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Crowdfunded gaming console Ouya will shut down for good on June 25th
Seven years ago, Ouya was going to change the face of gaming. Now it's dead. Razer, the company that bought Ouya back in 2015, announced today that it will be discontinuing support for the gaming console. Owners of Ouya will have until June 25th to continue using the device. After that, Razer will be deactivating user accounts and shutting down all online elements of its service. Gamers will only be able to play games they have downloaded directly to their console.
This day in Engadget history: Ouya is a Kickstarter smash hit
Engadget has been around for 14 years and counting, which means our archives contain a veritable treasure trove of technology history. From notable reviews and news to the more mundane or ridiculous finds from across the internet, there's a lot to explore here. "This Day in Engadget History" will take you on a historical voyage as we look at what made the headlines in years past. Join us, won't you? Six years ago today, we stood on the precipice of an exciting gaming development. The Ouya console smashed through its $950,000 Kickstarter funding goal in under 12 hours. At the time, it was the biggest first day for a project in Kickstarter's history.
Local multiplayer mayhem comes to Xbox One with 'TowerFall Ascension'
Xbox One owners, it's time to invest in another controller because local-multiplayer mainstay TowerFall Ascension is finally coming to Xbox Live. From January 25th, Xbox One gamers will be able to get their hands on all the same content PS4 players have, with the game's Dark World expansion also arriving on Xbox the same day.
Outlook on the web can import GDrive files and Facebook photos
Microsoft is showing its Outlook.com users some love by adding both Facebook and Google Drive integration. If you use Outlook on iOS or Android, you probably already know that you can link it with your GDrive account. Now that the feature's finally available for the service's web version, you can open file attachments and even edit the document right within its interface. All you need to do is click on the attachment icon and type in your Google log-in. The process is pretty much the same if you want to email your Facebook photos.
The playable poetry of 'That Dragon, Cancer' lands in January
Joel Green loved pancakes. He was, and continues to be, the inspiration behind That Dragon, Cancer, a low-poly adventure game created by his father, Ryan Green, as Joel battled cancer over four years. Joel Green died in March 2014 at the age of 5.On January 12th, That Dragon, Cancer will land on PC and Mac via Steam, plus Ouya -- and Ryan Green wants everyone to have a pancake party in celebration. Breakfast-food fans and adventure-game lovers can pre-order That Dragon, Cancer and sign up to host a January 12th pancake party on the game's official site.
Razer says it's 'doubling-down' on Android and Forge TV
Razer's Android TV-powered Forge TV is no longer on sale through Google, but tonight the company tells Engadget it's not giving up. According to a Razer representative, it's "doubling-down on Android gaming in the living room and looking forward to producing the world's largest library of Android TV games." The company thinks Forge TV can be a "spiritual successor" to the Ouya platform it purchased earlier this year, and is ramping up production to address current demand. The note (included in full after the break) promises more information soon, so we wouldn't be surprised to see the gaming hardware maker bring something fresh to CES in January.
This knock-off console puts the PS4 and Xbox together at last
Have you ever had a dream where you were in a place, but it looked or felt like another place? As in, you were in San Francisco, but really it was your friend Paul's basement in Delaware? That's what I imagine playing this knock-off console from a Chinese Kickstarter-style crowdfunding site is like. The main console looks remarkably like a PlayStation 4, with a controller that has more than a hint of Xbox about it. Even its "Ouye" name is eerily familiar. This three-way console mash-up appears to be running Android (4.4.2), and the modest octa-core A80 processor is definitely more Sonic Dash than Destiny. The campaign page also claims the Ouye supports 4K, because buyers of this box deserve the best. We're not sure anyone's going to confuse this with a real-deal next gen console, but you have to admire the cheek. Despite all the obvious reasons not to, if you were inclined to buy one, you can snap one up for about $70/£45. Perfect for Paul's basement.
Indie developers out thousands of dollars in OUYA-Razer deal (updated)
Once upon a time, it looked like OUYA would be able to support itself as an independent gaming company focused on the Android-based, microconsole experience. In 2013, it even offered up $1 million to OUYA developers as part of an initiative called Free the Games Fund, which promised to match crowdfunded cash for certain OUYA projects. Dozens of developers got involved and were banking on OUYA's contributions to complete and ship their games, often tens of thousands of dollars per project. Now that Razer is officially purchasing OUYA, all of this cash is in question and the developers involved are not happy. "Razer/OUYA's insistence that these deals are gone is causing us to have to majorly restructure our plans leading up to release," one developer, who wishes to remain anonymous, tells Engadget.
