L00b   441 #1 Posted May 12, 2016 These Android consoles are cheap as chips on fleBay now, I'm tempted to get one as a multi-emulator solution and low-fi networked media player.  The JXD tablet was fine for all that, but had sub-optimal socket placement for 'plugged in' use (single HDMI and USB sockets too close to one another) and terrible for battery life, and not enough sockets (OTG = Ethernet or control pads, both via a hub didn't play nicely with one another) + no Bluetooth (so sub-optimal for multi-controller). So exit the JXD.  Has anybody got hands-on experience of an OUYA, which they wouldn't mind sharing?  How easy are they to sideload apps on, how good is emulation on them (up to, say, PS1/N64)? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
Ghozer   112 #2 Posted May 12, 2016 They are Cheap because they are discontinued, the company went bust, and support for them has ended....  They are good, but after a few weeks I think you'll find you stop playing with it.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
L00b   441 #3 Posted May 12, 2016 (edited) They are Cheap because they are discontinued, the company went bust, and support for them has ended.... I know all that, G They are good, but after a few weeks I think you'll find you stop playing with it....Maybe, maybe not: my "retrogaming habits" are a bit on the die hard side, I've had them close to 20 years!  It's not for gaming specifically (well, it is for retrogaming specifically, but for recent/current gen, I have better gear), nor for mediastreaming specifically (I have a FireTV stick and am aware of the cheap Chinese multi-core Android boxes), but just as something cheap to tinker with for both purposes. Truth be told, with gadgets like that I enjoy more the discovering, tinkering and 'getting stuff to run', than the everyday using.  I'm just looking for some 'real life'/'hands on' feedback about the unit, its controllers and the intended use, since I've never seen or held one in my hand, and don't know anyone else who has  They appeal to me because they are small, very well put together, still relatively powerful (relative to a Pi B for same money-ish), have hardware HDMI, USB and RJ45 and are Android-powered...and now cost next to nothing.  If I could 'root' or 'free' the Wii U to have the same relative ease of sideloading and tinkering under Android without running the risk of bricking it, I'd be doing that instead Edited May 12, 2016 by L00b Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
RyoHazuki   10 #4 Posted May 14, 2016 Lucky you L00b, I can help you with this!  I'm the same, very much an old school game fan. Can't live without Street Fighter 2 Hyper and Sonic the Hedgehog. I tinkered with the Raspberry Pi for a while, but found no matter what I do it never quite makes the grade. It's great for 16 bit, but not so good when moving onto N64 and DC. Decided whether or not that stuff matters to you. You can get a great retro system out of a Pi with Retropie, but I would recommend RPi 2 at least, not the older one unless 16 bit only.  Anyhoo, I moved onto the Ouya, and have to say I ended up loving it dearly.  They are Cheap because they are discontinued, the company went bust, and support for them has ended.... They are good, but after a few weeks I think you'll find you stop playing with it....  This is not entirely true. Ouya was bought by Razer, and the Ouya staff moved onto the Razer Forge/Cortex service. If you have an Ouya, like me, it's still working and will continue to do so unless Razer decide to turn off the servers (could happen).  However, I have recently spent a LOT of time with the Mad Catz MOJO. Got one very cheap (£60) off Amazon from a German trader (Avides/Sediva, either or, they're the same). Never done it before, but I've spent a lot of time flashing custom versions of Android onto it. The stock OS is Androind 4.2.2 and you will have to root the device to get the full store. PLEASE don't be put off by this! It is supremely easy and importantly YOU CANNOT BRICK THIS DEVICE. If it goes all wrong (like mine did today because I won't leave it bloody alone!) plug it back into your PC and start again.  Anyway, when I get mine back up and running it will be using Cyanogenmod 12.1 (as it did before I started trying to break it!), available on the XDA forums. It is perfectly safe to use and based on Lollipop 5.1.1. It runs all emulators so well, I have been massively impressed with the device, and I would recommend it if you are OK with learning to flash the device. I have been running Street Fighter 3 Third Strike and even Soul Calibur on DC this week. Otherwise, yes the Ouya is still brilliant for emulation too. It's more powerful and easier to use than a Pi imo. Not much user involvement needed beyond clicking install on your favourite emulators. But the MOJO is more powerful still if you are prepared to get a little hands on.  If you need any further assistance please post up and I'll keep and eye out for you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
L00b   441 #5 Posted May 16, 2016 Thank you very much for the extensive input, RyoHazuki, that's exactly what I was looking for  I'm never afraid of flashing these and tinkering with them, particularly as they (Android consoles/'boxes') don't have a SIM/mobile telephony onboard (which I always consider as the main 'danger' with mods and sideloading, with apps calling home or premium numbers and running bills on the sly).  I'll have a look at the Mad Catz MOJO, I briefly saw some snippets about it (and the much more expensive NVidia Shield) here and there when I was looking "into" optimisations and flashing options for the JXD S7800b.  It sounds interesting and more potent than an OUYA, and the budget overhead is not a deal breaker. Particularly if it can run Reicast decently, as you say (I was aware DC was somewhat beyond the OUYA's capacities), since Ikaruga, Soul Calibur and Powerstone are all-time favourites Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
alchresearch   213 #6 Posted May 16, 2016 If you want a very cheap emulator and media player (albeit low end), you can't go wrong with a Nintendo Wii.  You can pick one up for as cheap as a tenner, Wiibomb softmod it for free then just plug in a USB stick or load your emulated games onto an SD card. You can plug in a USB keyboard for retro computer gaming.  Only drawback is the resolution is a bit poor (720p?) for media playback. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
L00b   441 #7 Posted May 16, 2016 (edited) Thx for the suggestion, alch.  I was aware of the Wii softmod option, but I'm preferring to go down the Android path, since it's far less dependent upon the Wiibrew community, and both the OUYA and MOJO can do 1080p for media streaming (...and now that Virgin and BT have finally run fibre and setup cabinets nearby (S81) in the past couple of weeks, we have real and serious prospects of getting decent BB for full HD (and +) streaming services) Edited May 16, 2016 by L00b Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...