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Ouya developer kit walkthrough offers early look at the Kickstarter-funded console

Ouya developer kit walkthrough offers early look at the Kickstarter-funded console

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Ouya screengrab
Ouya screengrab

Ouya's Android-based gaming console is reaching the hands of developers this week, and some lucky recipients have taken to YouTube to share impressions of the early hardware and its user interface. Code Zombie Games has uploaded a lengthy overview of the entire kit as the studio works to port an existing Android title to the TV screen. The developer version of Ouya features a frosted, see-through build that provides a glimpse at the silicon in both the controllers and console itself. Ouya makes clear that devs are dealing with non-final hardware as soon as the machine is booted up, with a note warning that the current experience as "not ready for gamers."

Plenty of time to work out the kinks

And while it's admittedly rough around the edges, the preview reveals a sleek menu design that almost bears a closer resemblance to Windows Phone than Android. But jumping into certain apps like the built-in web browser — which performs admirably at this early stage — or settings exposes Ouya's Android underpinnings. The primary complaints seem to revolve around Ouya's controller. In particular, the integrated touchpad is described as merely adequate, and the controllers lack dedicated "start" and "menu" buttons. Still, Ouya still has time to refine its groundbreaking console before more than 63,000 Kickstarter backers start taking delivery a few months from now.