GameStop CEO Paul Raines says his company is open to selling the Android-powered Ouya console, which recently managed to raise over $8 million on KickStarter.
Although Raines emphasized was not making an official announcement regarding any potential plans to carry the Android console, the CEO made it quite clear he had a positive impression about the open-source device.
”We will be a part of any console launch in the future,” Raines told Joystiq. “We think Ouya’s cool. We love the idea of open-source components. Everything we’ve read is great.”
Raines also notes that a number of developers have committed to coding games for the device, including Robotoki, Square Enix and Namco Bandai.
“[Yes], there will be games developed for that stuff,” he explained. “So you’re going to see more of these open source type products, and we will be right in the middle of all of it.”
The CEO’s above-mentioned comments will undoubtedly lend critical credibility to the console, which came under close scrutiny this week when an NPR journalist asked Ouya founder Julie Uhrman what would happen if the company wasn’t able to deliver a finished product to its backers.
“Technically, from the Kickstarter perspective, I actually don’t know the answer to that,” Uhrman replied. “But from a doing-the-right-thing perspective, we will treat our backers the best possible way.”
Clearly, concerns over the long-term viability of the Ouya console as a competitive product still linger. Indeed, it remains unclear if the choice of OS (Android) and (relative) lack of high-end specs will allow it to compete against high-end consoles like PS4 and Xbox 720.
Nevertheless, many in the video game industry believe Ouya will disrupt the console market on multiple levels. Hopefully, it can succeed as well.
