Bitcoin has shed much of its value over the past few days, but that’s not stopping more and more vendors from accepting the digital, unregulated currency.
Ouya, the company that makes the Android-based microconsole of the same name, revealed that gamers can pay for downloads using Bitcoin starting today (as first spotted by Joystiq). This means the company, which only sells digital games through its Ouya Discover store, now accepts Visa, Master Card, American Express, Discovery, Paypal, and Bitcoin.
We accept Bitcoin. REJOICE! pic.twitter.com/DK6Zcbej3x
— OUYA (@playouya) December 5, 2013
Ouya isn’t the first gaming company to accept Bitcoin. Earlier this year, Humble Bundle, which sells bundles of games under a name-your-own price model, added Bitcoin to its payment options.
Bitcoin is a digital currency that only exists online. It’s draw is that users can spend it anonymously. This makes it popular for people wishing to purchase items (possibly even illegal items) without revealing their identity.
The currency has captured a lot more attention recently as more legitimate vendors begin accepting it. Today, you can use Bitcoin, which you can buy from exchanges like Mt Gox (which started as a marketplace for … yes, Magic: The Gathering cards), to buy a beer in Beijing or a Tesla Model S from a California dealership. This pushed the value of a single Bitcoin up to $1,200 in recent weeks, although it has lost 30 percent of that over the last few days as it appears the bubble is starting to burst.
Bitcoin is currently trading at an average price of $1,066.