of promotional emails), PM him on ouyaforum to get your coupon.

 

Flojomojo, could you check the Cortex store to see if Pinball Arcade is available? Reason I'm asking is I basically purchased every season so far on TPA which is a huge investment if I had to repurchase them somewhere else. Basically I only still keep my Ouya hooked up as a pinball simulator. And I've got a Retro Freak for cart duming / emulation now...

[Flojomojo]

I know Pinball Arcade is in the Google Play store. If it were in the Razer Forge store it probably would have transferred over when I joined my Ouya ID. I tried the free version of that app on the Ouya but was disappointed in the performance.

 

The only things that came over for me were the excellent DotEmu R-Type ports.

 

I agree that the Pinball Arcade tables are expensive. I would write to Farsight support to see if they would be willing to give you credit for them in the Google Play store. They did something similar for me (albeit on a smaller scale) when I supported one of their Kickstarters but the redemption process was screwed up. You will be able to show them that you own the Farsight ID that bought the dead-end Ouya versions.

 

They could say that the purchases are not transferable but if I were them, I'd prefer to keep a loyal fan happy by letting you play their stuff.

[Schizophretard]

They could say that the purchases are not transferable but if I were them, I'd prefer to keep a loyal fan happy by letting you play their stuff.

But it is still playable on the OUYA. They are still supporting it on the OUYA too and the last time they updated it was last month.

[Flojomojo]

Yeah, they seem to be supporting the Ouya better than the Xbox platforms!

[Schizophretard]

Yeah, they seem to be supporting the Ouya better than the Xbox platforms!

 

I see no issue with that.

[Andromeda Stardust]

I know Pinball Arcade is in the Google Play store. If it were in the Razer Forge store it probably would have transferred over when I joined my Ouya ID. I tried the free version of that app on the Ouya but was disappointed in the performance.

 

The only things that came over for me were the excellent DotEmu R-Type ports.

 

I agree that the Pinball Arcade tables are expensive. I would write to Farsight support to see if they would be willing to give you credit for them in the Google Play store. They did something similar for me (albeit on a smaller scale) when I supported one of their Kickstarters but the redemption process was screwed up. You will be able to show them that you own the Farsight ID that bought the dead-end Ouya versions.

 

They could say that the purchases are not transferable but if I were them, I'd prefer to keep a loyal fan happy by letting you play their stuff.

While I'd like to believe in the goodwill of Farsight as a company, they are a business designed to turn profit. Since every purchase in the Google Play store gives a cut of the sale to Google, it may not be possible for Farsight to just "gift" the unlock code over to a user on a new platform without owing fees to Google. Otherwise a vendor could cheat the fee system by handing out codes to visitors who purchase it through an external website for instance. This would be kinda like a buyer and seller agreeing to finalize payment outside of eBay or something like that.

 

Basically I am playing the waiting game to see if TPA gets ported to Cortex. If it does, I'm buying a Forge. If not, then I don't know. It looks like Farsight is on board, but unless I hear it straight from them, like a public announcement or some such, then I will continue to play the waiting game. I've also made relevant posts in ouyaforum and pinballarcadefans.

 

Ouya version is pretty good to a point. The main issue is with the lag inherent with Ouya controllers which is mostly eliminated by using a PS3 controller in lieu of one. This should be further eliminated on Cortex with it's much beefier processor. Another issue is the Razor Forge's lack of external storage currently. I hope they provide an update that allows a USB thumb drive or something similar, but remember any storage solution they come up with must be compatible with Google Play TV rules. If Google Play decides to allow for instance support for SD card storage but not USB drive, then Forge will be immediately crippled by the lack of an SD slot which most Android devices posses.

 

I just don't want to get "stuck" with another dead platform should Razor/Cortex fail. I realize that the longer I wait the more likely this outcome, at least if many other Ouya users suffer from the same groupthink I do, but I feel I am quite the niche case in this regard. I can't imagine there is a large number of customers who purchased all five season passes on Ouya.

