Apparently, the new console, "Ouya" is launching in 2013 as a competitor. It is completely open and allows developers to do whatever they want on their console. And it even encourages hacking. All games must be free, as in a demo with an optional purchase option for the full version or using the free to play model. I'm not sure if this will be a success, but it definitely is an alarm that "Free to play" is a definite direction that the gaming industry is moving towards considering at the time of this writing it is getting $1000 donated to it on kickstarter PER SECOND. I'm not personally a fan of the idea but it does seem to be a significant movement in the industry. What do you think? Also, check out its kickstarter page and the video on it:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...o-game-console

Console specs: (not really "next-gen")

Specifications:

Tegra3 quad-core processor
1GB RAM
8GB of internal flash storage
HDMI connection to the TV, with support for up to 1080p HD
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth LE 4.0
USB 2.0 (one)
Wireless controller with standard controls (two analog sticks, d-pad, eight action buttons, a system button), a touchpad
Android 4.0

 

Meh, when I hear "free to play" I just think of how the iOS market and Android marketplace ended up. Not many games are actually free to play, but more "we'll trick you into thinking it's free to play but waste your time/harass you."

Regardless I like what the intend with it, but people will **** it up and more importantly I doubt anything will come of it anyways.  

Posted by Dusty

Meh, when I hear "free to play" I just think of how the iOS market and Android marketplace ended up. Not many games are actually free to play, but more "we'll trick you into thinking it's free to play but waste your time/harass you."

Regardless I like what the intend with it, but people will **** it up and more importantly I doubt anything will come of it anyways.

Agreed, I hate how free to play ended up on the app store. In app purchases basically ruined Gameloft's games.

They used to make quality games with a one time purchase. Now they make games with an initial fee of like $7, then charge for every small thing basically forcing you to buy it. If they do make a free game, it basically requires you spend money to play. Look at Dungeon hunter 3.

Look at Order and Chaos Online. $7 initial fee, $1 a month, and still incredibly pay to win as you can buy epic weapons with real money.  

I cringed every time she said "on the television". Look's pretty cool. They are going to need a hell of a lot more than 1million bucks to generate enough steam and publicity for this console to thrive in a market where there one hope is the public itself, specifically the indie developers.  

Posted by Skill

Look at Order and Chaos Online. $7 initial fee, $1 a month, and still incredibly pay to win as you can buy epic weapons with real money.

It doesn't have to be free to play, they just need to release a demo. But really, it all depends on how its handled on release.... I will only buy one if its reputation goes up post launch.  

Posted by Pimpsy G.

It doesn't have to be free to play, they just need to release a demo. But really, it all depends on how its handled on release.... I will only buy one if its reputation goes up post launch.

Even demos end up trying to trick the consumer. All the time I see on the markets "Free!" or "<game name> LITE!" only to find out it's not a free game, but actually a demo. But instead of calling it a demo they'd rather trick people into downloading the game thinking they'll get more out of it then a demo. Even large publishers are doing that. I downloaded the Sonic 4 Lite on the iOS, because Lite was intended to be a free version of a game(you know, with ads or some other way to make it available) but instead it was only a single level... but of course it's a full-game download because they want you to pay for the rest of the levels. In the end though the game was nothing but a demo, but they don't want to be upfront about that sort of thing. It's all deceptive.  

There's no such thing as free.
free to play and open source makes it sounds like cheap crap to me.
edit: just saw that its Android based too? even crappier  

Posted by Rexx

There's no such thing as free.
free to play and open source makes it sounds like cheap crap to me.
edit: just saw that its Android based too? even crappier

lol.  

I see free to play as ad loaded garbage where you listen to ads more than playing the game, as well as incomplete unless you donate or something.  

step 1. configured wireless controller for pc
step 2. connect pc to tv
step 3.
 

Posted by Dusty

Meh, when I hear "free to play" I just think of how the iOS market and Android marketplace ended up. Not many games are actually free to play, but more "we'll trick you into thinking it's free to play but waste your time/harass you."

Regardless I like what the intend with it, but people will **** it up and more importantly I doubt anything will come of it anyways.

Guess who?  

Fastest kickstarter project in history to break $1,000,000. Whether its good or not its taking off. :/  

Posted by Seeker99

step 1. configured wireless controller for pc
step 2. connect pc to tv
step 3.

 

Posted by Pimpsy G.

Fastest kickstarter project in history to break $1,000,000. Whether its good or not its taking off. :/

$1 million doesn't sound like very much when you're talking about mass-production hardware and distribution...  

this reminds me of: http://openpandora.org/
which I remember being hyped as some big deal and flopped because of production costs.