OUYA CEO Julie Uhrman leaves the company she co-founded
Julie Uhrman, CEO of OUYA, has announced that she'll be leaving the Android gaming company that she co-founded. The executive took to Twitter to make the statement, spending the better part of an hour thanking employees, developers and backers. Her tweets also confirm the long-rumored purchase of the company by gaming PC specialist Razer that, until now, had only been hinted at by third parties. The firm was one of the biggest early hits on Kickstarter, but when the micro-console was released to backers in July 2013, received plenty of criticism. Critics and users both attacked the build quality of the controller, game library and UI, and attempts to remedy the issue proved unsuccessful. Razer still hasn't spoken about what it plans to do with the hardware, but its plans will now be run without the input of the console's guiding light.
Investment bank 'confirms' Razer quietly bought OUYA
One of the problems with keeping the news of a recent engagement a secret is that, sometimes, an investment banker runs off and tells your parents before you can. That's the sticky situation that has met Razer and Ouya, since their recent union has been revealed by the latter's advisors at Mesa Global. The news comes a week after the first rumors that corporate wedding bells were in the air, which was met with a non-denial from the high-end gaming company. There's no word on the specifics of the deal, but like an angry relative, we've sent Facebook messages to representatives of both companies in the hope of getting a picture of the ring. Still, if Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan had any big announcements ready for E3, they probably just got ruined. Bankers, eh?
Razer is in talks to buy OUYA, reports say (update)
The OUYA rollercoaster is preparing to make its final run, according to a report on CNET: Apparently, Razer is in talks to buy the company. Razer and OUYA are working on a deal and discussing how to fold OUYA's staff into Razer's, though nothing is finalized, the site says. OUYA, as you'll recall, raised $8.6 million on Kickstarter in 2012, pitching itself as an accessible, cheap, Android micro-console with a library of "free to try" games. When OUYA launched in July 2013, reviews critiqued its controller, game library and technical issues, and it simply never gained traction as a viable gaming system. In its first month, just 27 percent of OUYA owners had actually purchased a game and the console historically hasn't provided much revenue for developers.
OUYA confirms further moves into China with Alibaba deal
Is Chinese giant Alibaba investing $10 million into California-based game console maker OUYA? That report remains unconfirmed, but OUYA did confirm this morning that Alibaba is getting the OUYA game library on its YunOS platform. Sorry, the what platform? It's essentially a version of Android that was created by Alibaba, intended to compete with Android in China. So does that mean OUYA is heading to smartphones in China? Not quite.
Report: Ouya gets $10 million investment from Alibaba
Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba invested $10 million into microconsole maker Ouya last month, The Wall Street Journal reported. The two companies have seemingly agreed to bring Ouya's software and game library to Alibaba's set-top box. Ouya announced its Ouya console-less ambitions in March 2014, dubbed "Ouya Everywhere." The initiative allows Ouya to run its software on other devices, starting with Mad Catz's MOJO microconsole. Ouya raised $8.6 million on Kickstarter in 2012, first launching in July 2013. The system didn't generate much revenue for developers as just 27 percent of Ouya owners purchased a game in its first month. Ouya CEO Julie Uhrman would not confirm Alibaba's investment, but did tell Engadget that the company has "been working with partners to bring our platform and games library to their devices." She said that Ouya is "live with Madcatz in the US and working with Xiaomi in China. There are a number of others in the works, with our focus outside the US because there is where we see the most opportunity and growth. Sometimes new markets leapfrog the established ones -- this may be one of those cases." The Chinese government lifted its 14-year ban on foreign consoles and video games just over one year ago, issuing a new set of content restrictions for manufacturers this past April. Reports from December found that gaming revenues in the country grew 38 percent year-over-year. The other major console manufacturers are poised to enter the emerging market: While Sony delayed the launch of the PS4 in China earlier this month, Microsoft already reportedly sold over 100,000 Xbox One systems in its introductory week back in October. Nintendo revealed plans in May to approach emerging markets such as China with new hardware this year.
Daily Roundup: Apple outsells Samsung, Microsoft invests in Android and more!
Apple sold as many phones as Samsung did last quarter; Microsoft is investing in Android; and SkyMall might be saved. Head past the break to find all of today's top stories in the Daily Roundup.
B-OUYA! Guess who just got a $10 million investment from Alibaba?
