Ouya to lack online chat, friends lists, achievement system at launch

As we get closer to the launch of the Ouya, some new information on the $99 console has been revealed. According to The Verge, the console will support online multiplayer right out of the box but will be lacking some online features that one would expect to be present in the console.

The console will be lacking an achievement system, online chats and friends lists when it launches. These are considered the bread-and-butter of any half-decent online service these days, and the lack of these features may impact the Ouya in a negative way.

About the multiplayer, an Ouya representative stated, "developers just need to build in the functionality."

The lack of online features could pose a problem for the console's popularity

Just recently, Ouya had started accepting game and app submissions for its online store. If you submit your game or app soon, it may very well show up on the Ouya store on March 28 when the console starts shipping to Kickstarter backers. If you submit the game before the March 28 deadline and your submission ends up among the store's top three games after the first six weeks, the company will promote your game.

The submission process works more or less like that of any other app store. To get your game approved, it will have to go through a light approval process. The approval process seems to be a solid mean between that of Google Play and Apple’s iTunes store. Once the game is up on the store, you’re free to update it whenever you want without any cost.

While the approval process is light, some things are off limits in games. This includes hate speech, encouragement of real-world violence, overdoing nudity and obscene references, misrepresentation of the game, IP infringement and malware. You can grab the Ouya SDK from the official website. It includes the kit to help you develop your game, as well as the API for in-app purchases.

Backers who donated $95 (about Rs 5,215) or above—more than 50,000 people—will be getting the Ouya much before it hits stores in June. Ouya's Kickstarter campaign had raised more than $8.5 million by the time it ended.

Ouya has stated that the production and assembly process has begun and Kickstarter backers can expect an email with their console’s tracking number and estimated delivery date.

A few games for Ouya will be out by the time it is shipped. Kim Swift, who was involved in the development of games like Portal and Left 4 Dead, and Airtight games are together developing a new, exclusive title for Ouya. Tripwire Interactive is porting The Ball to Ouya and is also working on an exclusive title.

Ouya will be powered by an Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core CPU and will run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. It will have 1GB of RAM and 8GB of flash memory for storage. Connectivity options include an Ethernet port, an HDMI port for connecting the console to TVs, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0.