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Damien McFerran
16:29, 20 Jun 2013
There’s a new breed of gaming system on the horizon, and it’s powered by Android. Damien McFerran investigates the leading challengers
For several years now, the gaming arena has been ruled by companies like Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft. These firms have pedigree in the realm of interactive entertainment, but the old order is now under threat by a new wave of challengers - all of which are running Google’s impressively versatile Android operating system.
Will these unique gaming consoles shake up the arena with their cheap titles, developer-friendly hardware and innovative features, or will the lack of genuine gaming credentials harm their long-term prospects? Join us as we take an in-depth look at each one.
Ouya
Price: £99
Release date: 25th June
Ouya is arguably the most famous of all the Android-based games consoles, and was successfully funded using Kickstarter to the tune of $8.5 million. The system has since raised another $15 million in investment, which means it could make quite a splash when it launches this month.
A small cube-like device, Ouya comes with a dedicated wireless controller but can pair with other Bluetooth devices, such as mice and keyboards. It has its own store which is populated by titles like Final Fantasy III and Canabalt. More games, however, like Dead Trigger and Minecraft, are said to be on the way. Although it runs Android it cannot connect to the Google Play store out the box, so you can’t re-download games you’ve already purchased on your phone or tablet.
Because it needs its own unique games, Ouya could struggle when it comes to developer support. Existing Android titles need to be re-tooled to work with the controller, which means players could end up buying the same game twice - once for Android and once for Ouya.
The makers of the console have already stated that they will adopt a yearly upgrade model, so expect to see a newer, more powerful Ouya in around 12 month’s time.
GameStick
Price: £79
Release date: July 5th
Like Ouya, PlayJam’s GameStick is another Kickstarter success story - its goal was $100,000, yet by the time the crowd-funding campaign came to a close, it had raised six times that amount.
The big advantage GameStick offers over Ouya is that it is the size of a USB flash drive, and can be plugged directly into your TV via HDMI. This means it takes up even less space than the already tiny Ouya, which could be a prime consideration if the area around your TV is already crowded with gear. It will also make the console attractive to those who like their entertainment to be mobile - the console docks inside the controller, so you can easily take it round to your mate’s house.
Like Ouya, GameStick has its own unique game store, but currently confirmed titles don’t exactly seem all that exciting. More exclusives will surely arrive, and it’s not unreasonable to expect a degree of crossover between this and Ouya.
Using the GameStick dock, you’ll be able to add extra controllers and peripherals, and the makers of the console also promise the ability to use Android and iOS devices as controllers.
MOJO
Price: TBC
Release date: TBC
Peripheral maker Mad Catz is famed for its quality joysticks, so the news that it is planning to enter the Android console arena is something of a surprise. However, this could give MOJO the edge over its competition - given Mad Catz’s excellent history with pads, you can expect the one that ships with the micro-console to be pretty special. And even if it’s not – it doesn’t really matter. Mad Catz has confirmed that many of its other pads will work just fine with the system.
It has two USB ports on the back, and connects to your TV via HDMI - just like the Ouya. Unlike Ouya, there’s a MicroSD card slot so you can easily upgrade the internal storage space. While Mad Catz has so far been reluctant to reveal what CPU is powering the console, some have guessed that it could be Tegra 4 - which puts the console on par with Nvidia’s portable Shield handheld. It’s also known that MOJO will boast support for the Google Play market.
Out of all the consoles on list here, MOJO sounds like the most complete package to us.
Nvidia Shield
Price: $299
Release date: June
The only handheld Android console on the horizon, Nvidia’s Shield isn’t going to be cheap - but it offers 72-core Tegra 4 power, the ability to stream content from your PC and a 5-inch 720p LCD screen, all contained within a sleek portable chassis. From a purely technical perspective, Shield truly gets the pulse racing.
Of course, such power comes at a cost. Shield is going to retail for $349, which puts it way ahead of its rivals and makes it even more expensive than the Nintendo 3DS and Sony PS Vita. On the upside, you’re getting some truly cutting-edge tech for your money, and when you’re not playing games you have something which sits in-between a games console and a tablet - Shield runs the standard Android 4.2 interface, and has a touchscreen.
Shield will also connect to the Google Play market and the Tegra Zone store, which means you won’t be short on quality gaming experiences. 16GB of internal storage should be more than enough for all your gaming downloads, and a MicroSD card slot will offer the ability to expand this amount.
GamePop
Price: TBC
Release date: TBC
GamePop is the wildcard of this selection. Manufacturer Bluestacks is looking to sell the console using a subscription model, where you pay a flat fee every month and gain access to a massive selection of games. And we mean massive – GamePop is Android-based like the other consoles we’ve mentioned here, but with a twist – it also runs iOS applications thanks to a visualisation tool called Looking Glass. 500 games are promised at launch, with more coming as the install base grows.
Out of all the systems we’ve covered here, GamePop, next to MOJO, has the potential to be the most exciting – its subscription model could make it the Netflix of gaming, and the ability to play both Android and iOS titles should mean that it has the edge over other Android consoles - iOS traditionally gets all the best games first.
Of course, there’s a big question mark over how well Looking Glass will work - given the fragmented nature of Android and the compatibility issues that will no doubt arise with iOS, it would be wise to wait until the unit is in the wild before getting too excited about how this all works. But if it does, then the results could be astounding.
Other unanswered questions include specs and what the controller will look like - Bluestacks hasn’t revealed any information on either, and the release date and price are also undecided.
2013 is shaping up to quite a year for Android gaming.
Android
Android games
Ouya
Ouya
GameStick
MOJO
Nvidia Shield
GamePop