$99 Ouya game console delayed until late ne

BY GreenBot Staff

Published 9 May 2013

If you weren’t one of the early backers of Ouya’s $100 Android game console, you’ll have to wait a little bit longer to get one.

Ouya has delayed the retail launch of the console from ne 4 to ne 25. CEO lie Uhrman told ystiq that Ouya was pushing the launch date back to meet high anticipated dem at retail. The three-week delay, she said, would allow the company to “create more units , basically, have more units on store shelves in ne.”

Best Buy, Target, GameStop Amazon are all planning to sell Ouya next month. The console is already available for pre-order on Ouya’s bsite, Kickstarter backers began receiving their units in late h.

The Ouya controller is getting a slight redesign.

The company is also making a small tweak to the Ouya game controller, ystiq reports, addressing complaints that the buttons could get stuck underneath the controller’s faceplate. Controllers are now shipping with larger button holes to Kickstarter backers. (Backers who’s already received their Ouyas will have to contact customer service to resolve the issue.)

Ouya made a splash last year when it raised over $8.5 million from backers on Kickstarter. The company promises a library of Android-based games, all with some type of free-to-play element, along with the ability to sideload other apps. Unlike traditional consoles, Ouya doesn’t require game makers to buy expensive development kits, anyone could theoretically create software for the device.

Early reviews of Ouya’s Kickstarter edition have been mixed, however, withEngadget The Verge bemoaning the unpolished software lack of quality games. Ouya has said the current software is in a “preview period,” that the company is fine-tuning the experience before the retail launch.

Other upcoming products, such as Nvidia’s oject Shield GameStick, are also trying to cash in on Android gaming, but the former hasn’t announced a firm launch date for its hheld console, the latter recently delayed its launch for Kickstarter backers to early ne. The Android gaming invasion, it seems, isn’t quite ready yet.