How exciting is the OUYA for development?

One OUYA to rule them all!

OUYA Developer's Edition

If you are like most gamers, you probably get excited about the release and announcements of a new video game console. Yes, I feel you. The OUYA is out in the hands of developers all over the world and you are ready to play and try all the games! But how does it feels for developers to receive a brand new - not yet released product?

The developer's side

I have been developing for iPhone for over 2 years as the main lead programmer of Tokkao and I can tell you that the feeling of working for a proven device is not remotely the same. We started development for the iPhone when it was already well established in the market. We knew the product, and we created games for the device.

Do you remember all the fuss about the OUYA during the summer of 2012? As developers we also grew excited about the OUYA during its Kickstarter days and we backed the product. Now, we have a transparent OUYA device set in our desks ready to be filled with our hopes and dreams (So to speak). However, the real excitement comes from a simple fact. This little console has not been released yet. Imagine getting your hands on something that has not been released to the public! You can't help it but feel somehow special.

Developing for OUYA

Once you have established a good Android workflow, the OUYA process is mostly straight forward. Android? you say, Weren't you guys developing for iPhone? Well yes, that is true, but we have been using the Unity Game Engine to develop our games, and the transfer was just as easy. Just follow some simple steps, watch a couple of tutorials, and we were ready to deploy our games to the OUYA.

Purpose of this blog

As we proceed with the development of our games, I will be posting our progress on this blog. The current plan is to redesign our most successful game, Paper Wings, to be suitable for console gaming. This means, we have to move away from the touch screen into a more traditional way of gaming, the controller. 

As a gamer, I can't overstate how excited I am about this new little device. As an independent developer, my excitement grows to epic proportions. This is definitely a great opportunity for, small development teams to bring, for the first time, a game to the television set.