Remember the humble Ouya game console? Maybe it was never that humble, but considering its indie roots, the Kickstarted experiment in Android-powered gaming just scored some surprisingly huge distribution partnerships for its release later this year.
Founder and CEO Julie Uhrman tells The Wall Street Journal that the console will be available through Amazon, Gamestop, Target and Best Buy when it launches this June.
The Ouya was born out of Uhrman’s notion that gaming was in major need of disruption. And disrupt she did, to the tune of $8.6 million worth of crowdfunding rocket fuel. Now, the little indie gaming console that could will sell through the biggest digital and brick-and-mortar retailers around, a funny turn of events for one of Kickstarter’s shining stars.
The Ouya console, available for pre-order now, will retail for $99. An extra controller will set you back a modest $49. All Ouya games will be free to try. Uhrman even invites advanced users and devs to unscrew the console’s casing and tool around. It’s wide open, after all. Kickstarter backers could see their consoles ship out as early as next month.