Sega to support Ouya with Sonic titles

Sega has announced its intention to support the Ouya, that little android console that seems to have lost a lot of ground in the months following on from its impressive Kickstarter funding last year. However, it'll now see compatible versions of Sonic CD (arguably the best Sonic game ever made) and Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episodes 1 and 2, made available at launch.

Sega has optimised the titles for the Ouya's internal Tegra 3 processor, making them run smooth on the new hardware and each will be part of the free-to-try system, so you won't need to lay out any cash to see if you're in the mood for some Sonic.

“Sega is an example of the types of developers that are coming to Ouya,” said Ouya founder Julie Uhrman to Games Industry. “We've always said that because Ouya is open, we lower the barriers for any type of developer, whether it's AAA or a newcomer.”

Sonic CD was a spiritual successor to the original title, taking the game in a different direction than official sequels

“We're going to see all types of developers and games on Ouya. We're excited to have Sega as a partner, they're a great publisher. Sonic is an iconic brand and we think it's just going to add to the fun of playing on Ouya.”

The Ouya team also described the console and its games as “disruptive technology,” as they believe it will shake up the console marketplace and make it harder for the next-generation systems to pull ahead. However, the Ouya is a seriously underpowered machine compared to a lot of smartphone handsets and it costs £100 to pre-order at the moment. While the next-gen pricing wars won't begin for a long time and the launch systems will likely be a lot more expensive than this, it's difficult to see what the Ouya's main selling point is.

KitGuru Says: Did any of you guys pitch in to the Kickstarter for Ouya? Do you have one on the way? 

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