Are we tired of making puns based around the silly name for the Kickstarter-funded, Android-powered, miniature game console, OUYA? No, friends. No we are not. Clearly. That aside, there's a whole nation of people who are just now hearing of OUYA for the first time: China. That's because Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba reportedly dropped $10 million into OUYA's coffers within the last month, according to The Wall Street Journal -- an investment in trade for bringing OUYA's platform to Alibaba's set-top box. That's quite an investment considering OUYA's poor-to-tepid response in the United States: "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," is what we wrote in our review from 2013. Much of those early edges were eventually smoothed, and OUYA branched out as a software platform known as "OUYA Everywhere." Xiaomi added OUYA everywhere to its set-top boxes last year, and now apparently Alibaba is looking to do something similar.
Tale of terminal illness That Dragon, Cancer funded
Joel Green, the 5-year-old boy who inspired the game That Dragon, Cancer may have passed, lost to the illness that plagued him, but his tale will be told on PC, Mac and Ouya thanks to the financial support of backers on Kickstarter. Developer and father Ryan Green and his team not only reached their goal of $85,000, but pushed beyond it in the campaign's final days, eventually closing this week with $104,491 raised. This means that every backer of That Dragon, Cancer on Kickstarter will receive a high-resolution, digital copy of the poster that hangs in the nursery of the Green family's young daughter, Zoe. The poster features Joel's fingerprints representing leaves on trees, and a text balloon that reads, "Thank you for giving me life." You can see the poster in full after the break. Joystiq's Jess Conditt recently interviewed Green about the game's progress and how it's changed since its initial vision, and a documentary called Thank You For Playing, due in 2015, will also help share the story of how Joel's short life made such a big impact.
Demo for GaymerX game Read Only Memories now available
A demo for Read Only Memories, a cyberpunk noir adventure game developed by MidBoss Games - a studio comprised of the same people who organized and ran the GaymerX conventions in 2012 and 2013 - is now available to download. According to a blog post from MidBoss, the demo contains a "final(ish)" version of the game's opening prologue and first chapter. Kickstarted in December of 2013, the game prominently features characters of varying sexual orientations and gender identities, and also allows the player to determine whether they would like to be addressed as "he," "she," "they," or none of the above. A final version of the game is due in summer 2015 for PC, Mac, Linux and Ouya. [Image: MidBoss Games]
Paradise Lost: First Contact to break free in mid-2015
Paradise Lost: First Contact won't escape from the metaphorical glass tube of development until "mid-2015," according to developer Asthree Works' update on Kickstarter. Planning a telekinetic alien lifeform's romp through a science facility is proving a little more complex than Asthree initially imagined. To be more specific, the team has reworked almost 80 percent of Paradise Lost's animations, added more detail to background environments, and spent a significant amount of time meshing gameplay mechanics together in a congruent, sensible manner. If you're a visual learner, comparing the initial map to its more recent counterpart explains a lot, though there are also extra, to-be-added dialog and scenes to consider. Asthree's update reads confidently regarding the delay however, explaining that it's "the correct choice in order to make a whole experience, the vision of PLFC that we had wanted it to be." The mid-2015 estimate is likely for the PC, Mac and Linux versions, as the stretch goal for a simultaneous Wii U launch wasn't reached during Paradise Lost's Kickstarter. An Ouya version is also due sometime after the initial launch. [Image: Asthree Works]
Neverending Nightmares is horrific, repulsive and true
Caution: Some of the following content contains graphic descriptions of violent thoughts that Gilgenbach has experienced in real life. Those sensitive to such information should read with caution, and contact their nearest mental health care facilities if needed. In the US, the national suicide prevention hotline is 1-800-273-8255. Neverending Nightmares is a "Trojan horse of sorts," independent developer Matt Gilgenbach told Joystiq at PAX Prime. At first glance, the game appears to be a stylized horror game full of genre tropes: creepy little girls, old dolls with dead eyes, haunting visions of gore and violence. However, the truth is that Neverending Nightmares is actually an intensely personal exploration of Gilgenbach's own thoughts, intended to communicate the awful feelings someone with depression might experience. It has the potential to be a tool for empathy as much as it might elicit late-night scares.
Report: Ouya talking to Google, Tencent about acquisition
Ouya is looking to be acquired, and it's in talks with Google, Amazon and a few Chinese companies, including Riot Games owner Tencent, Re/code reports. Re/code's sources say there aren't any offers on the table yet, but talks are proceeding. Ouya sees acquisition, rather than another funding round, as the better option, the report says. China opened itself up to the wider world of gaming when early this year it lifted a 14-year ban on foreign console sales. Microsoft plans to launch the Xbox One in China on September 23, and both Sony and Nintendo have announced plans to launch hardware in the country.