The Ouya (pronounced "OO-yə"), named OUYA, is a small gaming console that runs on the Android operating system. It was created by a company called Ouya Inc. in 2012. Julie Uhrman started the project and worked with designer Yves Béhar to create its look and with Muffi Ghadiali, who helped build the engineering team. The project was funded through Kickstarter, a website where people donate money for new ideas. The campaign raised $8.5 million, making it one of the most successful projects on the site.

In March 2013, the first units were sent to people who supported the Kickstarter campaign. The console was sold to the public in June 2013. It included a store for apps and games made specifically for the Ouya, most of which were simple games. The console supports apps for watching videos and streaming, such as Twitch and Kodi. It uses a version of the Android Jelly Bean system that was adjusted for the device. Users were allowed to change the system settings, and the hardware could be opened easily with a regular screwdriver for modifications or added parts.

Every Ouya system could be used as a tool for developers, meaning anyone who owned the console could also create games without paying extra fees. At first, all games needed to have a free-to-play feature, such as being completely free, offering a trial, or allowing purchases of upgrades or items. This rule was later removed.

Although the Kickstarter campaign was successful, the Ouya did not sell well. Few game developers used the platform, and efforts to encourage people to buy the console did not work. These problems caused financial issues for Ouya Inc., leading the company to stop its operations. In 2015, Razer Inc. bought the Ouya’s software and announced the console would no longer be sold. Razer continued to support the Ouya’s software until June 2019, when it closed the Ouya app store, services, and user accounts. This made it impossible to use many apps that required access to the store.

History

Ouya was announced on July 3, 2012, as a new home video game console. Julie Uhrman, the chief executive officer of Boxer8, Inc. (a company based in Santa Monica, California), led the project. On August 13, 2012, Boxer8 changed its name to Ouya, Inc. On July 10, 2012, Ouya began asking people how interested they were in the project. Boxer8 confirmed that it had a working prototype with software and a user interface. The console used an Nvidia Tegra 3 chip and had a price of $99, with $95 for the first 1,000 people who supported the Kickstarter campaign.

The Kickstarter campaign aimed to raise $950,000 in one month. Within 8 hours, the goal was exceeded, reaching more than $1 million. More funding was added as additional models became available at different price levels. According to Kickstarter, Ouya set a record for the most money raised on its platform in the first day of a campaign. In the first 24 hours, one person supported the project every 5.59 seconds. Ouya became the eighth project in Kickstarter history to raise over $1 million and was the fastest to do so. The campaign ended on August 9, 2012, with $8,596,475 raised, which was 904% of the original goal. At that time, this was the fifth-most successful campaign on Kickstarter.

Ouya units for Kickstarter supporters began shipping on March 28, 2013. The console was released to the public for $99 on June 25, 2013.

In July 2013, Ouya introduced the "Free the Games Fund" to help developers create games for its system. If a Kickstarter campaign raised at least $50,000, Ouya would match the amount raised, but only if the game was exclusive to Ouya for six months.

In October 2013, Uhrman said the company planned to release a new version of the Ouya console in 2014. This version would include an improved controller, double the storage space, and better Wi-Fi. On November 23, 2013, a limited edition white Ouya with double the storage and a new controller design was available for pre-order at $129.

By January 1, 2014, the limited edition white Ouya was no longer for sale and could not be found on the official store or from resellers. On January 31, 2014, a new black version of the Ouya with double storage and a new controller design was released.

In January 2015, Ouya received a $10 million investment from Alibaba, which considered using some of Ouya’s technology in its own set-top box.

In April 2015, it was reported that Ouya was trying to sell the company because it could not renegotiate its debt. On July 27, 2015, Razer Inc. announced it had acquired Ouya’s employees and content library, but not the hardware. Ouya hardware was discontinued, and users were encouraged to switch to Razer’s Forge microconsole. Ouya’s content library was added to the Forge ecosystem, and the Ouya brand would continue as a gaming publisher for Android TV and Android-based TV consoles. On the same day, Uhrman left her role as CEO of Ouya.

The technical team and developer relations staff from Ouya joined Razer’s software team, which created its own game platform called Forge TV. Forge TV was discontinued in 2016.

On May 21, 2019, Razer announced that online accounts and services for Ouya would stop working on June 25, 2019. Most apps would no longer function because they relied on user accounts. Razer suggested users might transfer purchases to other platforms like Google Play, if developers and publishers agreed.

Hardware

The Ouya is a small cube that is 75 millimeters (2.95 inches) in size. It connects to a TV using an HDMI cable. It comes with one wireless controller, but it can also work with multiple controllers. Games are available by downloading them from online stores or can be manually installed.

