[HH] Ouya and other set-top-box news, ARM CPU bechmarks

[Tom Metro]

[tl;dr: the Ouya game console/set-top-box is still in a rough state, and
competing Android boxes are starting to appear with more powerful
hardware for about the same price.]

Some reviews are starting to appear for the Ouya, that Kickstarter
funded $99 Android running game console built with commodity cell-phone
hardware. I have some interest in it as a device to run XBMC on.

There were some articles recentlty about Ouya supplying cad files so you
can 3D print your own custom enclosure for it. I guess that's to endear
themselves to the hardware hackers and early adopters. It struck me as
gimmicky, and I didn't bother reading those articles.


Ouya review: can an indie console take on Sony and Microsoft?
http://www.theverge.com/2013/4/4/4180242/ouya-review

  Inside the box is basically a cutting-edge Android smartphone. There's
  a 1.7GHz Tegra 3 processor inside, with all four cores running all the
  time since there's no battery life to worry about, so the processor
  should be even better than your phone's. The console also comes with
  1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage (a shockingly small amount when you
  consider games like Shadowgun and Grand Theft Auto run up to 1GB),
  Bluetooth 4.0, and Wi-Fi b/g/n. It's more than enough to match the
  required specs for any game currently available on Android, though
  it's not exactly a Razer Edge. It runs relatively quietly and
  relatively cool, more like a phone than your typical gaming machine.

  ...there's a fair amount of lag between the controller and the
  console. It wasn't always present, and seemed to have to rhyme or
  reason to it, but about half the time the game felt perfectly synced
  and the other half it felt a full beat behind what my thumb was doing.
  [...]
  Over the course of my time with the Ouya, I've wondered constantly why
  the product is launching now. My guess is there's been some heat from
  backers wondering where their $99 went, but even if that's the case
  Ouya might want to slow things down a bit. This console isn't finished
  -- it's not even close.

  The device runs Android 4.1, with a TV-friendly, Ouya skin on top that
  I quite like. It's orange, gray, and blue, and is typography-based,
  simple, and vaguely reminiscent of the tiled Metro interface on the
  Xbox 360. It's also basically just a home screen. Every advanced
  settings menu is ripped clean from stock Android...
  [...]
  The company's teased a handful of partnerships, from XBMC to OnLive
  (which would be a huge get), but there's no telling when all that is
  coming. For now, the only really compelling thing to play is old Super
  Nintendo and Nintendo 64 games via the emulators that come in the Ouya
  Store, but hunting for ROMs and sideloading games isn't a particularly
  easy process either.
  [...]
  I managed to get Netflix, Plex, Shadowgun, Mario Kart 64, and Angry
  Birds Space all running on the Ouya, and even though the interfaces
  looked like they were meant for 4-inch screens rather than 60, at
  least they worked.

  The Ouya is as hackable as promised. You can open up the console with
  an Allen wrench and four screws, and no corner of the OS is outside
  your reach. It's a remarkable developer plaything, a device with lots
  of potential and few true limitations.
  [...]
  Even if the concept is right, the Ouya misses the mark. The controller
  needs work, the interface is a mess, and have I mentioned there's
  really nothing to do with the thing? I'm not even sure the concept is
  right, either: there are plenty of fun Android games, but currently
  few that work well with a controller and even fewer that look good on
  your television.


http://www.theverge.com/2013/4/5/4189184/ouya-says-pre-release-console-not-ready-for-review

  Ouya is responding to early reviews of its pre-release Android gaming
  console, saying that the software is still unfinished. In a statement
  to GamesIndustry International, the company explains that the 60,000
  Kickstarter backers currently receiving their machines are
  participating in a "preview period," and that it plans to send out
  review consoles in early- to mid-May, constantly improving the product
  ahead of its June retail release.


http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/03/ouya-review-founding-backer-edition/

  ...we measured the OUYA at just about 4.5 watts of consumption during
  gameplay, a little less when sitting idle at a menu. When suspended,
  the console draws about a single watt, which is the price you will
  have to pay for being able to instantly resume your game right where
  you left off.
  [...]
  The version of OUYA shipping now should be considered a beta release,
  and anyone hoping for anything more is in for some disappointment.
  It's simply not ready for retail. The system is rough around the edges
  in many ways, quite literally when regarding the controller, but the
  interface and menus also could use work.

