[tl;dr: the Ouya game console/set-top-box is still in a rough state, and competing Android boxes are starting to appear with more powerful hardware for about the same price.]
Some reviews are starting to appear for the Ouya, that Kickstarter funded $99 Android running game console built with commodity cell-phone hardware. I have some interest in it as a device to run XBMC on. There were some articles recentlty about Ouya supplying cad files so you can 3D print your own custom enclosure for it. I guess that's to endear themselves to the hardware hackers and early adopters. It struck me as gimmicky, and I didn't bother reading those articles. Ouya review: can an indie console take on Sony and Microsoft? http://www.theverge.com/2013/4/4/4180242/ouya-review Inside the box is basically a cutting-edge Android smartphone. There's a 1.7GHz Tegra 3 processor inside, with all four cores running all the time since there's no battery life to worry about, so the processor should be even better than your phone's. The console also comes with 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage (a shockingly small amount when you consider games like Shadowgun and Grand Theft Auto run up to 1GB), Bluetooth 4.0, and Wi-Fi b/g/n. It's more than enough to match the required specs for any game currently available on Android, though it's not exactly a Razer Edge. It runs relatively quietly and relatively cool, more like a phone than your typical gaming machine. ...there's a fair amount of lag between the controller and the console. It wasn't always present, and seemed to have to rhyme or reason to it, but about half the time the game felt perfectly synced and the other half it felt a full beat behind what my thumb was doing. [...] Over the course of my time with the Ouya, I've wondered constantly why the product is launching now. My guess is there's been some heat from backers wondering where their $99 went, but even if that's the case Ouya might want to slow things down a bit. This console isn't finished -- it's not even close. The device runs Android 4.1, with a TV-friendly, Ouya skin on top that I quite like. It's orange, gray, and blue, and is typography-based, simple, and vaguely reminiscent of the tiled Metro interface on the Xbox 360. It's also basically just a home screen. Every advanced settings menu is ripped clean from stock Android... [...] The company's teased a handful of partnerships, from XBMC to OnLive (which would be a huge get), but there's no telling when all that is coming. For now, the only really compelling thing to play is old Super Nintendo and Nintendo 64 games via the emulators that come in the Ouya Store, but hunting for ROMs and sideloading games isn't a particularly easy process either. [...] I managed to get Netflix, Plex, Shadowgun, Mario Kart 64, and Angry Birds Space all running on the Ouya, and even though the interfaces looked like they were meant for 4-inch screens rather than 60, at least they worked. The Ouya is as hackable as promised. You can open up the console with an Allen wrench and four screws, and no corner of the OS is outside your reach. It's a remarkable developer plaything, a device with lots of potential and few true limitations. [...] Even if the concept is right, the Ouya misses the mark. The controller needs work, the interface is a mess, and have I mentioned there's really nothing to do with the thing? I'm not even sure the concept is right, either: there are plenty of fun Android games, but currently few that work well with a controller and even fewer that look good on your television. http://www.theverge.com/2013/4/5/4189184/ouya-says-pre-release-console-not-ready-for-review Ouya is responding to early reviews of its pre-release Android gaming console, saying that the software is still unfinished. In a statement to GamesIndustry International, the company explains that the 60,000 Kickstarter backers currently receiving their machines are participating in a "preview period," and that it plans to send out review consoles in early- to mid-May, constantly improving the product ahead of its June retail release. http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/03/ouya-review-founding-backer-edition/ ...we measured the OUYA at just about 4.5 watts of consumption during gameplay, a little less when sitting idle at a menu. When suspended, the console draws about a single watt, which is the price you will have to pay for being able to instantly resume your game right where you left off. [...] The version of OUYA shipping now should be considered a beta release, and anyone hoping for anything more is in for some disappointment. It's simply not ready for retail. The system is rough around the edges in many ways, quite literally when regarding the controller, but the interface and menus also could use work. Criticisms were similar to the Verge review. See site for a companion video review. The "Frame Rate" (twit.tv) podcast mentioned an Ouya review/demo running XBMC: This is what XBMC looks like on the $99 Ouya game console http://liliputing.com/2013/03/this-is-what-xbmc-looks-like-on-the-99-ouya-game-console-and-it-looks-good.html [XBMC] Developer Nathan Betzen got his hands on a pre-release sample of the Ouya. ... In the demo video you can see the user interface running at about 54 frames per second, transitions between menus working seamlessly, and 1080p HD video playing perfectly. There's a catch: at the moment H.264 video looks great, but some other video formats may not run as smoothly. See site for video. The Liliputing site had a bunch of related content, such as: Commodore 64 emulator turns the Ouya into an (ancient) PC http://liliputing.com/2013/03/commodore-64-emulator-turns-the-ouya-into-an-ancient-pc.html Developer Paul Lamb is working to port the open source Frodo C64 emulator to run on the Ouya, which means that you can treat this game console like a Commodore 64 computer. [...] Lamb is the same developer responsible for porting the Mupen64 Nintendo 64 emulator to run on the Ouya. His goal is to make it work with both the Ouya game controller as