Looks like there will be a console coming soon called Ouya, which was funded by fans via Kickstarter. The project was originally asking for $950,000 dollars for funding which it quickly surpassed within an 8 hour of post. The total funding was a huge $8,596,475 dollars backed by 63,277 people.
For those unaware of the Ouya, it is an Android based console that will be able to connect to your T.V. and feature free games according to Julie Uhrman in an interview with Engadget. Where she mentioned that the Free-to-Play module does not necessarily follow the normal one that we see in most F2P games.
“When we say free-to-play, we’d also include free demos or early levels of a game,” Says Uhrman “so we are confident that while not every game will use in-game items, every game can offer some aspect of its gameplay for free.”
During it’s Kickstarter funding, it was announced that several title will be available for the system including a prequel to ex-Call of Duty: Modern Warfare team member Robert Bowling’s 2015 game ‘Human Element’ which is stated to be set during the Zombie Apocalypse. Other big titles include Square Enix’s Final Fantasy III, and Mojang’s Minecraft. Another Kickstarter title, Shadowrun Online is looking to be added on to the Ouya, however they are still currently short of their $500,000 goal, in which you can support them by clicking here
Other features of the console includes Onlive Video Game Streaming, IHeartRadio, a media player from XBMC and another radio service called TuneIn, which is described as “a free service that lets people listen to the world’s music, sports, and news from wherever they are.”
The Ouya is also a hacker’s delight, the company actually encourages people to play around with the programs, creating your own indie titles and programs for the console.
The best part about this though is the price, set to $109 ($119 if you live outside the U.S.) The Ouya is available for Pre-order now and will launch in March 2013. You can currently order it online here.