As always, Gizmodo and Kinja have teamed up to put together a comprehensive list of CyberMonday deals for all things tech and geek, I'll post deals as I find them but their list is a good place to start today.
First Look: OUYA Game System
I just received and am now connecting the OUYA, an open-source gaming system that was the biggest launch in KickStarter history, and which solidified said crowd-funding site as a legitimate way to launch new technology start ups without giving away the farm to venture capitalists.
As you can see, the hardware certainly looks impressive, and since there is no physical media drive is exceptionally small. Anytime your console is smaller than your controller, you have gained ground towards portability.
Setup so far has been easy: plug the unit into the wall and an available HDMI port on your TV, pair your controller via bluetooth, connect to your wireless network, and you are set. Since this is still beta, the software is constantly being tweaked, so my unit is updating now. Stay tuned for follow ups on game play!
Update on 2013-10-15 23:03 by Drew Fleisher
OK, I've given this a few months for the game selection to improve and updates to work out the kinks, and I have to say that for an independent boot-strapped project this thing is pretty cool. Major developers are still being courted, and may not do much depending on what happens with the offering from Steam, but in all there is some great gaming action to be found here.
Special Event: #XboxReveal
Today the Xbox team from Microsoft took the stage to set the timeline for the next generation of living-room entertainment.
Their solution - XBOX ONE
Leveraging their work with Kinect, the system recognizes you and your voice, removing the need for logging in to your gamer tag.
Fast voice control using what they call "Instant Switching", demo looking very cool. It will also interact with WindowsPhone 8 devices and use them as remote controls using their SmartGlass system.
Leveraging Skype for video calls, which can be used at the same time as the other apps in what they are calling "Snap Mode". Simply saying "Xbox, snap "application name" which will bring it up along side whatever you are doing.
Hardware:
x86 architecture, 8GB RAM, USB 3.0, Blue-Ray drive, Wi-Fi Direct, 64-Bit, variable power states
Kinect leveraging USB 3.0 to stream 3Gb/sec of audio visual data to speed response. Sensors are sensitive enough to read heart rate while using exercise applications.
Software:
3 operating systems:
1. Xbox OS
2. Windows Kernel
3. Custom switching OS to bridge the two kernels
New Xbox Live system will include personal DVR to record all game play, and allow you to save and share the recordings including a built-in video editing suite.
Developer support:
EA announcing new strategic partnership, more details coming soon (probably at E3). New "Ignite" game engine for sports titles. 10x animation depth and detail, dubbed "True Player Motion". Video demo from EA looks insanely realistic.
Microsoft studios was up next, showing off Forza Motosports 5. Again the graphics look great. Will be available at launch. Huge emphasis on gaming experience and multi-player.
Trailers for other games were shown as well, concluding with the trailer for "Modern Warfare: Ghosts", which looked amazing.
Microsoft promises more details at E3 in 20 days, so stay tuned, this looks like it could knock Sony's PS4 announcement out of the water.