Ouya, the company behind the Ouya Android-based game console, is ready to announce a partnership with the increasingly prominent Chinese company, Xiaomi, to provide game content to its Mi TV smart TVs and its Mi Box streaming device.
According to Reuters, talks between the two companies are at an advanced stage, and will likely be resolved soon. The partnership will likely see Xiaomi offering a dedicated channel for Ouya on its Mi TV and Mi Box software specifically for gaming content. This move has been confirmed by Ouya CEO Julie Uhrman herself, who shared the news via her Twitter account.
Look out world, here we come! Excited to work w/ @XiaomiChina to bring OUYA games to living rooms in China!@Reuters: http://t.co/K47BXggn3n
— Julie Uhrman 🏝⚽️🚀 (@juhrman) August 21, 2014
For Xiaomi, this partnership will be seen as another opportunity to expand its content offering on the living room products. While the Chinese company is better known for its smartphones which offer exceptional value for money, Xiaomi also has the Mi Box set-top box as well as the hugely desirable Mi TV, where it recently saw a refreshed version, called the Mi TV 2, which offered a 4K resolution with 3D support and integrates the Mi Box into the TV itself. It retails for only 3999 Yuan in China (about RM2060), and isn’t available internationally yet.
Both companies are now in the midst of finalising launch titles, as well as marketing projects. In addition, this partnership will also see any revenue from game purchases split between the developers, Ouya and Xiaomi. In a statement to Reuters, Uhrman said:
“For the likes of Xiaomi’s MiTV, its set-top boxes and other Android set-top boxes that are entering the market, this could be a turning point..in bringing great content and developers to gamers and into a region that they have never had access to before.
It certainly does sound like an exciting development, particularly for Ouya who has long seen disappointing sales of its console since its hugely successfully funding on Kickstarter, where backers pledged almost ten times its $950,000 goal. For Xiaomi, it looks like the company is ready to disrupt yet another industry with this partnership.
(Source: Reuters)
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