Ouya: The Launch of a New Video Game Paradigm

Abstract

Recently a new approach to console video gaming, Ouya, was released. This console is relatively inexpensive, and offers all of its games on a free to play basis. This paper compares the release of Ouya to the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and the Wii U as well as investigates how games on Ouya are utilizing unique control features, including a touchpad on the controller itself. We found that when comparing the first 12 weeks after launch of the systems, Ouya had a significantly higher number of games released when compared to the other three consoles, and the ratio of games being released since launch when compared to the launch day was significantly higher than the other three consoles. We also found that only 12.5% of Ouya games made use of the touch pad.