Once I tried editing the History of video games(eighth generation) by adding Ouya on the comparison charts next to Nintendo Wii U but was edited out. Plus, I also posted a link to eighth generation consoles on Ouya page of Wikipedia but it was edited out. Seriously? Plus, Microsoft does not consider Valve's Steambox to be a major competitor. You kidding me with that? Valve is just confident Steambox will be more superior to Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony. Nvidia revealed Project Shield this Winter. This is a powerful android based handheld console able to stream games from PC, can play on the TV using an HDMI cable, and play's like Xbox 360 controller.
Ouya is an android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS console that will cost only $99(just 1/11 of Basic Steambox). It will only have digital downloads but will use OnLive as the main cloud computing service for games as well as Ouya software. For example, La Noire, Saints Row 2-3, Crazy Taxi, Mafia II, Driver San Francisco, and many more with as many as over 300 titles. Twitch TV is also available as it is video game broadcasting and chat community allowing players to watch in game footage live and recorded gameplay footage via it's online video gaming platform. Sony Playstation 4 will have it's own similar option called "Share". Ouya will require all games being available for Ouya to be Free-To-Play in someway with examples ranging from demos, DLC, season passes, online features, etc. This would explain why Ouya chose OnLive as it's main clud computing service since OnLive has the most Free-To-Play aspects ranging from demos to rentals. The Difference between Ouya and Zeebo is Ouya will change the outcome of gaming consoles just like Steambox and Project Shield are planning on doing. Ouya is just not from one of those major companies like Nintendo, Microsoft, or Sony for examples. Ouya will be one of the cheapest major consoles in video gaming history should it get the recoignition it deserves. Ouya plays like it's competitors but is smaller than them in size.
Gamestick is another Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS console which is the size of a flash drive, will be $79, and like Ouya is made by a lesser known company(PlayJam). Why should Gamestick be considered an 8th generation console? Gamestick will have the same media type as Ouya but will be a flash drive that sticks into any HDMI port, making it playable on the TV. What games will Gamestick be able to play? Memory specs are identical to Ouya(1GB Memory, 8GB Hard Drive) but has a different graphics provider. I Don't Know much about Gamestick's game's exactly as of now. I do think for sure that Gamestick will play the same kind of games played on smartphones/tablets.
Project Shield made by Nvidia is a handheld/home console that was revealed this Winter. Project Shield would be the most superior handheld console to date, making Gameboy look like a mini antique. This will be the first handheld console aside from smartphones/tablets to be more powerful than one of it's same generation(ex. Wii U, Ouya, Gamestick). Project Shield, Ouya, and Gamestick are android consoles rivaling traditional ones Wii U, Playstation 4, and Xbox 720 with Steambox being in PC gaming catagory. Project Shield will be able to play PC games as well as having Steam and Google Play for downloading games. Android consoles are the future and are just as important as Playstation was in the mid 1990's. Nvidia is a major graphics producer and it has lots of money. Project Shield will be able to play some of the same games you would play for PC(Steam) and Androids(Google Play). Project Shield is a gaming android and micro gaming PC packed into one handheld size. that's saying alot! Wi-Fi connection is satisfactory here. Project Shield is the works merging PC and Android gaming thanks to steam and Google Play's software support. Project Shield is like a micro Steambox packed to be a gaming only android.
Steambox is a PC style game console which I presume will be digital download only using Steam Software. Not only is Steam streaming games and using accounts for PC, Mac, Android, and iOS systems, but it will also have its own home console. Price however ranges between $999-$1750 depending on which of the three models(128GB, 256GB, 512GB) you choose. Pre-orders are being taken and Xi3 will make the Steambox hardware and I presume it will be the same size and even final hardware like Piston made by Xi3. Valve will take full responsibility for planning and layout of software and some hardware specifications while Xi3 will be manufacturing the Pistons for Steambox. Xi3 is Valve's partner in the console wars and while Valve is the brains, Xi3 is the braun and together this duo will make a super console capable of playing most of the games found on current consoles or PCs. The four H's of this power machine include Hard Core Gaming, High-Performance Computing, Home Theater and Media, and Home Automation Count. So compact in size yet so much more powerful than the Three Disc based console manufacturers(Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft). Could Steambox be the Playstation of the 2010's-2020's? Already more powerful than Playstation 4. Or is it? Anyway, this is a digital download gaming and home theater combined, paving way for future of media with easy conversion of software.
