Any experienced gamer can tell you that bad controls or a poorly designed controller destroys the overall experience.
You can have the best graphics and game play in the world, but if the controls are crap people just don’t want to play. So it comes as little surprise that the folks at Ouya continue to refine and perfect the design of its gaming controller based on developer feedback.
As you may recall, Ouya shipped its Android-powered developer consoles late last year with what amounted to beta hardware – which is subject to change before the consoles actually hit the market for mainstream customers. As noted above, Ouya is currently refining the controller based on advice and feedback from devs who tested the first beta consoles.
One notable change is swapping the original D-pad from a basic disc to a new cross style similar to other game consoles on the market today. Developers using the console also noted that the thumb stick caps needed more grip, so a rubberized top has been added.
In addition, Ouya has tweaked the touchpad to make it more responsive, while the triggers are now a tad more flush with the body of the controller. Plus, the battery is now more secure for a tighter fit, as the pull-tab to remove the battery has replaced with higher quality material.
And last, but certainly not least, Ouya confirmed its lead engineer is using an oscilloscope to help tweak the controller buttons and optimize response time.
As previously discussed on TG Daily, the Ouya console runs Android Jelly Bean (4.1-4.2) and is powered by an Nvidia Tegra 3 chip. Additional specs include 8 GB internal flash memory, 1 GB RAM, HDMI (1080p), Nvidia ULP GeForce GPU, USB 2, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth LE 4.0, Ethernet port and a wireless controller.
It should be noted that the project managed to raise an impressive $8,596,474 on Kickstarter, with the full support of 63,416 backers.
