Ouya, which launched today even if many donors donât yet have their machines, is an Android-based, open source console. Itâll run emulators. So thereâs some sensitivity to the issue of piracy, which Ouya didnât help by retweeting out a picture of Super Mario Bros. and adding the hashtag #freethegames.
Ouyaâs official account, around 8 p.m. on Monday, quoted the Tweet, linking this picture with the addition of the #FreetheGames hashtag to the beginning of it.
In March, the discussion of emulators on Ouyaâs unofficial forums brought a statement from the console maker as to what would and would not be allowable on the device. Ouya said it would accept emulators on the Ouya store provided they didnât include any games to which the emulator didnât have a legitimate license. People who wanted to submit retro games to the Ouya store also would need a license from the owner, and Ouya noted the store does not accept ROMs, which could be pirated material, only the .apk file format.
That said, the device has already been shown to run Street Fighter II and Mario 64 on emulation, so even if ROMs or .apks of the games themselves canât be exchanged over the Ouya store, there may be a way still to get them on the open-source console.
Update: An Ouya representative responded to Kotaku, restating the companyâs policies on emulators, content submissions to the Ouya store, and file formats. Ouyaâs tweet also has been deleted.
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