OUYA

2012-2015

In 2012, the OUYA was the darling of the internet. It was a sleek, silver cube that promised to liberate gaming from the "closed" ecosystems of Sony and Microsoft. The pitch was irresistible: a $99 Android-based console that was completely open to indie developers. It became one of the most successful Kickstarter projects in history, raising over $8.5 million from enthusiastic backers.

However, once the boxes arrived, the hype evaporated. The revolutionary controller felt cheap, with buttons that frequently got stuck and a touchpad that barely worked. While the console was "open," it lacked the one thing every gamer actually wants: games. Most of the library consisted of of mobile games that people could already play on their phones for free.

The OUYA quickly shifted from a "console killer" to a cautionary tale about the dangers of over-promising. By 2015, the company was drowning in debt and was eventually sold for its software assets. Today, the OUYA is remembered as a lesson in why a great idea and a record-breaking Kickstarter aren't enough to build a successful product.

Additional info:

Forbes - The Ouya Is Basically Dead

Wikipedia: Ouya - Comprehensive timeline of commercial failure and shutdown

Polygon - Razer closing Ouya store, officially killing the console

The Verge - Ouya: review

This is the ad, whose original description was: “Gaming can be emotional. We get it. But don't cry. We're here for you”: