OUYA Developer Kit Release Date: Kickstarter Success Story Ships To Programmers On Dec. 28th

Months ago, a group of developers proposed to gamers on Kickstarter, and their answer was a resounding yes.

The Ouya, an Android-based independent console, raked in $8,596,474 from 63,416 during its campaign on the popular fund-raising site, humbly shattering records in the process. Today, the team behind this ambitious project announced that developer consoles will be shipped out of the factory on December 28, and land on the front doors of talented programmers, concept artists, and level designers in just a few short days after.

"The dev consoles are an early version of the OUYA console and controller designed for developers to test their games on OUYA. Our Kickstarter developers are the first to get a crack at 'em! We're psyched to have you on board, and we can't wait to see what pours from your brain!," reads the official statement. "Of course, when the final consoles ship, EVERY OUYA will be a dev console"

When the system ultimately ships to consumers, it will cost $99, and bring apps to the big screen in players' home theaters. The Ouya features a Tegra3 quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB internal flash storage, WiFi and Bluetooth functionality, Ethernet connectivity, and will support resolutions up to 1080p HD. The accompanying controller includes "standard controls" with two analog sticks, a d-pad, eight action buttons, a system button, alongside a touchpad.

For a first-hand look at the proposed system, check out the original pitch for OUYA below.