From Flop to Dream Device: GameStar Column Calls for the Return of Android Consoles

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents From Flop to Dream Device: GameStar Column Calls for the Return of Android Consoles.

Ouya raised over $8.5 million on Kickstarter in 2012 — one of the biggest crowdfunding crazes the gaming world had seen up to that point. A year later, the small gray box landed in the hands of its first backers and testers, and the mockery wasn't long in coming: shoddy hardware, a "Wish-quality" controller, and a game library that essentially consisted of carelessly upscaled smartphone games. Thirteen years later, GameStar author Duy Linh Dinh has written the column "I could only laugh at one of the biggest console flops — now I want exactly that kind of device back" — calling for the comeback of the Android console.

The change of heart has a concrete trigger: Dinh is sitting on his balcony, Android handheld in hand, playing PC games on it. Specifically, he picks up his Ayn Odin 2 Mini, launches the "Droiddeck" app, and plays the PC version of Monster Hunter Rise. "Perhaps it [the Ouya] was more than a decade ahead of its time?" he asks in retrospect. The tension between past mockery and present fascination is what gives the column its appeal.

Four pillars on which Android gaming now stands

Dinh builds his argument on four areas in which Android now works as a gaming platform. First, there's PC gaming: thanks to apps like Droiddeck or Gamehub, many Steam games can now be launched directly on Android handhelds — "without having to spend time on annoying troubleshooting, as was still the case a few months ago," writes Dinh. Those who prefer a more classic route find countless titles in the retro space; many handhelds were originally built precisely for that purpose, long before the aforementioned PC gaming apps even existed. Third pillar: streaming. Using Moonlight/Sunshine, GeForce Now, Chiaki, or Steam Link, Dinh pulls his PS5 and PC games onto his Android device — and says it now even works away from home, as long as the internet connection stays stable. And fourth, native games for Android exist, including genuine gems like the Ace Attorney trilogy or the horror classic Alien: Isolation. Anyone who doesn't fancy the small screens of smartphones or handhelds can, according to Dinh, now also reach for an Android tablet — devices like the REDMAGIC Astra 2 are actively cooled, blazingly fast, and offer a large screen.

It's time for the comeback of Android consoles.

Why a USB-C dock isn't enough

Despite this variety, Dinh is missing one crucial piece of the puzzle: a real home console. Plugging his Ayn Odin 2 Mini or a fast tablet into a USB-C dock and hooking it up to the TV does work, he says, but it falls far short of tapping the platform's potential. Handhelds, phones, and tablets struggle with space and heat constraints — a stationary console doesn't have those problems. ARM chipsets could sustain their maximum clock speeds indefinitely with a full-fledged cooling system, "without throttling after 20 minutes due to thermal throttling." On top of that, everything gamers need in the living room could be built in from the factory: a dedicated Ethernet port for stable streaming, full-sized USB ports for additional controllers during couch co-op, and external storage. Packaged in a compact mini case, such a device would "fit perfectly into the living room landscape."

The gap between the €40 stick and the €500 console

That the concept of an Android console on the TV can work has been proven over the years by the Nvidia Shield TV, according to Dinh — it was a pioneer for game streaming and Android games on the TV and is still being sold even today. However: the Tegra chip is now aging and hits its limits with demanding games; Nvidia has never released a successor. Dinh doubts the company will ever bring out a new Android console again — "Gaming has become a side quest for Nvidia." That leaves a gap in the living room between underpowered TV sticks at €40 and traditional consoles starting at €500, into which a modern Android all-rounder could step. Dinh's verdict for hardware manufacturers: "The software is ready, the chips are ready. Build an Ouya again — but this time, do it right."