11 ms·

I hate to be a hater, but can we start taking odds on how big a disappointment this will be? I am just going to come out and say that the vast majority of the

I hate to be a hater, but can we start taking odds on how big a disappointment this will be? I am just going to come out and say that the vast majority of the backers are going to be really disappointed, this is far too ambitious a project for that budget, even three times that budget. If I was Kickstarter I would actually be worrying about this type of project actually damaging the brand itself.

shortlived 14y ago
To paraphrase mindstab [1] from the previous Ouya post, "you just don't get it". http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4226753 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4226753
- cube13 14y ago
  The problem with mindstab's entire point is that there already is a platform for interesting, independently published games. It's called the Personal Computer. Everyone has one, and it has several distribution platforms, lots of people working on it, and even can utilize a 100% open source stack.
  - bradfa 14y ago
    The problem with PC gaming is that it's hard to get 4 people all gaming on the same computer in the same room for under $300 investment (versus console + 4 controllers). It's easy to do this in the living room with a Wii (and will be with the OUYA). Sure, you can have a LAN party. But it's going to be a lot harder to find people to come to that than to come over and play Wii bowling. Sure, you can game online, but the you're not all in the same room hanging out. Physical presence is still a big deal in console gaming.
    - deleted 14y ago
      [deleted]
    - ryanklee 14y ago
      It's far easier to get 4 people into 4 separate rooms than it is to get them all into the same room. In other words, physically proximate group play is the exception; the rule is remote group play.
    - icebraining 14y ago
      It is? Almost every newish laptop has an HDMI out; coupled with an USB hub and four cheap USB gamepads, what more do you need? PC just lacks the games - but then again, so does this platform.
      - jiggy2011 14y ago
        True, but not everyone actually realises this. I have an XboX360 Pad plugged into my PC which I use to play some games (a huge amount of steam games seem to support it). You'd be surprised however by the number of people that this amazes "woah, you can plug a gamepad into a PC?". It wouldn't surprise me if the same people didn't realise they could hookup to a TV via HDMI.
  - slantyyz 14y ago
    There's a big difference between playing games on a PC and on a TV. Many people, including myself, don't like to play games on a computer. It's less relaxed - for most people, it involves sitting at a chair and a desk. It's not easy finding a comfortable gaming position lying on a sofa with a notebook resting awkwardly in your lap. Sure, you can hook up a gaming PC to a TV, but that's more work than most people are willing to partake in.
    - icebraining 14y ago
      You only need a gaming PC if you're looking for an alternative for a PS3 or XBox360. This is a $99 ARM machine, almost any laptop has better graphics already. You just need to sit it next to the TV and plug a cable.
      - jiggy2011 14y ago
        Plug in the cable , fiddle about with the function keys to get it to display on the TV at the correct resolution then try and load up the game by trying to control the trackpad while inches away from a massive screen.
- nicpottier 14y ago
  Trust me, the problem is not that I don't get indie gaming. I was an indie game dev for four years, I shipped a few dozen games for the Danger Sidekick (fun remakes of Rampart, Wolf 3D among others). I get that simple gaming is fun. I am just very, very, skeptical at their budget for delivering such a beast. BTW, there is a huge indie game scene on the XBOX, which so happens to be pretty darn cheap, have great development tools and state of the art controllers. Sure they run $200, not $100, but you also get a world class game console (which you probably already have!) as part of the package. Seriously, check it out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_Live_Indie_Games http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_Live_Indie_Games
wavephorm 14y ago
I'm absolutely baffled at the HN negativity revolving around this product. If they deliver what they're promising, I think it is going to be a smashing success. I have had a bunch of a neat, simple console game ideas kicking around for a long time. I want this console to succeed simply so that I have the opportunity to make them a reality. This console does not need PS3-level graphics to succeed. Even if Ouya only matched the graphics performance of a Nintendo N64 I think it could still be a massive success based on the games that will get created for it.
- zmj 14y ago
  The negativity is skepticism that they can deliver what they're promising, and concern over the fallout if they don't. It's not a character attack.
  - smackfu 14y ago
    The nice thing is that you almost certainly will get some kind of hardware in your hands out of this project for $99. Compare that to years of vaporware hardware where a big announcement is followed by nothing but spending lots of money and never releasing anything.
    - cube13 14y ago
      Getting the hardware is not a certainty. Kickstarter does not guarantee that you will get anything out of the projects that you give money too.
      - smackfu 14y ago
        True, but I don't really see how that is particular to this project though. And I've had good luck with other $100 hardware products on KS.
  - nooneelse 14y ago
    Specific skepticisms are quite warranted, I agree, and time will tell. All the same, it seems worth remembering that as Kickstarter has some success, it is probably going to be making enemies who will use their established positions to, at the very least, trash-talk it and anything coming out of it.
tlrobinson 14y ago
I would be surprised if they didn't have some kind of funding. If the video is shot in their office, they have at least a dozen employees or so. A lot of Kickstarter projects these days seem to be more about building hype and gathering pre-orders, rather than raising just enough money to get off the ground. That said, I agree Kickstarter should be concerned about one of these multi-million dollar projects failing spectacularly.
- JVIDEL 14y ago
  Indeed, specially since KS says they wont step in if things go south, meaning you'll have tens of thousands of backers pissed at both ouya and KS

