Mad Catz is starting their journey into the hardware business by releasing a “truly open” Android microconsole that will be coming by the end of this year, as the company told to CVG. Mojo, the current name for the system, will come bundled with a Mad Catz game controller as will as the miniature console with UBS and HDMI connections. While the Ouya only primarily sells games through a only on-console marketplace, Mojo will run stock Android and giving players access to the Google Play, Amazon, and Nvidia TegraZone stores. One of the most crucial parts that could contribute or stop the Mojos success is how well the Google Play games will be optimized for televisions and game controllers. With most Android games being specifically mapped for touch-screens, it will be interesting to see how well the games are mapped to controllers.
The global PR director of Mad Catz, Alex Verrery, told CVG that “not all touchscreen games will work”, though they are working on a solution for this problem. The Mojo is also registered as a standard Android device, this will let gamers that have already purchases apps from these stores can log in with there existing account and download the apps that they have already purchased. Verrey has this more to say about the Mojo and how it would work,
Because Mojo runs stock Android, you have day-one access to literally hundreds of thousands of games and applications. We’re going down a very different road to the competition and believe in being open, honest and fair with the consumer. We’re not offering a walled garden with a small selection of a hundred or so games. We’re not forcing gamers to use our controllers if they don’t wish to, we’re not trying to sell services or software, nor are we forcing the gamers into a walled garden. Our commitment to the gamer is simple: We’re going to deliver the most powerful Android based Micro Console on the market when we launch later this year. We are totally open. No walled garden, no small selection of games, no subscription fees. We bring the hardware, gamers bring the games. Buy games from where you want, when you want and how you want.
The official name for the Mojo controller is the CTRLR, it uses a similiar layout to the XBOX 360 controller. The controller also features Bluetooth Classic and Bluetooth Smart 4.0 technologies, the controller is also compatible with all Android phones. The smart mode improves latency considerably, Verrey said.
Bluetooth controllers are generally very laggy with a response rate of up to 100ms. This isn’t ideal for core gamers. Bluetooth Smart drastically reduces the lag, polling at around 7ms. That means you’ll feel much more like you’re using an Xbox 360 controller when you play Mojo.
The pad features 3 different modes,
- GameSmart mode offers standard controls for Android games that carry gamepad support.
- Mouse mode is used for touch-screen games and lets players use the controller’s analogue stick to move an on-screen cursor (a USB mouse can also be plugged into Mojo)
- PC mode, meanwhile, turns it into a standard PC controller for use on your computer.
You are not just limited to a controller though, many different Android based Bluetooth devices can be used, Verrey said,
Don’t like our controller? Use someone else’s. Plug in mice, keyboards, headsets and more. Want to use our controller on a phone, tablet, PC or more? No problem there either.
Verrey also claims that the console can stream 1080p perfectly, and it is also compatible with media apps like Netflix and LoveFilm. Mad Catz is not prepared to confirm all of the Mojo details just yet though, not being able to give technical specifications, but they have said this about Mojo “will be the most powerful Android micro console available at launch” and it will feature “no less than 16GB internal storage”, with microSD being supported. While a price for Mojo has not been confirmed, the system will launch around this holiday.
