Ouya Developer Consoles Begin Shipping Out Late December

Developer versions of the Android-based, open-source console Ouya are expected to begin shipping out in December as planned, the company announced over the weekend.

The developer Ouya consoles, which the company says comes with a prototype console and controller, were previously made available to a limited number of people on Kickstarter, and came with a price tag of at least $699. Those who pledged at least $95 will get a console as well, but the wait will be several months longer for that.

“On December 28, they leave the factory and should arrive within a couple of days (we’ve heard that Turkey and Russia might take a bit longer),” Ouya said in an update on the console’s website. “Yes, we are shipping these to you on time, as promised.

“The dev consoles are an early version of the OUYA console and controller designed for developers to test their games on OUYA. Our Kickstarter developers are the first to get a crack at ‘em! We’re psyched to have you on board, and we can’t wait to see what pours from your brain!”

Ouya garnered a lot of attention when it first debuted on Kickstarter earlier this year. The idea of an open-source, Android-powered console that requires developers release some form of their game for free is an easy concept to get behind.

The company remains hard at work fleshing out Ouya’s features, and touching up the user interface.

“Our eyes have been glued to our computer screens building out the OUYA Development Kit (ODK) – tools that do everything from making sure the controller can talk to the game to ensuring that game developers will have the proper tools to get paid,” Ouya said.

“This early version of the ODK is being tested now. When the dev consoles ship to gamemakers, all developers—even those who may not have their hands on a dev console—will be able to access a web portal where they can download the ODK, get help on our forums, and eventually upload games to OUYA.”