Ouya Console

Ouya is one of the more high-profile Kickstarter campaigns, having raised a staggering $8.6 million in 2012. The system will run on Google's Android operating system and should retail for less than $100 when it launches in June this year.

Although its primary objective is to host titles similar to those seen on Android and iOS, the open nature of the platform is already starting to throw up some potential problems. It is being reported that hacking groups are working on emulators for both the NES and SNES, both of which will be available at launch. Although Ouya will use its own custom version of Android, it will be "open source" and "hackable", according to its creators. That means it will be relatively easy for bedroom coders to create apps and games for the system.

Existing Android users will already be aware that there are a wide range of retro emulators available on the Google Play market, so this news shouldn't come as too much of a shock. However, it will be interesting to see how Nintendo reacts to the news; the Ouya is considered by many to be a direct challenger to traditional consoles like the Wii U, which also offers NES and SNES emulation — but via legal means.

It should be noted that the developers of Ouya have not commented on this news as yet.

What are your feelings on this? Do you see emulation of this kind as illegal, or do you consider it a way of preserving classic games — many of which aren't currently available through legal channels? Post a comment to tell us what you think.

[source computerandvideogames.com]