The 8th generation can be compared to the 5th generation in the following ways: The 5th generation had 13 mass market consoles but only five gained major status(3DO, Atari Jaguar, Sega Saturn, Playstation, and Nintendo 64). If Wii U, Ouya, Gamestick, Playstation 4, Xbox 720, Project Shield and Steambox are counted as home consoles the 8th generation will have between 5-7 mass market consoles with at least five being major ones. The 5th generation made a big leap forward from cartridges to CD-ROM discs as three of the big five(3DO, Saturn, Playstation) compared to the other two which stayed on cartridges(Jaguar, N64). Playstation however was the only one of these to make a major difference in the media type of consoles as it sold over 102 million copies total in it's lifespan. Nintendo 64 only sold around 32 million with Saturn selling just 10 million; The 8th generation would have four digital download consoles(Ouya, Gamestick, Project Shield, Steambox) and three disc based ones(Wii U, Playstation 4, Xbox 720). Due to Steambox's high price and being the highest of all consoles, it will have more difficulties in being as successful as the Playstation was. However, Steambox will be the most powerful console of the 8th generation pack. Pricing differences are different between generations as 5th generation cartridge based consoles cost less than the disc based ones with Nintendo 64 and Atari Jaguar being $199.99 and $249.99 at launch respectively(making them the cheapest major consoles) compared to Playstation price tag of $299.99 but not as expensive as the not so commercially successful Sega Saturn and 3DO price tags of $399.99 and $700 respectively. The price line from lowest to highest for 8th generation will be Gamestick($79), Ouya($99), Project Shield(est.$169-$249), Wii U($299-$349), Xbox 720($350-$400), Playstation 4($400-$450), Steambox($999-$1750). The cheapest consoles are the android based ones with the disc ones midway and PC style consoles being the most expensive. The low cost will make android based consoles more appealing just like CD based ones were for developing games and data.
Android/digital download consoles have numerous advantages comparing in a smaller/lighter size than current disc consoles plus less cost unless you had a PC style one like Steambox. The problems of having discs will be erased with Ouya, Gamestick, Project Shield, and Steambox. Project Shield and Steambox will be game changers for video gaming just like Playstation was. You can however digitally download games for regular consoles which started on a major scale with the Xbox 360 and expanded to Playstation 3 and Wii. Unlike disc drive consoles, android/digital download consoles are lighter and easier to download games to with the security you need in account based cloud computing so games don't get lost along with the lost or destroyed console. Plus, transfering games has never been so easy. Did you know that if you logged onto your Steam account from one computer to another, you can also played the games saved from your previous computer. Memory storage such as saved games is included inside the Steam app. Steambox in my opinion will be a lot like the Playstation in terms of historical contribution despite being the most expensive but worth the money.
What defines a home console? Definition in my words means any hardware that is primarily for gaming and is meant to played on the TV. Ouya, Gamestick, and Steambox are primarily for gaming and are to be played on the TV. Project Shield is in between a handheld and home console which could revolutionize the size of home consoles and make their ordinary form handheld physically but home console playable as Project Shield can be played on the TV using an HDMI port. Plus, Ouya is one of those open consoles which any developer could make games for provided they have Free-To-Play content. With the 8th generation, nearly every console will have a game changing role in how media and gameplay are put into play.
As the 5th generation went, the 6th generation featured the Sega Dreamcast, Playstation 2, Xbox, and Nintendo Gamecube which were all disc based though PS2 and Xbox were DVD-ROM with Dreamcast then Xbox becoming the first home consoles to feature online multiplayer. The 7th generation introduced updating software which was first commonly used for Xbox 360 with it's competitors Playstation 3 and Wii having the same things. The 8th generation of gaming will include biometric controls, touchscreens, HDMI, and android based systems.
What about Apple, Google, and Amazon? Don't they have awesome operating systems of their own? It would be nice to see an Apple, Google, and Amazon home consoles using their operating systems. They would use the android based systems with Apple using iOS, Google using Chrome, and Amazon using Kindle Fire, making improvements for home console hardware. They don't even need to manufacture these themselves but just follow Steambox's lead. However, I'm not counting on these being a reality for 8th generation but for it's next one(9th generation). These can use cloud computing and maybe Apple will initiate a new service for video games dubbed iGames.
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