Ouya, Kickstarter, and Backpedaling

So the Kickstarter for Ouya started today.  They were asking for a fairly large sum as far as kickstarters go, just short of $1,000,000 to produce their Android based open source console.  Here are the specs directly from the kickstarter page:

Tegra3 quad-core processor
1GB RAM
8GB of internal flash storage
HDMI connection to the TV, with support for up to 1080p HD
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth LE 4.0
USB 2.0 (one)
Wireless controller with standard controls (two analog sticks, d-pad, eight action buttons, a system button), a touchpad
Android 4.0

That controller does look kind of sexy.

I managed to snag one of the $95 console spots on the kickstarter as they were running out. Only 1000 were available at that price.  I'm not sure that I actually want this thing, in fact I'm pretty sure I'll be cancelling my pledge before the kickstarter is over, and there are a few reasons why.  

Android is not a platform with a strong history of awesome games.  Anyone who says otherwise is fooling themselves.  Android and iOS have eaten up a significant chunk of the handheld market, with a focus on less demanding, inexpensive games that are more suitable to gaming on the go then something like Dragon Quest, but I don't know that it has much to offer console gamers at home.  This is an assertion based on an assumption that we're going to get a lot of janky mobile games on this platfrom, which I think is a safe bet.

"Wait!" You're saying, "but every Ouya is going to be an SDK so that will mean more people making more games so inevitably some of them will be good!"  Sure, that's kind of true in principle, and one of the basic premises of Rise of the Videogame Zinesters, but more games does not necessarily translate into more good games.  In fact, looking at the current mobile app marketplace you'll see a few glistening gems bob up and down in a sea of complete shit, so regardless of how open this platform is it's still going to require some amount of curation to make sure that we can have access to quality software without having to sift through a huge pile of garbage. This kind of curation is completely antithetical to the open market that the Ouya proposes though, and it leaves me wondering how this is in any way, shape, or form better than the highest existing standard for game distribution: STEAM. 

I can sort of see where this thing has a place, but it's not for me. I have access to basically every platform already, so a $95 console that might give me access to some good games is not really appealing, since I already have access to a smorgasbord of quality games across PC and console.  Also, those games might already be coming to those other platforms, so why should I care?  The Ouya does circumvent a lot of the bullshit inherent in publishing a game on a home console but my PC is already a home console that smashes a ton of those limitations.  Tons of games have gamepad support and I've already got HDMI out to my TV so what is the big deal?  Hell, I'm typing this post on my couch with a wireless keyboard, watching the text scroll along on my TV.  

This is what I want. It's a sickness. I don't want the cure. 

Maybe for the casual market (I don't mean that in a bad way) this will be a big thing, I mean, they've raised like $2,000,000 in the first day already (woohoo for Kickstarter hype i guess), so this thing is going to happen no matter what.  It's a good value, there's no denying that, but I'm guessing that a large portion of the core demographic are people like me that are totally willing to drop twice as much on a terrible platform like the 3DS just so we can then go and pay another $40 for Final Fantasy Theatrythm, which brings me to the most important consideration of all for the Ouya.  Show me the software. Every game in that Tegra youtube video looks like complete garbage.  Seriously, when you open your video with Sonic 4 you know you've got a real fucking problem.  Show me the software that will make this thing worthwhile, and convince me that the Ouya is the optimal platform to play it on.  Right now this thing is riding high on the candyland kickstarter warm fuzzy feeling train but that shit won't make good games.

**update**

The unnoficial day 1 number for Ouya from kicktraq was $1,929,312.  They sent out the following survey to backers so that we could request games we would want to see on the platform.  According to the survey, what I really want is to hook up my SNES.

C'mon Lucas Arts do something with the Metal Warriors franchise.