OUYA Release Date Set for April: Pre-Orders Now Available

By Vincent Funaro, Christian Post Reporter Monday, October 22, 2012

The OUYA release date is set for April of 2013 and the world's first ever Android-powered gaming system is now available for pre-order.

The pre-order price for the system with one controller is $99. With two controllers it is $129, and with four it is $189.

Pre-orders can be processed through OUYA's website at ouya.tv.

The system is shaped like a glass cube and it runs Android OS, allowing Android customers to stream their purchased games directly to their televisions.

The console was created by video game industry veteran Julie Uhrman in 2012. She saw an opportunity to open up the last closed gaming platform for Android users and seized it by working on the concept of OUYA.

Along with her team of game developers, Uhrman was able to bring this concept to life and OUYA quickly became one of the most successful Kickstarter projects of all time.

The OUYA plugs directly into a TV and is open to any developer who wishes to publish a game for the console. The device is powerful enough to play games in high-definition as it runs a Tegra3 chipset.

Other Android apps can also be supported on OUYA, including the TwitchTV, which provides live-streaming for games.

OUYA has also been built for rooting as this will not void the console's warranty.

Specifications on the gaming system include a Tegra3 quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB on board flash, HDMI output, and Ethernet.

The controller for the system is wireless and features a similar design to Sony's PlayStation controllers.

It currently runs the Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich build of Google's software and features a custom UI designed specifically for TVs.

OUYA will have its own integrated custom game store where customers can find and download games and other applications.