Ouya To Get Annual Hardware Refresh

The Ouya is not a traditional games console. That much has been obvious since it first broke Kickstarter records last year. Now the company behing the console are saying it will do away with another v...
Ouya To Get Annual Hardware Refresh
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  • The Ouya is not a traditional games console. That much has been obvious since it first broke Kickstarter records last year. Now the company behing the console are saying it will do away with another vanguard of console gaming – the five to 10 year lifespan.

    Ouya CEO Julie Uhrman told Joystiq that the company intends to adopt the mobile strategy for Ouya. They will be releasing a new $99 console every year to take advantage of cheaper components. One such upgrade could be seen in the form of the Ouya’s built- in flash memory, which is currently set at 8GB, being expanded.

    Moving to an annual upgrade cycle may concern early adopters, however, as their initial investment may be obsolete after only a few years. Uhrman says that won’t be the case as games built for Ouya will be backwards compatible.

    Uhrman also addressed concerns that the Ouya console won’t be able to output visuals that would please the console gaming crowd. It’s true that the Tegra 3 can’t compete on the same level as a PS3 or Xbox 360, but the chip is fairly competent when it’s not tied to a mobile device. Uhrman says that the Ouya’s Tegra 3 doesn’t “have to balance power for battery life. So when all four quads are running, it’s 1.6 GHz.” She then claims it’s going to be the best Tegra 3 device on the market.

    Finally, those looking to upgrade their Ouya every year will be pleasantly surprised to learn that their profile and the purchases attached to it can be easily transferred between devices. That’s something that even the big guys have only started to figure out with Nintendo’s Wii to Wii U transfer tool being an adorable exercise in frustration.

    Ouya will be launching at retailers across the nation in June.

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