Ouya game console snags $8.5 million in Kickstarter funding, but what’s next?

As everyone sits and waits for Microsoft and Sony to finally pull the trigger on the next generation of the Xbox and PlayStation platforms, the Ouya project plans to bring Android-based gaming to the big screen — and has already captured the public's imagination without selling a single console. Public fundraising for the console started one month ago with a goal of $950,000. When the bell rang today, over $8.5 million had been pledged to get the Ouya off the ground.

The idea behind the Ouya is simple: With so many independent game developers looking for an affordable way to showcase their new ideas, why not create a console that does away with things like publisher and licensing fees, and give consumers an easy way to play them? Add to that the Android platform — which already has a bounty of developers producing high-quality games — and you have a great start for a console that could really shake up the way the video game market works.

So now that the project has been funded — and funded very, very generously — what's next? Well for starters the OUYA team needs to convert their working prototypes into stable, retail-ready models that can be produced in mass quantities. Then, in order to ensure there is plenty of content available for the console on launch, developer kits will need to be sent to those who want to be part of the Ouya movement on day one.

For supporters of the Kickstarter campaign who pledged enough to score a Ouya of their own, the estimated delivery date is March of 2013. That's a pretty short window, but with nearly $9 million raised, we imagine the team won't have much trouble meeting that commitment.

At some point after March 2013, the Ouya will be available in a more traditional retail sense, and we imagine that means big box stores as well as a robust web presence. Over 55,000 units have already been sold thanks to the Kickstarter effort, so those looking to adopt the Android game console in its early days should have no shortage of people to play with. Personally, we can't wait.

This article was written by Mike Wehner and originally appeared on Tecca

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