Bam! OUYA , the wildly successful $99 indie gaming console , has just finished its month-long Kickstarter journey with a jaw-dropping $8,580,359 raised. Starting out with only a video, a couple of CAD mockups and the promise of Yves Behar’s design talents, the masses (some 61,000 backers) fell in love with the idea: “cracking open the last closed platform: the TV.”
As a recap, the project didn’t just win everyone over at once. It first broke the $2M barrier nearly four weeks ago , and since then, numerous announcements and sneak peeks have been made available, and undoubtedly drove up its numbers.
So far, OUYA has partnered with open source media player XBMC , iHeartRadio , VEVO , cloud gaming company OnLive , NAMCO BANDAI Games and lastly, Plex . With that came the following teasers:
OUYA’s growth as a concept also feels surprisingly democratic. Partnerships were largely dictated by backer demand, and even the adjustment of the buttons to spell O-U-Y-A came from fans.
What do you think of OUYA’s success? Is there a roof on this thing we call Kickstarter?
➤ OUYA
This controller turns your iOS device into a true gaming machine
There are quite a few games for iOS that make your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad feel like a pretty hip version of a Game Boy. You don’t play them for hours on end, but they’re good for wasting time now and again. Having said that, calling an iOS device a “gaming console” still feels like a reach. Gaming consoles like XBox and PS3 give you more a lean back experience, meaning you’re probably plopped down on the couch playing them and not touching a screen.
A company called 60Beat aims to change that with the release of its new iOS accessory, the GamePad .
There’s no doubt that gaming consoles are a massive market, with 1.7 million of Microsoft’s Xbox flying off of the shelves last November. I’m actually quite surprised that Apple hasn’t come out with its own controller, but that could very well be something it’s working on for 2012, along with new iPads .
The 60Beat GamePad plugs into the headphone jack of your device, and can only be played with compatible games. Unfortunately, 60Beat only lists two games that are compatible with its GamePad, Aftermath and Bugdom 2 . While that might scare you away from its $50 price tag, the company does promise more of a selection by February.
Check out this demo of the GamePad:
As it goes for any device, the library of games compatible with the add-on will make it or break it. If you’re wondering how you’ll be able to hear the sound from the games with the GamePad plugged in, it comes with an audio splitter that will require headphones or an external speaker.
While the GamePad does negate the coolness factor of the touchscreen features on iOS devices, the fact that you can put your slim iPad in a stand on a table and sit back for video game playing is a neat look towards Apple’s future. You can’t put your Xbox in a backpack and easily set it up on the go, can you?
➤ 60Beat GamePad
Wacom’s new Bamboo Stylus Duo is a pen and touch-screen stylus all rolled into one
Wacom is a name synonymous with digital input solutions, manufacturing some of the most popular pen tablets, displays and styli.
Today, the company has unveiled the Bamboo Stylus Duo, the successor to its popular Bamboo Stylus Solo smartphone and tablet accessory, providing tablet owners with a way to not only sketch and take notes on their mobile device but also allow them to transfer their thoughts on to paper.
Wacom has outfitted the Bamboo Stylus Duo with a capacitive pen tip for on-screen input on one end, and a premium ball-point ink pen on the other. If you weren’t already marvelling at Wacom’s technical expertise, the company has manufactured the stylus in a way that the pen cap can be attached to either end of the accessory, protecting the end that is not in use.
Launching alongside the Bamboo Stylus Duo will be Bamboo Paper for Android, an app that brings its digital notebook capabilities to Google-powered smartphones and tablets. The company has enjoyed over 2.5 million downloads on the iPad and will soon provide note-taking, doodle and sketching features for the ever-growing Android platform.
If you’re a sucker for dual-purpose stylus products, you won’t have to wait long for the Wacom Bamboo Stylus Duo to hit the market. the company says that the accessory will be available from May 2012, priced at £34.90 .
Both Bamboo Paper for iPad and Android will be free to download via the App Store and Google Play. That isn’t to say you can’t use it with popular app Paper on the iPad or third-party apps (including Draw Something) on either marketplace.