shortlived 14y ago

To paraphrase mindstab [1] from the previous Ouya post, "you just don't get it". http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4226753 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4226753

cube13 14y ago
The problem with mindstab's entire point is that there already is a platform for interesting, independently published games. It's called the Personal Computer. Everyone has one, and it has several distribution platforms, lots of people working on it, and even can utilize a 100% open source stack.
- bradfa 14y ago
  The problem with PC gaming is that it's hard to get 4 people all gaming on the same computer in the same room for under $300 investment (versus console + 4 controllers). It's easy to do this in the living room with a Wii (and will be with the OUYA). Sure, you can have a LAN party. But it's going to be a lot harder to find people to come to that than to come over and play Wii bowling. Sure, you can game online, but the you're not all in the same room hanging out. Physical presence is still a big deal in console gaming.
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
  - ryanklee 14y ago
    It's far easier to get 4 people into 4 separate rooms than it is to get them all into the same room. In other words, physically proximate group play is the exception; the rule is remote group play.
  - icebraining 14y ago
    It is? Almost every newish laptop has an HDMI out; coupled with an USB hub and four cheap USB gamepads, what more do you need? PC just lacks the games - but then again, so does this platform.
    - jiggy2011 14y ago
      True, but not everyone actually realises this. I have an XboX360 Pad plugged into my PC which I use to play some games (a huge amount of steam games seem to support it). You'd be surprised however by the number of people that this amazes "woah, you can plug a gamepad into a PC?". It wouldn't surprise me if the same people didn't realise they could hookup to a TV via HDMI.
- slantyyz 14y ago
  There's a big difference between playing games on a PC and on a TV. Many people, including myself, don't like to play games on a computer. It's less relaxed - for most people, it involves sitting at a chair and a desk. It's not easy finding a comfortable gaming position lying on a sofa with a notebook resting awkwardly in your lap. Sure, you can hook up a gaming PC to a TV, but that's more work than most people are willing to partake in.
  - icebraining 14y ago
    You only need a gaming PC if you're looking for an alternative for a PS3 or XBox360. This is a $99 ARM machine, almost any laptop has better graphics already. You just need to sit it next to the TV and plug a cable.
    - jiggy2011 14y ago
      Plug in the cable , fiddle about with the function keys to get it to display on the TV at the correct resolution then try and load up the game by trying to control the trackpad while inches away from a massive screen.
nicpottier 14y ago
Trust me, the problem is not that I don't get indie gaming. I was an indie game dev for four years, I shipped a few dozen games for the Danger Sidekick (fun remakes of Rampart, Wolf 3D among others). I get that simple gaming is fun. I am just very, very, skeptical at their budget for delivering such a beast. BTW, there is a huge indie game scene on the XBOX, which so happens to be pretty darn cheap, have great development tools and state of the art controllers. Sure they run $200, not $100, but you also get a world class game console (which you probably already have!) as part of the package. Seriously, check it out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_Live_Indie_Games http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_Live_Indie_Games

wavephorm 14y ago

I'm absolutely baffled at the HN negativity revolving around this product. If they deliver what they're promising, I think it is going to be a smashing success. I have had a bunch of a neat, simple console game ideas kicking around for a long time. I want this console to succeed simply so that I have the opportunity to make them a reality. This console does not need PS3-level graphics to succeed. Even if Ouya only matched the graphics performance of a Nintendo N64 I think it could still be a massive success based on the games that will get created for it.

zmj 14y ago
The negativity is skepticism that they can deliver what they're promising, and concern over the fallout if they don't. It's not a character attack.
- smackfu 14y ago
  The nice thing is that you almost certainly will get some kind of hardware in your hands out of this project for $99. Compare that to years of vaporware hardware where a big announcement is followed by nothing but spending lots of money and never releasing anything.
  - cube13 14y ago
    Getting the hardware is not a certainty. Kickstarter does not guarantee that you will get anything out of the projects that you give money too.
    - smackfu 14y ago
      True, but I don't really see how that is particular to this project though. And I've had good luck with other $100 hardware products on KS.
- nooneelse 14y ago
  Specific skepticisms are quite warranted, I agree, and time will tell. All the same, it seems worth remembering that as Kickstarter has some success, it is probably going to be making enemies who will use their established positions to, at the very least, trash-talk it and anything coming out of it.

tlrobinson 14y ago

I would be surprised if they didn't have some kind of funding. If the video is shot in their office, they have at least a dozen employees or so. A lot of Kickstarter projects these days seem to be more about building hype and gathering pre-orders, rather than raising just enough money to get off the ground. That said, I agree Kickstarter should be concerned about one of these multi-million dollar projects failing spectacularly.

JVIDEL 14y ago
Indeed, specially since KS says they wont step in if things go south, meaning you'll have tens of thousands of backers pissed at both ouya and KS