OUYA – the new open-source gaming platform from Yves Behar

OUYA runs on the Google Android operating system and has been developed for use with the TV. It will retail at $99 (£65), and Behar says, ‘The product has been designed to be simple and bold, using high quality materials and ergonomics, all the while remaining affordable’.

OUYA founder Julie Uhrman says the project aims to take the focus of game development away from mobile and web platforms, and make it easier to develop games for the TV.

OUYA was financed through crowdfunding website Kickstarter, where it raised more than $8 million (£5.3 million).

Fuseproject worked on all aspects of the project, from the product design to the interface to the identity and title OUYA, which shares its name with the four buttons on the controller.

The consultancy says it aimed to develop a ‘radically’ small console, which could be used discreetly in the home. To achieve this, it laid out the console’s internal components to create a natural airflow and remove the need for a fan.

The controller was developed following more than 50 structural prototypes, and aims to provide ‘the highest level of comfort and ease of use’. It features ‘tactile’ aluminium handle areas and surface indentation on analogue sticks.

The user interface features horizontal parallax scrolling, which Fuseproject says is ‘in homage to classic games like Sonic and Super Mario’.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omFNaeQoD7E

Fuseproject adds, ‘This type of navigation is not traditionally used in gaming experiences, but its roots in gaming history make it familiar. It immediately feels like a return to something great, to the essence of gaming that has been diluted over time.’

The consultancy says it has aimed to use ‘prominent typography’ to serve as a ‘visual compass’ for gamers.

Fuseproject says, ‘Both the interface and hardware are truly open, available to be hacked, changed and built upon in a real way. It is truly “gaming for the people”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omFNaeQoD7E