Corona for Console? (Ouya or MOJO or ?)

Solar2D Android
#1

Hello,

I worked on a few Corona games years ago (back in '11, mostly as a front end / art / ui person) and have kept track of what Corona does from time to time. 

What’s the “state of the union” when it comes to creating a console game in Corona? Android seems to offer the best / most cost-effective development options, right?

I was excited to see Corona and the developer community here gravitate to Ouya and start to make that work… But Ouya seems to have officially seen its sunset in 2015, and I have no clue as to whether its developer kit is still available. 

Mad Catz M.O.J.O. offered Ouya compatibility (and their company bought Ouya) but again, they shut down Ouya availability. They do still have their own viable Android based console (aka mini console) on the market. Is compatibility with their device/hardware offered by Corona at all?

Again, what’s the best way to create a console game in Corona? Or was Ouya it…?

Thanks for any help!

#2

I’m not clear on what the actual question is:

  • Can you make a android app that will work on an Android mini-PC/Console?  - Yes.  There should be no heavy lifting required.
  • Can you use joysticks and other input devices? - Yes
  • Does any of this require special enterprise magic? - No. You should be able to publish and run directly on any Google Play connected Android mini-PC/Console.  ( Disclaimer: Other specialized stores may have requirements I don’t know about during for signing and building your app.)
  • Is there an OUYA plugin?  No, there are two: https://marketplace.coronalabs.com/search?search=ouya 
#3

Hi!

Thanks so much for the answer. I think I was concerned because Ouya has been discontinued/sunset, so I wasn’t sure if some technical hurdles would pop up.

Regarding your answers, here are some hurdles/questions I wasn’t sure about:

Corona App working on Android Console  - Are there other consoles Corona works with successfully? 

Joysticks/Inputs  - This seems to be a potential hurdle. Other than Ouya, would other Console systems’ inputs/joysticks be compatible w/ Corona?

Does any of this require Enterprise magic  - No? That’s good. 

Publishing to Google Play Store for any Android Console  - Now, Ouya had its own store… I don’t currently have an Ouya, but I assume that the Ouya Marketplace is down… So any game created for this platform would… have to be released on the Google Play Store, or maybe get side-loaded on an Ouya during the development process. Seems iffy for Development, and a dead-end for sales?   

Ouya plugin  - I actually didn’t know that was there, thanks 

Ouya Developer Kit  - The ODK apparently still exists on GitHub, so that’s great, but how long will that exist?

High Definition TVs - the Ouya seemed to create a situation where the target device was a bit more defined, and I assumed this would make targeting the high resolution TV more straightforward.

The Ouya situation seems… to possibly work in the short term, but it seems to have an uncertain future (the consoles themselves will die out, I’m sure the last of them will get sold off eventually.)

Again, so far I’ve only looked into the Ouya - I don’t know if MOJO or other Android Consoles have greater compatibility with Corona. Is there a viable future-facing path to releasing a console game with Corona? Ouya seems… iffy. Perhaps GameStick…?

#4
  • Corona App working on Android Console - Minix X7, Fire Stick, Fire TV, … sure again.  Android builds work pretty much on any Android console/mini-pc.
  • Joysticks/Inputs - Corona works with any Joystick as long as the device detects it and throws axis and key events.  If you’re looking for libraries that do all the heavy lifting, I think they are all a bit dated now.  However you can easily code these up.
  • Publishing to Google Play Store for any Android Console - I don’t really understand the question, but.
  1. You can sell any app you make on the Google Play Store for TVs.  Mark the app as a TV app (in build.settings) and provide the right assets for the TV part of the Google Play store.
  2. Other than that, identify the specific console(s) you’re focusing on and see if they have their own private stores, then investigate those stores.
  • Ouya Developer Kit - Fork it and you’ll have it forever in your own account.
  • High Definition TVs -  Get the Corona Cannon example, build it, then test it on your Android console(s). https://coronalabs.com/blog/2016/02/02/corona-cannon-a-new-corona-sdk-sample-game/
  • OUYA, Mojo, … - The key question is, “What version of Android does the device run?”  If  the answer is, “Android OS 2.3.3  or later”, you are pretty much golden.

PS - I think OUYA is pretty much dead, but then I think you should NOT focus on a specific device.

#5

Hey!!

Great response. Thanks.

I really wanted to understand the “state of the union” before starting a project like this, and I clearly hadn’t been keeping track of the Corona for Console situation in great detail.

About “Publishing to Play store… for any Android Console” I was just trying to point out that Ouya seemed to be problematic at this point. I think you and I are saying the same thing… Ouya is pretty much dead. The only reason I was still thinking about it though, is the fact that the community here seemed to have code available, hints, etc, targeting the Ouya. That seemed helpful from my perspective.

