Google Developing Android Game Console 143
An anonymous reader writes "A report by the Wall Street Journal says Google is working on an Android-based gaming console in addition to the long-rumored smartwatch. 'The hardware plans are the latest sign of Google's determination to build on the success of Android, the software it launched in 2008 that powered 75% of all smartphones and 57% of tablets shipped globally in the first quarter, according to the research firm IDC. ... The people briefed on the matter said Google is reacting in part to expectations that rival Apple will launch a videogame console as part of its next Apple TV product release.' This development push comes as the company is wrapping up work on Android 4.3, and as the Kickstarted, Android-based Ouya console is finding success in retail markets. Google is also reportedly working on a revision to its Nexus Q media streaming device, which the company announced last year and quickly shelved after they realized it was a bit weird and not terribly useful."
Re:Is it called Ouya? (Score:4, Insightful)
Unfortunately the Ouya doesn't use the Play store
Hasn't hurt the Kindle Fire.
Speculation (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Is it called Ouya? (Score:4, Insightful)
It has prevented me and several other folks from buying them. Might not have hurt it much, but surely there are some lost sales.
apple already has a game console (Score:3, Insightful)
two in fact. they are called the iphone and the ipad. the ipad version has the graphical power of an xbox 360 and some games like real racing take advantage of it.
the Apple TV is a cheapo device to allow you to stream the games to your TV along with some streaming options
Apple is not going to sell a full game console because
1. game consoles have this problem of being locked to a TV. you can't play on the train to work
2. the "real gamer" market is a minority now. there are tens of thousands of iOS games out there. lots of them make more money than the real console games.
3. apple uses the same parts in all products. building a special console means a more powerful chip with a limited manufacturing run. apple is not going to do it
4. a more powerful Apple TV is going to cost more money and sell less units. apple uses flash memory. you can't have a good console with 16GB flash
Re:Problem was cames not Compatible consoles (Score:4, Insightful)
Actually, speaking from my own experience, I can tell you that a lot of gamers at that time had simply abandoned their consoles for Commodore 64's. You could even use the same joystick (beat the hell out of that sorry-ass 5200 controller). Atari had counted on 2600 fans to move on to the 5200. But for the same price, you could just buy a Commodore. And games were a helluva lot cheaper on the Commodore, since it was so easy to pirate them.
Re:Is it called Ouya? (Score:5, Insightful)
Of course it doesn't use the Play Store. It's not meant as a general-purpose Android platform
it doesn't use the Play Store, but that's not why.
It has to have it's own specialized store.
this begs the question, does it have to have its own specialized store? And the answer, for those who know what they are talking about, is no.
You can't very well have a console loading apps that expect a touch screen, accelerometer, etc.
If Ouya would implement emulation of accelerometer from a joystick, then you certainly could. In fact, you could then use a PS3 Sixaxis controller to play those games, by mapping its accelerometer axes. But, they haven't done this. They should also emulate screen touches from controller presses. There's an app that does this, but it's an obvious thing for an android game console to do out of the box.
Even if Google let their console use the Play Store, they would have to wall it off into it's own area.
Why don't you get some relevant experience before running your suck? The Xperia Play uses the Play Store, and it's a phone from 2011. You just put "optimized for xperia play" (maybe in all caps) into your game description, and it automatically shows up in the list of available Xperia Play software in the special games launcher which appears when you slide out the gamepad. In short, you have no idea what you are talking about, and you are just pulling shit out of your ass and slapping it down on slashdot.