The Razer Forge TV is an Android TV box designed to bring Android games to your big screen display. It’s one of a few different devices in this category to launch in 2015, and it’s been met with largely poor reviews.
Razer is hoping to turn things around with a major software update: this summer the company acquired the assets of Android gaming platform company Ouya. Now Razer has launched a new software experience for the Forge TV that incorporates the ouya game store and user interface.
Razer’s Cortex is basically a re-branded version of the Ouya app and game store. But that could be a good thing.
Both the Ouya platform and Android TV in general are designed to make it easy to find Android games that work with a game controller and which don’t require a touchscreen. But there are some games that were made available for the Ouya platform that haven’t been submitted to the Android TV version of the Google Play Store.
The Ouya/Cortex software also lets you sort games by new release, new updates, trending titles, or other criteria.
Cortex is available as a free update for the Razer Forge TV. Whether the new software is enough to make anyone rush out and spend $100 or more on Razer’s Android game console remains to be seen. But it could make Forge TV consoles that are collecting dust in people’s living rooms slightly more usable.
Update: Ouya console owners are reportedly receiving emails from Razer offering a $50 discount when they buy a Razer Forge TV, plus $10 to spend on content from the Cortex store.
via Tom’s Hardware and HardcoreGamer