[Flojomojo]

I see that you're on top of this. :-) http://pinballarcadefans.com/showthread.php/10083-If-OUYA-is-shut-down

 

You might be the only one in this unique situation. This digital purchase seems more ephemeral than a purchase from Microsoft, Steam, Amazon, Apple, Gog, or Sony. If it were me, I would not wait to get hosed by Farsight, I'd be politely asking their support people if they could do a license transfer to another platform, or promise that they'll port to the Forge store. You seem awfully concerned about their welfare. They're out some cash either way, as development for all these various platforms isn't free.

 

It's up to you, of course.

[Flojomojo]

Good postmortem of Ouya from a developer perspective. http://gamasutra.com/blogs/JamesCoote/20160125/264204/An_OUYA_Story.php

[Andromeda Stardust]

I see that you're on top of this. :-) http://pinballarcadefans.com/showthread.php/10083-If-OUYA-is-shut-down

 

You might be the only one in this unique situation. This digital purchase seems more ephemeral than a purchase from Microsoft, Steam, Amazon, Apple, Gog, or Sony. If it were me, I would not wait to get hosed by Farsight, I'd be politely asking their support people if they could do a license transfer to another platform, or promise that they'll port to the Forge store. You seem awfully concerned about their welfare. They're out some cash either way, as development for all these various platforms isn't free.

 

It's up to you, of course.

Thanks Flojo. I don't know what I'm going to do right now. Judging by the replies I have recieved (zero), there appears to be little interest in Ouya platform on pinballarcadefans.com which sucks. I'm honestly surprized they've kept Ouya support going as long as they have.

[Flojomojo]

You could do what I've done with Zen Pinball and just double dip. Farsight's stuff runs great on Android, Sony (not cross-buy, boo!), and iOS in my experience. It's just money.

[bretthorror]

Does anyone know when/if the Ouya store completely shuts down? I have probably $35 or so left in my account (free money I got from bonus prepaid cards when I bought systems) and don't want it to just vanish, but I also don't really know what to buy on there. Was thinking of maybe going the pinball route, though I'm not sure how much it costs.

[Austin]

Heh, figures. I think I still have $20 on my Ouya account. I put about $30 or so on when I bought the system, then realized the store and game library was crap, and never went back to spend the rest. Oh well.

 

Does anyone know when/if the Ouya store completely shuts down? I have probably $35 or so left in my account (free money I got from bonus prepaid cards when I bought systems) and don't want it to just vanish, but I also don't really know what to buy on there. Was thinking of maybe going the pinball route, though I'm not sure how much it costs.

 

Get Towerfall or something like that. The Pinball Arcade on the Ouya blows. If you are going to spend money on TPA, pick it up on a platform where it performs better.

[bretthorror]

Heh, figures. I think I still have $20 on my Ouya account. I put about $30 or so on when I bought the system, then realized the store and game library was crap, and never went back to spend the rest. Oh well.

 

 

Get Towerfall or something like that. The Pinball Arcade on the Ouya blows. If you are going to spend money on TPA, pick it up on a platform where it performs better.

 

What's bad about it? I played a round of Arabian Nights and it seemed ok. I still don't really like the playfield in this much, but for dicking around with some beers it looks ok. One thing I don't get is why they never used the pressure sensitive analog triggers instead of the little ass bumpers.

 

It's really about getting rid of the money on something useful I would actually play instead of what'd sit in the digital void. If I was actually gonna drop dough on it, I'd get it on Steam.

[Austin]

 

What's bad about it? I played a round of Arabian Nights and it seemed ok. I still don't really like the playfield in this much, but for dicking around with some beers it looks ok. One thing I don't get is why they never used the pressure sensitive analog triggers instead of the little ass bumpers.

 

It's really about getting rid of the money on something useful I would actually play instead of what'd sit in the digital void. If I was actually gonna drop dough on it, I'd get it on Steam.

 

It's super choppy compared to other versions (framerate) and it looks poor in comparison. But if you can't find anything else on the Ouya, then yeah, I guess you've got to spend that money somewhere.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Does anyone know when/if the Ouya store completely shuts down? I have probably $35 or so left in my account (free money I got from bonus prepaid cards when I bought systems) and don't want it to just vanish, but I also don't really know what to buy on there. Was thinking of maybe going the pinball route, though I'm not sure how much it costs.

