Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
Since the Ouya communicates with it’s controllers via bluetooth, it’s no great push to think that it would be able to send data over bluetooth too. This not only opens the door for using an android device or any other smartphone as a spare controller when you’re caught short, but you may also be able to utilise the other sensors and the screen that a phone would provide. For this reason I would love to see something in the vein of Four Sword Adventure, a basic action-RPG where the main world and basic elements were visible to all, but personal information, inventories, hidden secrets, and game changing advantages would only be visible to you via your smartphone. This could lead to the sort of deception and an “alliance of convenience” between players that would make co-op RPG's on the Ouya unlike anything that is currently being offered.
PS Vita
I've already talked about the Vita’s lacklustre performance against an embryonic Ouya, so why not beat the crap out of it while it’s down? The Vita has a trackpad on it’s underside, the Ouya has a trackpad on it’s controller. D’you see what I'm getting at here?
Pac-Man Vs.
Another Gamecube game that connected with the Game Boy Advance, however this also has implications for the Wii U also. The premise around this game is asymmetric gameplay, something that is being pushed by both the Wii U and the Xbox 360 with it’s Smartglass feature. Essentially the person with the Game Boy Advance is playing a fairly standard game of Pac-Man, whilst the others are playing as ghosts on the TV screen. Pac-Man can see the entire game board (much like in a classic game of Pac-Man) however the Ghosts can only see their immediate surroundings, meaning they have to work together to find and catch Pac-Man. Asymmetrical gameplay could take advantage of a Tablet to give someone their own perspective and with this method of gameplay experiencing a renaissance in the Wii U, I’d be interested to see what game developers could came up with for the Ouya.
Dreamcast VMU
Back when people still used memory cards, the Dreamcast came up with a novel storage solution known as the VMU. Basically the VMU was like a mini portable games console, which could be taken out on the go, essentially to either play your games on the move, or to play mini-games which would earn you benefits within the main game. Now the VMU was ahead of it’s time and as such probably wasn’t the best implementation of the concept, however the idea of having two versions of a game still intrigues me. The basic idea is that there is a “Portable” and “HD” version of a game, both functionally similar bit optimised for either the smartphone, or the console.
This means that if you want to play a game on your 50” HD TV you can enjoy all the benefits the Ouya brings, and if you have to sit on a train for 3 hours a day, you can still enjoy that game with the same save data, syncing your progress to the big screen when you’re home. Both versions could also have unique features that take advantage of the platform being used, meaning the only way to 100% a game is to switch it up. Seeing as the Ouya runs Android this also simplifies the development process immensely, which suggests such a feature could be implemented without having to buy each version separately, since most of the coding would be identical.
Laptop Touch Pad
If there’s one thing I hate about consoles it’s their on screen keyboard. Heck I’d pretty much blame the standard controller for the inability of web browsers to become a mainstay in the console world (with the possible exception of the Wii; but who gives a shit about the Wii?). The Ouya doesn't have that problem, with a trackpad web browsing would be as easy as using a laptop (still vastly inferior to a mouse) and typing would be as easy as using the Windows on-screen keyboard (still vastly inferior to a keyboard) a step in the right direction that consoles should take note of if they want to become one with the idea of a “Smart TV”.
Texas Hold-em
Because I'm a baaaaad man.
Android Phone
I know I've gone on a lot about interconnectivity between the Ouya and other android devices, but smartphones have features absent from the Ouya, such as touch screens, motion sensors, cameras, GPS, QR Code reading and so on. Peripherals for the Wii were very rarely more than a plastic shell, and that’s because the Wiimote already had everything you’d want from a peripheral packed into it. The smartphone is a lot like the Wiimote of the Ouya, except you’re not hindered by having to use it all the time.
Anyone remember the Pokewalker? A glorified pedometer which could earn you in game benefits in Pokemon games on the DS simply by walking? You wouldn't need a tacky piece of plastic you wouldn't be seen dead with to emulate it’s features, just use a GPS receiver on any smartphone. Heck, a smartphone would be better because you could make in game bonuses location specific earning rewards and achievements in a Ouya game simply by proving you've been somewhere. It’s like Foursquare became crack buddies with Nike+iPod Sports Kit .
Xbox Live Marketplace
This is more of a cautionary tale, a story of what not to do. The Xbox live Marketplace has had plenty of criticism levied on it, both from the perspective of the consumer and the developer. Examples such as the Polytron and Fez debacle serve as a great testament to what an open online marketplace should be, but I think I might save that for another article. Either way, like everyone whose dad is an insurance salesman, I hope Ouya follows the Xboxs example of exactly what not to be.
That’s all I got, hopefully you've got some ideas of innovations and missed opportunities in the gaming world. If so leave us a comment or find us on facebook and twitter. And if you want to accuse me of being an Ouya fanboy, save yourself. I'm just riding the wave of hype before the sudden, yet inevitable, disappointment. Can’t you people leave me with some minor pleasures in life‽
Jamie Out xoxoxo
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