Razer Acquires Ouya

Published: July 27, 2015 1:41 PM /

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razer buys ouya

One of the heavy hitters in the gaming peripheral market purchases Android based micro-console, the OUYA.

A once promising Kickstarter campaign which raised millions in funding found itself to not be as successful on the crowded market. After enduring years of public ridicule, OUYA is being acquired by a well known maker of gaming peripherals, Razer. Will Razer be able to revive the hype the OUYA once had during its initial crowdfunding? Only time will tell.

Brief history on the OUYA micro-console system: In a gaming scene dominated by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony on the console front -- the OUYA micro-console was created to bridge the gap between consoles in your living room and the mobile device in your pocket. Coming in at an attractive price point of $99, the OUYA was much cheaper than the competition.

Unfortunately for OUYA, it lacked key features gamers are looking for -- mainly games. With a good portion of the library being available on other systems and lack of strong original titles, if a potential customer already had a decent Android or iOS devices, there wasn't much incentive to drop a hundred dollars on an OUYA. Another complaint from gamers was not being too fond of the included controller, mainly build quality. Being a not very powerful Android device in a sea of many didn't do the OUYA any favors, either.

That was then, this is now. OUYA founder, Julie Uhrman, has given Razer her blessing on Twitter on top of thanking the many people who made the console possible. Uhrman encourages Razer to show off what they are made of and to take care of her team.

OUYA sold to razer
OUYA founder confirming Razer's purchase.

For those who been following OUYA rumors, the news of Razer buying out OUYA didn't come as a shock. Covered mere days ago by fellow writer, Luigi Savinelli, the rumor mill was already hard at work. As it turns out, Razer buying OUYA wasn't a rumor after all. With both the previous article and Uhrman's Twitter feed, everything is officially confirmed.

Razer's own reputation with the gaming community is relatively solid. Keyboard enthusiasts may not be impressed with Razer using Cherry MX clones by Kailh over the real deal -- other products in their lineup remain well regarded. Razer Blade anyone?

It is unclear what Razer plans to do with their new acquisition, but skunk works may be able to revitalize the OUYA name back into the consciousness of gamers. We'll be sure to keep you readers updated with any new developments. Who knows, the humble OUYA could very well be a revival of Sony vs Nintendo during the Playstation era in the making.  Or most likely, media device for the living room -- maybe a Steam machine.

Do you think the OUYA being sold was a good business move and do you have confidence in Razer's purchase of OUYA? Comment below.

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Gamer since the NES era, computer nerd since 2001. Happily in a loving relationship with a happa who has been a gamer since the Sega Genesis era. Who says… More about Anthony