Ready for an OUYA Portable?

1stage

1stage

Member
Hey, there are a few folks who are working on an OUYA portable, namely here http://ouyaboards.com/ouya-hacking-modding/1367-ouya-handheld-w-i-p.html,

But for those who are ready, GrandStreet now has the base unit available for $64 for first-time buyers (or $104 for the two-controller version). This is the best price I've seen.

I just ordered mine, and it will be the beginning of my OUYA portable (much easier, I hope, that the GC portable I'm finishing up now).

https://grandst.com/p/ouya?ref=4ximgjr8i

Let me know if anyone has problems ordering, or if they run out or no longer honor the price.

Note that you can't combine the $15 referral coupon with the $10 new-user coupon, so just use the $15 referral coupon instead.

More pics as I start the project...
 
Great question!

I have no clever response to that, other than say, as a participant in the Maker and ModRetro movement, the whole concept of hacking and building and improving things interests me. The process is more important than the end product.

The OUYA was designed as an open-source, hackable system. User-created custom cases for the device started appearing BEFORE the official device was released in Spring of 2013. The system BEGS to be hacked.

Yeah, there are dozens of neat, inexpensive Android tablets out there, all of which will be far lighter, far faster, far "better" at doing most of the things that my device will wind up doing.

But this will be my creation, and I can design it to function the way I want it to work. More importantly, I can make my own mistakes with it and grow as a creator/artist by figuring out how to overcome those mistakes. It's cool because I can leverage the experiences of every other hacker out there who has tried something similar.

But the heartbreak of watching a puddle of solder accidentally connect three pins on an IC, forcing me to have to carefully carve a .03" channel between those pins with an X-Acto knife under a magnifying glass is just as valid as the joy I experience when I test continuity on the circuit and FINALLY realize that I've separated the leads successfully... THAT is the most important "Why?" of all, and the most valuable to me.
 
So, here's my quick list of goals for this project:

  • - Hack an OUYA to be completely portable (battery, no attached wires)
    - Use an appropriately-sized 1080p portable screen
    - Weigh less than 5 pounds
    - Have a great, aesthetically-pleasing design and comfortable form factor
    - Design and manufacture a 3D printed (selective laser sintering) case
    - Built-in charging (ideally, using a standard 2.4A USB charger) so batteries don't have to be removed
    - Incorporate ALL OUYA functions (especially controller: touch pad, gyro, etc.)
    - Make regular updates to the project to show progress
    - Post pictures and videos of the progress so that people can re-create the project if they desire
    - Include links to products used in the creation
    - Receive feedback and suggestions from other hackers/makers/retro-modders on other ways to do the same thing (without bashing what I accomplished)

These are NOT my goals:

  • - I don't want to create OUYA portables for other people or do this professionally.
    - I don't want to discuss the merits/drawbacks of OUYA versus other game systems: no console holy wars, please... we're all agnostic hackers here.
    - I don't want to talk about the legality of using/playing illegal copies of copyrighted games. I have a great deal of respect for people who write software and make games, and I believe they should be compensated for their work. Let's leave it at that.
    - I don't want to re-create anyone else's work, HOWEVER, I will link and give COPIOUS credit to anyone who has helped me figure out something that would take me HOURS of reverse-engineering.
    - I don't want to be anyone's personal teacher on how to hack.
 
Yeah 1080p is overkill, 720p or 800p would suffice.
Lowest I would go would be 600p below that quality will suffer.
Can't wait to see some progress, seems like a neat project.
 
I've considered doing this like 12 times now. I love my OUYA and Android is a superb emulation/gaming platform IMO. However every time I think it through I come to the conclusion that getting a Shield and re-casing it would be the better option, and so much simpler to do. What kills it for me is the fact that even though OUYA is great, no touchscreen on an handheld Android device kills it.

This could still be interesting though. I'm curious to see what you come up with. :D
 
1stage said:
Great question!

I have no clever response to that, other than say, as a participant in the Maker and ModRetro movement, the whole concept of hacking and building and improving things interests me. The process is more important than the end product.

The OUYA was designed as an open-source, hackable system. User-created custom cases for the device started appearing BEFORE the official device was released in Spring of 2013. The system BEGS to be hacked.

Yeah, there are dozens of neat, inexpensive Android tablets out there, all of which will be far lighter, far faster, far "better" at doing most of the things that my device will wind up doing.

But this will be my creation, and I can design it to function the way I want it to work. More importantly, I can make my own mistakes with it and grow as a creator/artist by figuring out how to overcome those mistakes. It's cool because I can leverage the experiences of every other hacker out there who has tried something similar.

But the heartbreak of watching a puddle of solder accidentally connect three pins on an IC, forcing me to have to carefully carve a .03" channel between those pins with an X-Acto knife under a magnifying glass is just as valid as the joy I experience when I test continuity on the circuit and FINALLY realize that I've separated the leads successfully... THAT is the most important "Why?" of all, and the most valuable to me.
Click to expand...
Superb answer! I wish you all the luck with the project! :tophat:
 
Been kicking around this idea myself ever since I got mine from the Kickstarter (Backer #35). How are you planning to incorporate the touch pad. Could either try and get a touchscreen monitor and wire that up to the controller, or wire the touch pad to the back like the PS Vita's rear touchpad.
 
