Ouya Web Store + Games Without Demos = More Fail
OUYA is actually pretty neat. But their recent decision to allow apps with no demo-able content of any kind really makes shopping for games a chore. The whole system is built around the idea that if a game seems remotely intriguing, you immediately download it and try out the demo content, to see if you want to buy it. But with the addition of “no-demo” games, this is gone.
It is frustrating to browse for games on the ouya.tv web page. First off, their web store simply has no way to trigger a “purchase.” But why would you purchase from there, anyway? With no text-based reviews, and no prices listed, and no demos, you have no clue if the game is good. And, there is no way to know how much a game costs without going to your OUYA and searching for it. The “Push to my OUYA” button doesn’t seem to work.
So you have to browse games at the OUHA, while simultaneously using a different computer to search for internet reviews.
Oh sure, every game can have a short video trailer and some screen caps. But that’s rubbish: it’s a lot like buying a game in the store based on the box artwork–usually a mistake.
So… once again a decision is made by the OUYA team that can only hurt their success further. Great idea; terrible marketing.
