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The microconsole battle royale: GameStick vs. Ouya (gallery)
We spent some time playing with both Android-powered microconsoles at the 2013 Game Developers Conference. Here's how they stack up.
The Ouya and the GameStick are like the Deep Impact and Armageddon of Android-based microconsoles. They’re so similar that it might be hard to parse the differences between the two, let alone in an increasingly crowded alternative console market that relies on digital downloads (as opposed to buying games on a disc).
Ouya releases June 4 for $99 and GameStick ships in late April or early May for $79. Both were present at the annual Game Developers Conference last week in San Francisco, where we spent a little time with the miniature devices and their games. But we all know that consoles are more than just their specifications, so here’s what you can expect when you plug in the Ouya and GameStick to your television.
Hover over the gallery below to see the comparison:
While the square-shaped GameStick controller doesn’t look comfortable with its wide, angular edges, it feels light and sturdy. The two shoulder buttons (one on each side) have a satisfying click to them: They’re not as squishy as the PlayStation 3’s DualShock 3, but they’re also not as firm as the Xbox 360 triggers.
The Ouya controller is similar to the Xbox 360 controller right down to its offset analog sticks and custom lettering on the face buttons. But it doesn’t feel like a cheap knock-off: It’s got some nice heft to it. The shoulder buttons (two on each side) are huge and feel soft in comparison to the GameStick’s. And the middle of the controller sports a nifty touch pad, but we didn’t play any games that used it.
The GameStick user interface is fairly straightforward: You’ll find your software library (as well as the store) under the Games tab on the left; Media is for non-gaming apps like the media center services of XBMC; the third category lets you manage your profile and add credits to your account for game purchases; and the fourth is the GameStick’s settings.
The first thing you’ll notice when powering up the Ouya is its super clean presentation. Play is for games you’ve already downloaded. Discover is where you can browse through the Ouya store for new games under different genres and categories. In Make, developers can upload new versions of their games; for players, Make is the place where non-gaming applications reside, such as Flixster and Twitch. And Manage lets you change your console’s various settings.
GameStick has more of a traditional system (similar to the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360) for displaying information about its games. Screenshots, videos, pricing, and social media connectivity (with Facebook and Twitter) are all accessible via the title’s page.
All of the games on Ouya are free to try. But this definition changes from one game to the next. It could mean you’re just playing a demo, or maybe the whole thing is completely free with microtransactions built in. GamesBeat lead writer Dean Takahashi and I saw a few games in action, including a visually improved version of the popular Android/iOS endless runner Canabalt, the ’80s-themed Saturday Morning RPG, and a physics-puzzler called Puddle.
Stalagflight is a good example of some of the overlap in games that both Android-based consoles will have: We played it on the GameStick, but it was also on the Ouya’s game selection screen. It’s a challenging platformer created in just a few days during Nordic Game Jam 2013.
