Alternative Next Gen Consoles

As well as the Xbox One and Playstation 4 there are a number of alternative devices that are due to hit the market this year attempting to grab a piece of the lucrative console market by utilising the Android operating system.  Some of these are being developed by big technology companies such as Nvidia whilst others are being developed and brought to market by independent manufacturers via alternative funding methods like the Ouya which received it's funding via Kickstarter.

Nvidia Shield

The Shield handheld gaming device comes equipped with Nvidia's Tegra 4 Quad Core Mobile Processor, 2gb of RAM, an integrated 5 inch multi-touch display, and 16gb of flash storage.  The device runs Android's Jelly Bean operating system so the user can install games from Google's Play Store to play on the integrated screen or to output to your TV via the Mini-HDMI port on the back of the device.  As well as running Android games the Shield will give the user the ability to stream and control games from their GeForce GTX powered PC's using a wi-fi connection and will retail at $299 (no UK price has been announced yet).

Ouya

The Ouya games console will run a modified version of Android's Jelly Bean operating system and will feature an exclusive Ouya store for applications and games.  Out of the box the console will include TwitchTV, access to Onlive game streaming and will be open to rooting without validating the warranty.  In addition to this all owners will be able to use their Ouya consoles as developer kits allowing anyone to create games and applications for the device.  The system runs an Nvidia Tegra 3 system-on-chip with a 1.7 GHz Quad-Core Arm processor, 8gb flash storage, 1gb of RAM, and will plug directly into your TV via HDMI.  Every game or application on the Ouya is required to have a free component whether that be totally free, with a free trial or with in-app purchases or additional levels.  The Ouya will retail at $99 in the US and £99 in the UK.

GameStick

PlayJams GameStick console resembles a USB memory stick and plugs directly into the HDMI port of your TV allowing you to take your console anywhere you want.  The device features wi-fi allowing users to access the internet and bluetooth connectivity so up to 4 people can play simultaneously.  In addition the console will allow other Android and iOS devices to be used as controllers and will support XBMC for media streaming.  The GameStick offers similiar specs to the Ouya with an Amlogic 8726-MX system-on-chip, 1 gb of RAM, 8gb flash storage and will retail for $79 US or £79.99 UK.

MOJO

Madcatz have yet to release much in the way of details regarding their MOJO micro-console except for the fact that it will run Android (although which version is yet to be decided).  It will come with access to the Google Play store meaning you'll be able to download and play all those games you already bought on your Android phone or tablet.

Gamepop

The Gamepop console is a subscription based hardware and software solution offering mobile based gaming on your TV for $6.99 per month and, up until the end of June, this monthly cost includes the hardware also.  If you choose to cancel your subscription during the first 12 months you need to send the console back in working order and pay some re-stocking fees but after this it's yours to keep.  Specifications for the hardware haven't been shared yet but the console allows you to access more than 500 mobile games on your TV.

Steambox

There's alot of speculation out there regarding the upcoming Steambox from Valve.  At the moment there are no specifics regarding the hardware or software itself but it's expected that the hardware itself will be tightly controlled whilst the software will be open.  It's expected that the unit will ship with a Linux OS but users will be able to install Windows as an alternative OS if they want.  Xi3 revealed the Piston at the Consumer Electronics Show in January which is one of several designs that Valve are looking at for the Steambox however at $1000 you may as well build a gaming PC and use your TV as a monitor via HDMI ouput as it will work out cheaper and be more powerful. 

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Android Movie Player

For this little How To you'll need several things -

• ~ A device running Android (a tablet would be preferable unless you don't mind watching films on a teeny tiny phone screen)
• ~ Access to Googles Play Store
• ~ Some video files (any format is fine)

Out of the box Android only supports a limited number of video formats (3gp, mp4, mkv) which makes it a pain when trying to watch those videos and TV shows you may have downloaded from somewhere on the internet that aren't in a supported format (i.e. avi files).  Using a couple of apps we can make your Android device into an awesome looking media player that plays all those other formats and will be the envy of your fellow commuters.

1) Copy some video files you want to watch on to your Android device.  I prefer to separate Movies and TV Shows into different directories using the following directory structure on my PC and other devices:

This is the standard directory structure for most Media Server software and it's worth maintaining this structure if you want to implement a Media Server later.

2) Download and install Mizuu

This is a paid app but it's very reasonably priced (£1.29) very powerful, and there's not really anything free which offers an alternative to it although I wouldn't recommend anything other than this anyway.  Mizuu will download metadata and images for your TV Shows and Movies and display them with covers, backdrops, actor information, and trailers.  It even has links to enable you to view details and trailers of upcoming movies and videos on sharing sites like Youtube, Reddit, and Ted Talks and basically creates an awesome looking UI for you to access your files.

3) Download and install BSPlayer or BSPlayer Free

Whilst Mizuu will be the front-end BS Player will be the back-end and will play our video files, the reason we use this software is because it's one of the few which will also play non-native video files (such as AVI files) and transcodes on the fly with no lag in audio that you see on other players.  The main difference between BS Player and it's free version is the ad support, although this normally only appears when you pause the video (so it's relatively unobtrusive) but if you like the software you should pay for it to ensure it's continued support and development.

4) Go in to Mizuu and set up the locations for your Movie files and TV files in the settings, if Mizuu downloads the incorrect metadata and visuals for your files it's simple to change by tapping on the poster for the Movie or TV Show and then tapping the menu icon in the top right corner.

5) Once you've set up your folders and downloaded your metadata/visuals go into one of your Movies or TV Shows and click the Play button.  Android should give you a choice of media player you want to use to play the video file, select BS Player from the available options and then select ALWAYS so you never have to see this option again.

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