• The Ouya supports hardware video decoding through a test version of XBMC using libstagefright.

The Ouya controller is a standard gamepad with two analog sticks, a directional pad, four face buttons labeled O, U, Y, and A, and pairs of back bumpers and triggers. It also has a single-touch touchpad in the center. The controller includes magnetic faceplates that cover the two AA batteries, one on each side of the removable plates.

Other controllers, such as those from the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Wii U, can be used with the console, but only for games that are compatible with them.

Reception

The Ouya received positive attention when it raised $3.7 million on Kickstarter in the first two days. However, some people were unsure if the new company could deliver the product. On July 12, 2012, PC Magazine’s Sascha Segan wrote an article titled "Why Kickstarter's Ouya Looks Like a Scam," criticizing the Ouya and other hardware projects funded through Kickstarter. Unreality Magazine defended the Ouya, explaining that a scam involves illegal actions, and that seeking support from multiple investors is not illegal or a scam—it is a normal business practice.

Engadget reviewed the Ouya’s pre-release version in April 2013. They praised its low cost and ease of hacking but noted problems, such as controller buttons getting stuck and the right analog stick catching on the controller’s casing. They also reported a small delay between the controller and the console, calling the controller "usable, but not excellent."

The Verge shared similar concerns about the controller’s build quality. They appreciated the console’s openness and hacking features, calling it "a device with lots of potential and few true limitations," but they criticized the interface and game selection, stating the Ouya was "not a viable gaming platform, or a good console, or even a nice TV interface."

Tom’s Hardware described early media reviews of the Ouya as "mixed."

Engadget later reviewed the retail version of the Ouya and found improvements compared to the pre-release model. They noted significant upgrades to the gamepad and a cleaner, faster user interface. They concluded that their experience with the Android-based device left them "optimistic" and that the company was "taking customer feedback seriously."

Digital Trends called the final retail console "a device with a lot of potential built with love," describing its design as "a sleek and cool-looking cube filled with gamingy goodness." The review was mostly positive but noted that the console’s performance was "as powerful as many current smartphones" and that it would struggle to compete with major console makers. It suggested the Ouya would need to find a specific area of the market to succeed.

ExtremeTech found the Ouya had "serious faults," including a poor-quality controller, connectivity issues, and games that ran smoothly on smartphones but had problems on the console. They also pointed out that "there just aren’t enough worthwhile games to play."

Market analyst NPD Group reported that Ouya sales in its first month were "relatively light." Some outlets noted low game sales on the platform. In April 2014, developer Maddy Thorson said her game TowerFall, the Ouya’s most popular title at the time, sold only 7,000 copies for the console. Overall, the Ouya sold about 200,000 units.

Free the Games Fund

In July 2013, Ouya introduced the "Free the Games Fund," a program designed to support game developers. Ouya agreed to match any Kickstarter campaign that reached a minimum goal of $50,000, provided the game remained exclusive to Ouya for six months. Concerns arose about the first two games that met the $50,000 target. Observers noted that few backers contributed large amounts, many had never supported projects before, and some used duplicate names and avatars, including those of celebrities. This led some to believe the projects were artificially increasing their support numbers to receive more funding from Ouya. One project listed a backer whose identity matched a missing person’s case.

Ouya denied any wrongdoing and continued its funding plan. In September 2013, Kickstarter suspended funding for one of the games that met its goal, Elementary, My Dear Holmes. The developers of another funded game, Gridiron Thunder, threatened legal action against a commenter on the Kickstarter page and dismissed concerns about using NFL branding, a license held by Electronic Arts. That same month, another project, Dungeons the Eye of Draconus, caused controversy by claiming a relative of one developer had contributed extra money to qualify for the Free the Games Fund. Ouya removed the project from the fund, and the developers later took it off Kickstarter.

Many developers criticized the fund’s rules. Sophie Houlden removed her game, Rose and Time, from the Ouya marketplace in protest. Matt Gilgenbach, who was seeking funding for Neverending Nightmares, said, "If other projects abused the Free the Games Fund, people might lose trust in our project and what we are trying to do…While I believe in the fund’s idea, it needs changes to prevent misuse." A month later, Sophie and other developers discussed concerns with Ouya’s leader, Julie Uhrman, who acknowledged their feedback. Ouya revised the fund’s rules, including adding a limit on how much each backer could contribute. Rose and Time was later returned to the Ouya marketplace, and Neverending Nightmares qualified for funding under the new rules.

On September 18, 2013, Ouya updated the fund’s exclusivity rule. Developers could still not release their games on mobile devices, video game consoles, or set-top boxes during the six-month exclusivity period. However, they were now allowed to release their games on other personal computer systems, such as Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, during that time.