well as with a plug-in keyboard. CX-803 ii Android TV stick features 2GB RAM, dual-core CPU http://liliputing.com/2013/04/cx-803-ii-android-tv-stick-features-2gb-ram-dual-core-cpu-external-antenna.html Tiny sticks that you can plug into a TV to run Android apps on a big screen are a dime a dozen these days (or more accurately, as cheap as $30 or so). What's a bit tougher to find is a model with 2GB of RAM. Enter the CX-803 II. It's an Android TV stick with a Rockchip RK3066 dual-core processor, Android 4.1 software, and 2GB of RAM. It's available from Geekbuying for $70. [...] Since this model has an RK3066 processor, it should also be able to run PicUntu, a version of Ubuntu Linux optimized to run on Android systems with that chip. The extra RAM should come in handy if you're trying to run Linux on this device. The CX-803 II features ARM Mali 400 quad-core graphics, 8GB of built-in storage, and a microSD card slot for extra storage space. It has 802.11n WiFi and an external antenna which should help with wireless reception -- something many other Android mini computers struggle with. H5, MK818 join the Android set top box party http://liliputing.com/2013/03/h5-mk818-join-the-android-set-top-box-party.html The MK818 is an Android TV box from the maker of the popular MK808. Like the smaller MK808, the new MK818 has a Rockchip RK3066 ARM Cortex-A9 dual core processor, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of built-in storage. But it also has a 0.3MP camera, a built-in mic, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a 10/100 Ethernet jack, and Bluetooth. Geekbuying sells the MK818 for $85, and you can find it at AliExpress for prices as low as $76. $79 GameStick video game console becomes a media center with XBMC support http://liliputing.com/2013/03/79-gamestick-video-game-console-becomes-a-media-center-with-xbmc-support.html The GameStick is an upcoming device which lets you turn your TV into a video game console by sticking a $79 stick into the HDMI port to run Android video games which you can control using a wireless gamepad. [...] The makers of the GameStick have announced they're working with Pivos to bring support for the XBMC media center application to the GameStick. [...] ...you can install XBMC on nearly any Android devices with relatively recent hardware. But it's nice to know that the GameStick developers will be offering official support for the powerful media app. Android TV box with Samsung Exynos 4412 quad-core chip now available for $120 http://liliputing.com/2013/03/android-tv-box-with-samsung-exynos-4412-quad-core-chip-now-available-for-120.html Samsung's Exynos 4412 processor is a quad-core chip which powered some of the fastest Android devices on the market... [...] ...small boxes with 1.4 GHz Exynos 4412 ARM Cortex-A9 quad-core chips, ARM Mali 400 graphics, WiFi, HDMI, an IR remote control, and 2 USB 2.0 ports. [...] Geekbuying says the version it will sell will come pre-rooted and with XBMC media center preinstalled. W2Comp is charging $120 for a model with 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage or $142 for a model with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. Conveniently the site also has benchmarks comparing the Exynos 4412 and the Tegra 3 used in the Ouya: http://liliputing.com/2013/04/lilbits-battle-of-the-quad-cores-ouya-review-and-more-4-03-2013.html which actually shows the Rockchip RK3188 beats both, but the Exynos still bests the Tegra 3. Looks like you can buy "sticks" using the Rockchip RK3188: http://liliputing.com/2013/03/first-android-tv-sticks-with-rockchip-rk3188-quad-core-processors-arrive.html Rockchip's RK3188 chip is a quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor with top speeds of up to 1.8 GHz and Mali 400 quad-core graphics for HD and 3D video. ...and now the first Android TV boxes with RK3188 processors are starting to arrive as well. GeekBuying is selling a model called the Tronsmart T428 for $99. ...it features an RK3188 processor, Mali 400 graphics, 2GB of RAM, 8GB to 16GB of storage, built-in 802.11n WiFi, a microSD card slot, USB 2.0 port, and microUSB port. There's an HDMI connector on one end, which lets you plug the stick directly into a TV or monitor. GeekBuying reports that the device scores very well on benchmarks -- it gets a 18706 score in AnTutu, which is higher than the scores you get from most devices with NVIDIA Tegra 3 or Samsung Exynos 4412 processors. This could be a problem for the Ouya if they don't polish their offering pretty quickly. The customers willing to tinker and put up with rough edges are likely to spend the extra $20 for a box with more horsepower. The Ouya has a fan, while these sticks (running at an even higher clock rate) obviously don't. I wonder how they get away with that? Is the Rockchip more power efficient? Or are the stick vendors merely ignoring the heat problem? Finally... Comparison of ARM-based TV sticks, tablets, chromebooks running Linux http://liliputing.com/2013/03/comparison-of-arm-based-tv-sticks-tablets-chromebooks-running-linux.html Having a tough time figuring out which Android TV stick or tablet to pick up if what you really want to do is run Linux on it? Me too. Fortunately CNX-Software reports Ian Morrison decided to test more than half a dozen different ARM-powered devices running Ubuntu 12.04 or Ubuntu 12.10 and he's shared the results. The benchmarks showed the Samsung Chromebook (Exynos 5250) on top (no surprise), followed by the Hardkernel ODroid-U2 dev board (Exynos 4412), Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 tablet (Tegra 2), and then a few Rockchip RK3066 sticks, a Freescale i.MX6 stick, and a Allwinner A10 stick at the bottom. No Tegra 3 or Rockchip RK3188 devices in this comparison, but blending the data in this and the prior benchmark article would suggest that the Rockchip RK3188-based boxes might offer the most bang for the buck. -Tom _______________________________________________ Hardwarehacking mailing list Hardwarehacking@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/hardwarehacking
