The Android-based Ouya game console keeps getting more interesting.
XMBC, a leading open-source platform for Internet-enabled media playback, will be available for the device.
XMBC, which stands for “Xbox Media Center” since it was originally designed for exclusive use with the original Xbox, affirmed widespread Android support earlier this month. It specifically pointed out set-top devices as being able to take advantage of its functionality.
And the Ouya – which boasts a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage – is of course a set-top box.
Since making a small splash on online enthusiast sites, it has gained viral attention. Its addition to Kickstarter to earn development funds from people wanting to get in on the ground floor has been incredibly successful.
There are tens of thousands of investors in the Ouya project on Kickstarter.
Most investors have plunked down at least $99, at which point the company says it will provide a console and a controller.
Streaming video game devices appear to be the big thing these days. Onlive is as popular as ever, and is poised to get a large boost when it fully integrates with Google TV.
And Sony just acquired Gaikai, the other key player in the “Netflix for video games” market.
Of course, Android isn’t exactly the biggest name in the world of gaming, so this project is very interesting in many respects. We’ll see if it can pull of what it’s trying to achieve.
