Ouya's Amazon hire sets the path for the Kickstarter console

OUYA's Muffi Ghadiali outlined the next steps the console manufacturer is taking amidst growing skepticism from the gaming community that the OUYA console might not be ready in time for its March launch date.

OUYA's Muffi Ghadiali outlined the next steps the console manufacturer is taking amidst growing skepticism from the gaming community that the OUYA console might not be ready in time for its March launch date.

Ghadiali, who came from Lab126 where he worked on the Kindle line of Amazon products said on the OUYA's Kickstarter page that his job is to make sure the product meets the needs of gamers and developers. After outlining his credentials, including experience in building hardware and software, he went on to list the things that the company is going to do now.

In a dot point addressed to developers, he said: "We're working to get an SDK in your hands as fast as we can, please be patient. It will be pretty simple to start, using the existing Android SDK and adding the ability to promote your game, and to charge OUYA customers. We'll add to it as we go."

He also provided an update on the OUYA's chipset. "We're getting our ducks in a row on the hardware production. NVIDIA is helping us with production designs, and selecting the right device manufacturer. We're in talks with a few manufacturers. I was just playing with our circuit board yesterday.

"NVIDIA is also helping us maximize the performance of our Tegra 3 chips – they'll work even better than the demos you see online. We'll be able to support some intense games."

Ghadiali says that the technology of the OUYA is "fairly standard" and that the console can be built for well under $99.

Backers and non-backers, we're sure, will be watching closely to see if they can deliver.