Criticisms were similar to the Verge review. See site for a companion
video review.

The "Frame Rate" (twit.tv) podcast mentioned an Ouya review/demo running
XBMC:

This is what XBMC looks like on the $99 Ouya game console
http://liliputing.com/2013/03/this-is-what-xbmc-looks-like-on-the-99-ouya-game-console-and-it-looks-good.html

  [XBMC] Developer Nathan Betzen got his hands on a pre-release sample
  of the Ouya. ... In the demo video you can see the user interface
  running at about 54 frames per second, transitions between menus
  working seamlessly, and 1080p HD video playing perfectly. There's a
  catch: at the moment H.264 video looks great, but some other video
  formats may not run as smoothly.

See site for video.

The Liliputing site had a bunch of related content, such as:

Commodore 64 emulator turns the Ouya into an (ancient) PC
http://liliputing.com/2013/03/commodore-64-emulator-turns-the-ouya-into-an-ancient-pc.html

  Developer Paul Lamb is working to port the open source Frodo C64
  emulator to run on the Ouya, which means that you can treat this game
  console like a Commodore 64 computer.
  [...]
  Lamb is the same developer responsible for porting the Mupen64
  Nintendo 64 emulator to run on the Ouya. His goal is to make it work
  with both the Ouya game controller as well as with a plug-in keyboard.


CX-803 ii Android TV stick features 2GB RAM, dual-core CPU
http://liliputing.com/2013/04/cx-803-ii-android-tv-stick-features-2gb-ram-dual-core-cpu-external-antenna.html

  Tiny sticks that you can plug into a TV to run Android apps on a big
  screen are a dime a dozen these days (or more accurately, as cheap as
  $30 or so). What's a bit tougher to find is a model with 2GB of RAM.

  Enter the CX-803 II. It's an Android TV stick with a Rockchip RK3066
  dual-core processor, Android 4.1 software, and 2GB of RAM. It's
  available from Geekbuying for $70.
  [...]
  Since this model has an RK3066 processor, it should also be able to
  run PicUntu, a version of Ubuntu Linux optimized to run on Android
  systems with that chip. The extra RAM should come in handy if you're
  trying to run Linux on this device.

  The CX-803 II features ARM Mali 400 quad-core graphics, 8GB of
  built-in storage, and a microSD card slot for extra storage space. It
  has 802.11n WiFi and an external antenna which should help with
  wireless reception -- something many other Android mini computers
  struggle with.


H5, MK818 join the Android set top box party
http://liliputing.com/2013/03/h5-mk818-join-the-android-set-top-box-party.html

  The MK818 is an Android TV box from the maker of the popular MK808.
  Like the smaller MK808, the new MK818 has a Rockchip RK3066 ARM
  Cortex-A9 dual core processor, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of built-in
  storage. But it also has a 0.3MP camera, a built-in mic, a 3.5mm
  headphone jack, a 10/100 Ethernet jack, and Bluetooth.

  Geekbuying sells the MK818 for $85, and you can find it at AliExpress
  for prices as low as $76.


$79 GameStick video game console becomes a
media center with XBMC support
http://liliputing.com/2013/03/79-gamestick-video-game-console-becomes-a-media-center-with-xbmc-support.html

  The GameStick is an upcoming device which lets you turn your TV into a
  video game console by sticking a $79 stick into the HDMI port to run
  Android video games which you can control using a wireless gamepad.
  [...]
  The makers of the GameStick have announced they're working with Pivos
  to bring support for the XBMC media center application to the
  GameStick.
  [...]
  ...you can install XBMC on nearly any Android devices with relatively
  recent hardware. But it's nice to know that the GameStick developers
  will be offering official support for the powerful media app.