Season passes are $30 a piece or $5 per table pack. I have the Pro versions of a couple tables and they're generally not worth the extra spend honestly. Elvira Scared Stiff I got the Pro version only so I could play the table with uncensored sound effects, and also got complementary Pro upgrades for a couple KS tables I backed.

 

As always, all tables are free to try out, and you will know after playing if you like a table or not. You can play each table as many times as you want, but there is a scoring limit on every table and when you exceed that threshold, your game session is suspended until you exit or purchase.

 

However, unless you plan on investing in a Razor Forge, I wouldn't recommend doing TPA on the Ouya as it is a dying platform. I still don't have confirmation if TPA is getting ported over to Razor Cortex or not, but they are doing regular updates and have the new button mappings so it at least looks like a possibility.

 

Also I unplugged my router and confirmed you can keep access to purchased tables without access to the Ouya store should the servers go offline. You will not be able to purchase or download updates after the store closes, and I do not know whether you'll still be able to log into Farsight to post high scores. Should the servers go offline, under no conditions ever log off your Ouya account or you will brick the system.

 

Heh, figures. I think I still have $20 on my Ouya account. I put about $30 or so on when I bought the system, then realized the store and game library was crap, and never went back to spend the rest. Oh well.

 

 

Get Towerfall or something like that. The Pinball Arcade on the Ouya blows. If you are going to spend money on TPA, pick it up on a platform where it performs better.

Pinball Arcade doesn't "blow" on Ouya and it really isn't any different from the hugely popular mobile iOS/Android versions out there making up 50% of sales, except you get 720p HDMI output and can use real tactile controllers (I personally loathe touch screen controls). I use hi res textures and the Ouya version runs nearly lag free with the PS3 controller. Only table I really struggle with timing flipper shots is Black Knight 2000 and it is among the fastest tables on TPA.

 

Don't use the stock Ouya controllers for pinball as they have known latency issues due to the poor wifi/bt chip. PS3 has stronger signal and won't lag even on Ouya. Sure you won't get the dynamic lighting of the PS4/Xbone/Steam versions but they update the tables regularly and many of the existing tables got lighting tweaks on mobile platforms after the DX11 lighting upgrade came to PS4/Xbone. All things considered many of the tables have improved contrast and look better than they did a couple years back. Also Ouya is the only platform besides Steam to get day one updates and use real tactile controllers.

 

If you want the best graphics, options, and customization options for TPA, build a mini PC with a powerful graphics card and Windows 8/10 and install Steam. You can even tilt the monitor sideways and use portrait mode if you like. Portrait mode is exclusive to Steam/PC/OSX.

[Austin]

Pinball Arcade doesn't "blow"

 

Sorry. It blows. Hard.

[Andromeda Stardust]

 

Sorry. It blows. Hard.

So does Moby Dick; what's your point?

 

"Blow" is such a relative term anyway. Many modern retrogamers who grew up post Nintendo still think Atari blows. That doesn't mean that people frequenting this website do. So please stop crapping on the Ouya just because it didn't succeed like other platforms. It was a nice little device which had a few marketing and engineering issues. I still like to think of it as a wonderful concept, if a bit misunderstood. The first of it's kind for sure.

 

I also recommended to anyone die-hard serious about investing into The Pinball Arcade to build a dedicated Windows based Steam PC. I never said that Ouya was the best version, only that Ouya was the platform I chose to install Pinball Arcade back in 2013, and I'm currently pigeonholed into it. The fact that Farsight has continued to pledge support for the fledgling console despite abysmal market penetration really goes a long way to say how devoted they are to their customer base.

[Flojomojo]

If you really care about that OUYA store balance, it can be transferred without hassles to the Razer Forge when you combine accounts. It's kind of like providing a Marvel account to Comixology. Unfortunately I think the only way to do it is on the Razer Forge console itself, which is OK but not amazing. Like the OUYA version of Pinball Arcade, which is slow and janky, probably due to the 2012-era Tegra 3 in the OUYA. You could do worse but I think you could do better with the other indies on there.