Ouya's day is almost upon us. How do we know? Well, during GDC this week the console company officially announced a consumer release date for the Kickstarter blockbuster.
Starting June 4, gamers in the U.S., U.K. and Canada can purchase an Ouya system for prices we already knew - $99.99/£99.99.
Your money will get you an Android-backed console plus one wireless controller. Additional controllers will cost $49.99/£39.99.
Interested buyers can pre-order right now through Ouya's onboard retailers, i.e. Amazon, Best Buy, Game, GameStop, Target and the Ouya.tv store, though you'll naturally have to wait a few months before your purchase arrives.
Oy, oy
Early backer units started marching out Thursday as part of what Ouya is calling a preview program before June's retail launch. Between now and then, Ouya will take in input and tweak its software until it's ready for retail.
The whole endeavor raised over US$8 million via Kickstarter to get off the ground, and Ouya claimed that over 8,000 game developers around the globe are working on titles for the system, including projects from Square Enix, Vlambeer, the Polytron Corporation and Airtight Games.
The system runs on Android Jelly Bean, encases a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of flash (we know you want the rundown).
You also get an HDMI for up to 1080p HD on the telly, USB 2.0 and Ethernet connector plus Bluetooth LE and Wi-Fi.
Ouya plans to add games daily in the lead up to the June release and beyond, and all games will be downloadable and free-to-try.
Ouya owners can also access streaming video and music apps from places like Flixster, Plex, XBMC, iHeartRadio, Twitch.tv and Crunchyroll.
If you've placed your pre-order and looking for a way to make the months go faster, or weighing whether to get the system at all, check out our hands on Ouya reivew.
A bit of a teaser: while we got to touch, see and hold the Ouya, will still found the unit quite mysterious. You'll have to read on to know what we mean.
