Ouya: A New Console For Under $100

[#1]

Quote

A new startup is looking to battle Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo in the living room with a brand-new console with an inexpensive price point. Ouya, built on a custom-based Android operating system targeted to launch early next year, is open to any developer looking to publish a game. The developers also set pricing; the one catch is that every game must have a free portion available, whether through a demo or free-to-play model. The console also supports other Android apps, such as TwitchTV, which comes included.

more here inc hardware specs

[#2]

It's not really in competition with Sony/Nintendo/Microsoft on the console front, and at under $100 it never will be!  If you look at a PS3 you have the cost of the Blu-Ray player which is pretty expensive still (although at the time the PS3 was released it was the cheapest and best Blu-Ray player on the market, the games part came free!).  For under $100 I'd expect a very casual gaming machine, it's a lot less than a decent specced android phone even so it can't really push the envelope as it were, whilst consoles when they are first released can really be cutting edge, even giving top end PC's a run for their money (although the PC eventually over-takes them due to a long life cycle).

[#3]

Could you 'build your own' with one of these? http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2404770,00.asp

[#4]

Update: It only took eight hours, but the project reached its Kickstarter pledge goal of $950,000.