OnLive Comes To OUYA – So Much For “All Games Free To Play”

Watching the development of the OUYA kickstarter has been an interesting one. The idea of having an Android-based console with free-to-play games is exciting. However, despite all of the backing, I’ve felt like the console still has a long way to go. After all, they didn’t even want to show us the whole controller, or the device itself. Today, they’ve finally done that, and made a special announcement.

The controller looks to have the same general layout as the Xbox 360, though the overall shape looks a bit clunkier. They’re still working out the final product, including the marking for the four primary buttons (the colored circles are just placeholders, currently). The console is about what you would expect. A small box with just four ports: Power, ethernet, USB, and HDMI.

The big announcement, however, is that OnLive will be coming to the OUYA. This is big because it will allow large AAA titles to be played on this Android-based console. While part of me is excited, another part is disappointed.

Remember what the OUYA’s big promise was? It’s still listed on the original Kickstarter page. “All games free to play.” The Kickstarter hasn’t even ran its course, and they’ve already decided to throw that idea out the window. While you can play demos of most of the games on OnLive, OUYA didn’t promise “Most games free to play.” While I’m happy to know that AAA games can be played, I worry about the future of the console. If they can’t even make it three weeks without compromising their primary goals, what’s it going to look like by the time it actually reaches the market?

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Written by Chris Scott Barr

Born and raised in Indiana, Chris grew up on a healthy diet of video games and Magic: The Gathering. He worked a number of jobs in the IT field before deciding to pursue his passion by founding GamerFront in 2007. You can follow him on Twitter here.