Android TV box with Samsung Exynos 4412 quad-core chip
now available for $120
http://liliputing.com/2013/03/android-tv-box-with-samsung-exynos-4412-quad-core-chip-now-available-for-120.html

  Samsung's Exynos 4412 processor is a quad-core chip which powered some
  of the fastest Android devices on the market...
  [...]
  ...small boxes with 1.4 GHz Exynos 4412 ARM Cortex-A9 quad-core chips,
  ARM Mali 400 graphics, WiFi, HDMI, an IR remote control, and 2 USB 2.0
  ports.
  [...]
  Geekbuying says the version it will sell will come pre-rooted and with
  XBMC media center preinstalled. W2Comp is charging $120 for a model
  with 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage or $142 for a model with 2GB of RAM
  and 16GB of storage.

Conveniently the site also has benchmarks comparing the Exynos 4412 and
the Tegra 3 used in the Ouya:

http://liliputing.com/2013/04/lilbits-battle-of-the-quad-cores-ouya-review-and-more-4-03-2013.html

which actually shows the Rockchip RK3188 beats both, but the Exynos
still bests the Tegra 3.

Looks like you can buy "sticks" using the Rockchip RK3188:

http://liliputing.com/2013/03/first-android-tv-sticks-with-rockchip-rk3188-quad-core-processors-arrive.html

  Rockchip's RK3188 chip is a quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor with top
  speeds of up to 1.8 GHz and Mali 400 quad-core graphics for HD and 3D
  video. ...and now the first Android TV boxes with RK3188 processors
  are starting to arrive as well.

  GeekBuying is selling a model called the Tronsmart T428 for $99. ...it
  features an RK3188 processor, Mali 400 graphics, 2GB of RAM, 8GB to
  16GB of storage, built-in 802.11n WiFi, a microSD card slot, USB 2.0
  port, and microUSB port. There's an HDMI connector on one end, which
  lets you plug the stick directly into a TV or monitor.

  GeekBuying reports that the device scores very well on benchmarks --
  it gets a 18706 score in AnTutu, which is higher than the scores you
  get from most devices with NVIDIA Tegra 3 or Samsung Exynos 4412
  processors.

  This could be a problem for the Ouya if they don't polish their
  offering pretty quickly. The customers willing to tinker and put up
  with rough edges are likely to spend the extra $20 for a box with more
  horsepower.

The Ouya has a fan, while these sticks (running at an even higher clock
rate) obviously don't. I wonder how they get away with that? Is the
Rockchip more power efficient? Or are the stick vendors merely ignoring
the heat problem?

Finally...

Comparison of ARM-based TV sticks, tablets, chromebooks running Linux
http://liliputing.com/2013/03/comparison-of-arm-based-tv-sticks-tablets-chromebooks-running-linux.html

  Having a tough time figuring out which Android TV stick or tablet to
  pick up if what you really want to do is run Linux on it? Me too.

  Fortunately CNX-Software reports Ian Morrison decided to test more
  than half a dozen different ARM-powered devices running Ubuntu 12.04
  or Ubuntu 12.10 and he's shared the results.

The benchmarks showed the Samsung Chromebook (Exynos 5250) on top (no
surprise), followed by the Hardkernel ODroid-U2 dev board (Exynos 4412),
Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 tablet (Tegra 2), and then a few Rockchip
RK3066 sticks, a Freescale i.MX6 stick, and a Allwinner A10 stick at the
bottom.

No Tegra 3 or Rockchip RK3188 devices in this comparison, but blending
the data in this and the prior benchmark article would suggest that the
Rockchip RK3188-based boxes might offer the most bang for the buck.

 -Tom