All great feedback. I got the new OUYA in the mail this morning, and I'll do an obligatory unboxing video of that, probably tomorrow.

In regards to 1080P versus 720, etc., i'm probably going to go with a Lilliput camera screen. Those range from about US$160 to about US$250, and some have built-in battery ports for Sony batteries. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I'll do a screen discussion in a week or so.

I'm still knee-deep in the GameCube portable, so that will take priority for a bit.

Oh yeah, and I still have to finish my United States federal and California State income taxes. I'm expecting refunds from both, so I'll probably use a little bit of that for this project.
 
So, now we see why there's a bit of a clearance going on with the OUYA. A couple of days ago they announced a 16Gb version with improved WiFi and an enhanced controller.

While I'd love to see a mobo scan of the new 16Gb version, as well as get inside the controller and see what (if anything) is improved, this won't change the scope of my project, because I'm happy with the original specs, especially at the price tag I got it.

Interesting note: I was going to do some soldering on the GameCube portable today (to make room for the OUYA project), but I decided to do some lawn work with the weed whacker (line/wire/string cutter). It's about 20lbs with the battery (yes, I've gone electric with my lawn tools), but after I was done, I noticed that my arm and hand muscles were VERY twitchy afterwards. This made soldering impractical, as I couldn't keep the thing still enough. No, I don't have a palsy, my muscles are just not used to holding a moderately heavy tool in that position for 30 minutes. Does the same thing after I use arm weights when at the gym or working out.
 
DK  said:
How are you planning to incorporate the touch pad.
Click to expand...

I plan on relocating the existing touchpad (the 1" x 2" from the game controller) to somewhere on the face.

Let me think about it a bit after I whittle down the choices for screens, and then I'll diagram it out.
 
Screens

So, after spending a day or two researching screens, I whittled my choices down to about six likely candidates. I did a search on Amazon for "lcd field monitor" for results. I chose Amazon because it is a convenient, reliable way to get equipment, because most of the items have feedback from customers, and because for most of the items, I can get them shipped for free. Are these good enough reasons to avoid doing further online research? I thinks so, primarily because I don't want this project to get mired in "analysis paralysis", which has been the death of many projects in the past.

So, what the heck is a "Field Monitor"?

A field monitor is a portable screen that gives photographers (and directors, cinematographers, and actors, and other people) a larger version of what is coming from a camera. With the advent in the ability of DSLR cameras to shoot HD video, the need for reasonably-priced field monitors arose, and the market filled that need. The most typical sizes for these monitors are either 5" or 7", and most have HDMI input and support the 16/9 aspect ratio of HD. Also, most of these monitors either have their own internal batteries, can snap on standard-sized camera batteries to the back, or have a "hot shoe" attachment to draw power from the camera.

So, of the manufacturers researched (Aputure, Cametec, iKan, Koolertron, Lilliput, Marshall, and Triplett), Lilliput came out as the clear leader of the pack, with Koolertron and Aputure both in second. Lilliput offers both a 5" and a 7" model that fits my needs, while Koolertron and Aputure offer 7" solutions (from what I found). iKan offered a 5" monitor, but I wasn't satisfied with their ratings on Amazon.

From all of this, I whittled it down to three options:

All three were less than US$200 on Amazon (yes, I can probably find them cheaper elsewhere, but a savings of ~US$30 is not worth the effort). Of the three items, the Lilliput 7" was the best reviewed and most extensively rated (4.5 stars with 30 reviewers). Also, here is (I think) basically the same model with 4.5 stars and over 90 reviewers.

While I'd prefer a 5" screen over a 7" screen for size reasons, I did a quick drawing of the two for scale and found that a 7" screen actually works better, given the size and layout of the controller items.

So, I believe the Lilliput 668GL will be the monitor I use. Here is the product page for full details.

I invite your constructive feedback.
 
Oh, and all of the screens considered only have a native resolution of 800x480 (although the HDMI interpreter scales the 1080p signal down to size.)

Yes, that's kinda sucky, but the next level up (1280x800) is ~US$350 (basically double the cost) and only gets you 720p.

True 1080p on a 7" screen is not a reality for less than ~US$700 (now quadruple the cost), and whether you REALLY get full 1080p resolution (retina display?) is questionable.

No, I'll deal with a low-end 480p screen for less than US$200. Any more, and I would be heart-broken if bricked it.
 
ttsgeb said:
http://hackaday.com/2013/04/22/connect-a-retina-display-to-a-regular-computer/
I wonder if the ipad mini display can work like this as well.
Click to expand...

Neat idea. The iPad Mini display would be great, and I'm sure I could get an Apple Service part for it for less than US$200. But it's the HDMI hacking from the OUYA to the LCD that is daunting to me, and a bit more than I'd be interested in taking on for this project.
 
It sounds like you've got a good plan going, and while I'm sure you're set on those screens in particular (i'm sure they're nice screens). They seem overly expensive for what you're going to use them for. Have you considered something like this?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HDMI-VGA-2AV-To ... 417b4c7fe2

This is what I was considering using when I was planning on doing an OUYA protable mod. It even has the resistive touch screen and usb driver board for it. So if you could build some kind of custom rom for the OUYA you might even be able to retain some touchscreen functionality.

Just a suggestion. Things are looking good here either way. :D
 
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