Now, I do hear what you’re saying about not focusing on a specific device, I like to make sure to test / get reliable results by targeting at least a range of known devices. I like what people say about the Minix X7 (thanks for the tip!), and I still think having a MOJO around could be worth the effort. (I’m not so sure about supporting/targeting Amazon/FireStick…)

This is definitely enough info for me right now (unless you have something else to mention), I’ve only just started getting my feet wet in Corona again. Hopefully this post is helpful for anyone else looking to develop a console game. Thanks again!

#6

I’m not clear on what the actual question is:

  • Can you make a android app that will work on an Android mini-PC/Console?  - Yes.  There should be no heavy lifting required.
  • Can you use joysticks and other input devices? - Yes
  • Does any of this require special enterprise magic? - No. You should be able to publish and run directly on any Google Play connected Android mini-PC/Console.  ( Disclaimer: Other specialized stores may have requirements I don’t know about during for signing and building your app.)
  • Is there an OUYA plugin?  No, there are two: https://marketplace.coronalabs.com/search?search=ouya 
#7

Hi!

Thanks so much for the answer. I think I was concerned because Ouya has been discontinued/sunset, so I wasn’t sure if some technical hurdles would pop up.

Regarding your answers, here are some hurdles/questions I wasn’t sure about:

Corona App working on Android Console  - Are there other consoles Corona works with successfully? 

Joysticks/Inputs  - This seems to be a potential hurdle. Other than Ouya, would other Console systems’ inputs/joysticks be compatible w/ Corona?

Does any of this require Enterprise magic  - No? That’s good. 

Publishing to Google Play Store for any Android Console  - Now, Ouya had its own store… I don’t currently have an Ouya, but I assume that the Ouya Marketplace is down… So any game created for this platform would… have to be released on the Google Play Store, or maybe get side-loaded on an Ouya during the development process. Seems iffy for Development, and a dead-end for sales?   

Ouya plugin  - I actually didn’t know that was there, thanks 

Ouya Developer Kit  - The ODK apparently still exists on GitHub, so that’s great, but how long will that exist?

High Definition TVs - the Ouya seemed to create a situation where the target device was a bit more defined, and I assumed this would make targeting the high resolution TV more straightforward.

The Ouya situation seems… to possibly work in the short term, but it seems to have an uncertain future (the consoles themselves will die out, I’m sure the last of them will get sold off eventually.)

Again, so far I’ve only looked into the Ouya - I don’t know if MOJO or other Android Consoles have greater compatibility with Corona. Is there a viable future-facing path to releasing a console game with Corona? Ouya seems… iffy. Perhaps GameStick…?

#8
  • Corona App working on Android Console - Minix X7, Fire Stick, Fire TV, … sure again.  Android builds work pretty much on any Android console/mini-pc.
  • Joysticks/Inputs - Corona works with any Joystick as long as the device detects it and throws axis and key events.  If you’re looking for libraries that do all the heavy lifting, I think they are all a bit dated now.  However you can easily code these up.
  • Publishing to Google Play Store for any Android Console - I don’t really understand the question, but.
  1. You can sell any app you make on the Google Play Store for TVs.  Mark the app as a TV app (in build.settings) and provide the right assets for the TV part of the Google Play store.
  2. Other than that, identify the specific console(s) you’re focusing on and see if they have their own private stores, then investigate those stores.
  • Ouya Developer Kit - Fork it and you’ll have it forever in your own account.
  • High Definition TVs -  Get the Corona Cannon example, build it, then test it on your Android console(s). https://coronalabs.com/blog/2016/02/02/corona-cannon-a-new-corona-sdk-sample-game/
  • OUYA, Mojo, … - The key question is, “What version of Android does the device run?”  If  the answer is, “Android OS 2.3.3  or later”, you are pretty much golden.

PS - I think OUYA is pretty much dead, but then I think you should NOT focus on a specific device.

#9

Hey!!

Great response. Thanks.

I really wanted to understand the “state of the union” before starting a project like this, and I clearly hadn’t been keeping track of the Corona for Console situation in great detail.

About “Publishing to Play store… for any Android Console” I was just trying to point out that Ouya seemed to be problematic at this point. I think you and I are saying the same thing… Ouya is pretty much dead. The only reason I was still thinking about it though, is the fact that the community here seemed to have code available, hints, etc, targeting the Ouya. That seemed helpful from my perspective.

Now, I do hear what you’re saying about not focusing on a specific device, I like to make sure to test / get reliable results by targeting at least a range of known devices. I like what people say about the Minix X7 (thanks for the tip!), and I still think having a MOJO around could be worth the effort. (I’m not so sure about supporting/targeting Amazon/FireStick…)

This is definitely enough info for me right now (unless you have something else to mention), I’ve only just started getting my feet wet in Corona again. Hopefully this post is helpful for anyone else looking to develop a console game. Thanks again!