At $99, you get what you pay for

After a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign that raised $8.6 million, the Ouya video game console finally arrived in stores and supporters’ living rooms last week after some unexpected development delays. I was fortunate to receive and spend a few days with the indie-developed console.With all the hype and fanfare preceding it, the affordable $99 console has plenty of promises to fulfill.

The initial setup was simple with the supplied HDMI cable and power brick. However, installing the controller’s battery was a mystery. The minimalist instruction sheet provided no clue. And I barely remembered Ouya’s Kickstarter video demoing the console.

I was afraid of tugging hard on the controller’s panels. Its build quality and plastic felt flimsy. Eventually the gray faceplates, held down by strong magnets, popped off, revealing cleverly concealed battery compartments.

The pseudo-Xbox controller rested comfortably in my palms, but my index fingers laid awkwardly on the bumpers and IC card, which wiggled and rattled. In the center of the controller is an excessively sensitive touchpad.

As a student and observer of design, I was disappointed by Ouya’s ubiquitous 3-inch cube and generic game controller.  Especially because it was created by design savant Yves Behar, who I deeply admire for his uniquely modern vision of everyday objects (Bluetooth devices from Jawbone, SodaStream Source, the original Slingbox and the beautiful Herman Miller SAYL chair).

Ouya proposed an ambitious plan to disrupt the video game industry, but physically on my entertainment center, it underwhelms next to my Xbox 360, PS3 and yes, the Roku.But more important for any gaming console is its video game library, and here Ouya really falls short.

Powering up for the first time, Ouya requires your personal information, including a credit card number. Driven by Android, Ouya has its own enclosed ecosystem where users can download freemium products or demos. The console currently has a handful of familiar titles found on both Android and iOS (Organ Trail, Bard’s Tale, Shadowgun) and a few exclusives (A Bit of a Fist of Awesome, Monocole Man, No Brakes Valet and TowerFall).

The “Apps” section awaits better digital entertainment apps. Currently there’s no official support from premium services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Instant Video.

Ouya’s hardware specs can’t compete with the Xbox 360, PS3 or your newly bought smartphone. Its nVidia Tegra3 mobile processor is already a year old. I won’t hold my breath for AAA-titles, such as BioShock Infinite, Crysis 3, and Call of Duty: Black Ops II, ported from this generation of consoles to to Ouya.

Ouya seems to foster retro, pixel-style games. Essentially, the console draws your attention away from your mobile device to the television. Deep Dungeon of Doom plays and looks great on both Ouya and my iPhone, where I originally downloaded the game. Canabalt gets a big screen facelift while preserving its pixel-art style.  But unfortunately, A Bit of a Fist of Awesome, a beat-em-up side-scroller, looks and sounds horrible with its oversized, pixelated creatures and backgrounds through a 48” HDTV and sound bar.

A woman called police June 30 when she noticed her credit/debit card was stolen. She thought it happened June 25 at Marc’s and listed off the fraudulent charges to the bank. However, it was determined her husband did most of the transactions. She then thought her wallet was stolen because she keeps a card with her debit password with her debit card and there are suspected fraudulent ATM withdraws. She told officers she couldn’t remember the last time she used it.

The car was spotted doing 30 mph in a 45 mph. When the officer attempted to pull the car over, the car began to swerve before pulling into the Timber Lodge parking lot. When the officer approached he smelled a strong odor of alcohol coming from the vehicle.

The driver, who said he and his wife were coming from a wedding, struggled to find his license. His eyes were bloodshot and glassy. He nearly fell over while completing sobriety tests and was placed under arrest for operating a vehicle under the influence. He registered a blood alcohol level of .21 percent. His wife had vodka in a silver bottle in the car and was cited for possession of an open container.

A woman said she was going to her mother’s barn and was not coming back June 22. Tenants took this to mean she was going to harm herself. The officer arrived and found a pill bottle with a plastic bag inside. The woman said someone stole her pills. Inside the bag there were 20 Percocet, which were seized as evidence. The woman was given a ride her mother’s house by a friend. The investigation is still pending. No charges at this time.

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