With all the hubbub about the rising android console wars, who here has overlooked PlayJam’s GameStick? To be honest, I progressively shared my opinions about the other consoles, but none has excited me as much as GameStick. I’ve recently today been checking all of it’s offerings. Between the charge dock, the no cables mobile hardware and it’s impressive looking UI. I’m smitten. I want this console so bad. Granted, I think the UI’s roaming cursor tick is annoying, but I’m hoping that leaves in the final product. I researched all into the hype of Ouya and I find that although it’s UI works, it looks ugly in comparison. GameStick also doesn’t advertise to be hack friendly, which may(in my hopes) prevent some layer of piracy. Although obviously you can plug the actual console in your CPU’s hdmi port, there hasn’t been any video demonstrating rom loading, etc. I’ve also noticed, like Ouya, GameStick provides an independent marketplace, meaning we have a fresh start at filling it’s categories first. Finally, I’d like to note that not only does GameStick provide Unity Dev Support, it also supports Online Multiplayer, Gamer Profile Creation, a Friends list, 4 player’s per console, a pin registry system and multiple usb ports. Possibly fighting sticks, mics, dance mats, etc. will come in the future.
Phew, now that I got all that out, who else is excited?
I’m a little excited. I kickstarted the OUYA, and not the GameStick. So I have an OUYA now. It’s a great little system.
For me, the advantage of a product like the GameStick is how small the footprint is. You are only going to get limited performance out of a device that small. But the trade-off in convenience cannot be casually dismissed. A game console that is basically an HDMI dongle is pretty nifty. Slap it into the HDMI port behind your TV and you’re done. No power adapter, no extra cords to worry about. A device like this would actually be really great for trade shows and conventions. It could also be useful for realizing my dream of a minimalist wall-mounted arcade.
I will likely order a GameStick when they become available.
Were you one of the kickstarters? Have they already begun shipping out the backer units? How do the general controls feel? (build quality, materials, analog stick response, buttons, etc…)
Due to NDA I’m not at liberty to discuss development hardware. No, I wasn’t one of the kickstarters. Simian Squared’s creative director popped up to their HQ and sorted a dev device out for us a while ago.
Personally, from my own point of view from also seeing it at public venues like etoo, I think it is great
Offtopic:
I have a general passion for new hardware but Unity’s input library sure needs a re-think because I’m running out of space a lot trying to support lots of platforms
Understandable, can’t be violating NDAs. It is good to hear some positive feedback on the GameStick. (even if it is very non-specific)
While the OUYA is pretty neat, they didn’t exactly knock it out of the park with their first effort. This leaves the door open for other potential Android consoles to compete. The OUYA’s controllers have come under criticism. (for good reason) If the GameStick manages to deliver in the controller department, it will give them a definite edge.
The UI will also be quite telling. I think OUYA has actually done a decent job with their UI, and that they just need to keep refining it. But it is far from perfect, and that’s another area where the GameStick could potentially step up and compete. Just a personal suggestion, but I would really like to have the option of booting to a specific game title. Having an auto-boot option for selected games is a software feature that I am interested in.
I enjoy the Ouya, and will be making a special version of TOB for it. I see nothing wrong with the device personally. None of these android devices are about performance. At these price points, performance is a ridiculous thing to ask for. They are about fun, strictly speaking I believe. It’s nice to have a new little console to do stuff with (particularly as a develper!)
I heartily agree with this sentiment. I don’t understand when some game consumers seem to insist on more power. You can’t squeeze more power into devices like these without license-subsidized hardware. And that defeats the point of having divergent devices like these. If they provide enough processing power for basic hardware acceleration and 1080p rendering, they’ve met quota. Developers should be shooting for 16-32 bit level graphics for these devices, not trying to emulate Unreal Engine 3.
Really looking forward to seeing how the GameStick does. And I’ll be getting one as soon as its available. I still haven’t set up my OUYA for active development yet. Need to take some time out to do that tonight.
Perhaps call me gullible,(I haven’t published a game yet.) but I wouldn’t mind making exclusive games to GameStick. It reminds me of Nes, as they’ve intended and I think Nintendo should have went this route ages ago.
That looks useful. Do you know if it can “listen” for an input, or how I’d go about doing that? As if I use it, I must not use the built-in input manager that shows up when a desktop game is launched, therefore I need cInput to listen when redefining within a game menu
Pushing for more detailed graphics results in diminishing returns. And it takes away a considerable degree of time and resources from more crucial elements of the title. There is a place for such detailed games, but it is generally with a sizable budget involved. While it’s in its infancy, the android console scene is less likely to get fully funded titles. Most of the graphically detailed games we see coming to it are going to be ports from other platforms.
If you want to go for normal mapped models all over the place on the OUYA, no one is going to stop you. But I imagine it’s going to be a good long while before you finish.
This is only an issue for people like me, others like Madfinger have plenty of money to make as detailed games as they want. Its not like they would not port Shadowgun, IMO it would have been quick and easy. It is a misconception that there are only low budget titles on Ouya and mobile in general, as seen from games like Shadowgun and Final Fantasy 3. Ouya is open to all kinds of games in the exact same way Android and IOS are.
It’s not just normal maps and so forth, Shadowgun is very tightly optimised and this means:
specific art path rules that take a lot longer than just AAA art path rules, due to shader shortcuts and limitations in order to render faster. This means stuff like baking several different things into one texture, or using tricky lookup textures. Or baking data into vertex colours. Certainly you would find that in an xbox 360 or PS3 title as well though, but not your average indie desktop title.
The hardware is capable of shadowgun at 30fps - sure. I mean ipad1 can do that. If something isn’t as good as an ipad1 then it’s probably a tad too old to bother with I think most devices can beat that old thing by now.
Again, shadowgun is intensely optimised. This means much longer than normal dev times, regardless if indie or pro. Optimisation takes resources.
I totally doubt this upgraded version of shadow gun runs on an I PAD 1. This is a version destined for tegra 3 devices : water reflection/ physic etc. Even the first version was designed for tegra 2 and I phone 4 / I PAD 2. But what has been said about heavy optimisation remains totally true. Even if now we have access to many of these optimized shaders for free.
You can’t equate a console designed to be run on a big screen with mobile gaming. Even the GameStick isn’t going to be a properly mobile system. (though far more convenient to carry around) Simply porting existing games over to systems like these will have limited results. It would be much better to port existing PC games over to these consoles than traditional mobile experiences.
I have no objection to these titles getting bigger budgets. But in its infancy it’s unlikely. And when you have a more open platform like this, I don’t see nearly as much appeal in following the same trail blazed on other platforms.
For me, Ouya and Gamestick are exciting platforms because I get to be a bit naughty and do something I might not risk on standard console/desktop titles. I know my players all have fixed hardware and fixed controls, so it’s really a case of being experimental, and it’s a good thing.
Is there money to be made? Lets just say it’s probably better to go in with not very high expectations as there’s nowhere near the same amount of customers. Do it for pleasure
