Ouya is adding a new model to its line of Android-powered game consoles. For $129 you can now pick up a matte black model with 16GB of storage. That’s twice the storage you get with the standard $99 model.

Unfortunately the matte black finish and extra storage are about all that’s new. There’s no word on when we’ll see models featuring new processors or other updates.

Ouya black

When Ouya introduced its miniature game console the NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor was one of the fastest ARM-based chips on the market. A lot’s changed since then, and you can find plenty of phones and tablets with faster chips including the Tegra 4, Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 (or later), or Samsung Exynos 5.

That doesn’t mean the Tegra 3 is slow… it’s probably good enough to handle most modern Android games with ease. But it’s looking increasingly dated.

With new generations of ARM chips coming out every 6-12 months, and with phones and tablets representing a much bigger market for Android game developers than Ouya consoles, it’s not clear whether a microconsole like the Ouya will be able to last for years and years between chip upgrades the way classic consoles like PlayStation and Xbox systems can.

On the other hand, the Tegra 3-powered Ouya isn’t exactly obsolete… and at $99 to $129, it’s still one of the cheapest game consoles around. So I guess it’s nice to see the company offering a new option for folks who felt the 8GB of built-in storage was a bit too cramped.

The new Ouya features 1GB of RAM, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI output, a USB 2.0 port, and a micro USB port. It runs a custom version of Android designed with a user interface for TV screens and quick access to the Ouya game store.

via TechCrunch and Kotaku

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8 replies on “Ouya game console now available with 16GB for $129 (No new CPU in sight)”

  1. It’s very rare that I get buyers remorse but I definitely regret buying a Ouya. The variable and often high controller lag along with missed events (e.g. push left/right/up/down or a button briefly and sometime it acts as though you are holding them down) completely ruins the gaming experience. Even when the controller works the Ouya is stuttery at 1080p in virtually every game, i.e. they badly need a higher performance SoC than the Tegra 3.

  2. If this is what they meant by yearly hardware updates I am seriously disappointed.

    1. No, its just another special edition, they had already released a white special edition previously. The Ouya 2 probably wont be out until years end

      1. Ouya will be history if they do that and I can’t say this saddens me. They simply can’t afford to wait until years end to release their next console.

        1. I agree. This is too little almost too late. They need to be releasing a faster CPU AND more memory for around that price point. I just got an OUYA last month. Almost sent it right back because I HAD to enter my credit card info to even get onto the desktop. AND because the ecosystem is very locked down. NO Play Store???! What? But Plex on this thing is flawless. XBMC is very good. But yeah, it needs a ton more memory and a CPU upgrade for that price with all the competition hitting in the next 90 days. They’re just not competing. And that will spell the end for them by the end of the year if they don’t step up with more for the price. I expect an Octa core model with 8GB memory by years end for $159 or I’m buying competing products. And open up the dang ecosystem guys. Jeesh…

          1. Actually, I should have said by summer, not years end. By year’s end it’ll all be over for them.

  3. It looks like they are trying to play Nintendo’s game except for the fact that this console doesn’t have the same kind of momentum.
    I’d love a set of black covers for my Ouya controllers, but 16gb isn’t that compelling now that a system update has brought USB hard drive compatability to the table.
    My Ouya is primarily an emulation and media machine (which it does both nicely)
    I’m not sure who will be compelled by this offer to be honest.

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