Microconsole
Low-cost Android-based consoles bridging mobile and TV gaming.
A microconsole is a home video game console built with inexpensive components, making it cheaper than most other consoles on the market. Most microconsoles are Android-based digital media players that come with a gamepad and are sold as gaming devices. They connect to a television and run games downloaded from an app store like Google Play, though a few exceptions exist, such as the PlayStation TV and the OnLive Game System.
The idea traces back to the iQue Player, a low-cost handheld TV console released in 2003 for the Chinese market, based on the Nintendo 64. Initially, games were downloaded at iQue Depot kiosks. In October 2004, the iQue@Home store let users download games from home, making it possibly the first microconsole of its kind.
After mobile gaming took off on smartphones and tablets around 2008, microconsoles gained global attention in the early 2010s. They were seen as a way to blend home console gaming with mobile gaming, using the large library of Android games. OnLive’s MicroConsole, a TV adapter and wireless gamepad for its streaming service, introduced the term "microconsole" to the field. The name caught on because it echoed the microcomputers of the 1970s and 1980s—low-cost, less powerful, and smaller than mainframes or minicomputers. Similarly, microconsoles use cheaper hardware and come in compact packages, sometimes small enough to fit inside a handheld controller.
OnLive’s MicroConsole launched in late 2010. VentureBeat’s Dean Takahashi described it as representing the founder’s vision to upend the industry, offering high-end games on low-end hardware and potentially ending the cycle of regular console upgrades. The device was sold at a loss, making OnLive an early leader in the field.
In July 2012, amid a "new war for TV" in consumer electronics, the inexpensive Android-based Ouya console was announced for crowdfunding. It raised $8.5 million overnight. The success sparked significant interest in low-cost Android console gaming, fueled by the mobile games industry’s growth. The industry began calling these devices alternative consoles or microconsoles.
At the January 2013 Consumer Electronics Show, Polygon reported that Android "consoles" were best-in-show, citing devices like the MOGA Pro, Green Throttle Games Atlas controller, Nvidia Shield, and news of Valve’s Steam Machine (a non-Android console).
- Earliest known example
- iQue Player (2003)
- First to use name
- OnLive MicroConsole (late 2010)
- Notable crowdfunding success
- Ouya raised $8.5 million (July 2012)
- Key release year
- 2013
- Playstation tv release japan
- November 14, 2013
- Playstation tv release north america
- October 14, 2014
Lore & Background
The concept of a low-cost TV game console with downloadable games dates back to the iQue Player, released in 2003 for the Chinese market. Based on the Nintendo 64, it initially offered game downloads from kiosks, and in October 2004 introduced the iQue@Home application store, potentially making it the first microconsole of its kind. In the early 2010s, following the rise of mobile gaming on smartphones and tablets from 2008, microconsoles began gaining global traction as a way to marry home console gaming with the large library of Android games.
Cloud gaming startup OnLive released the MicroConsole in late 2010, a television adapter and wireless gamepad for its streaming service, produced at a loss. The term "microconsole" was more widely adapted to describe these units, mirroring the concept of microcomputers of the 1970s and 1980s. In July 2012, the Ouya was announced via crowdfunding and raised $8.5 million overnight, spurring significant interest in low-cost Android console gaming. Following Ouya's success, competitors such as GameStick (early 2013), GamePop (May 2013), and Mad Catz's MOJO (June 2013) were announced. The PlayStation TV (PlayStation Vita TV in Asia) was announced in September 2013 and released in Japan in November 2013 and North America in October 2014.
Home-made microconsoles also emerged, with the Raspberry Pi becoming a popular platform due to its low cost and ability to emulate retro gaming consoles using packages like RetroArch or RetroPie.
Reader's Guide
Microconsoles were seen as a potential new market space for developers, representing console alternatives that could empower independent game developers by offering a less restrictive platform. In 2013, the year was called "the year of the microconsole" by one commentator, citing less consumer need for traditional console power, low manufacture cost, increased system compatibility, and more developer freedom from console business interests. Microconsoles were described as "the netbooks of the console world"—deliberately small and not intended to compete with big video game consoles, though they were considered competitors in a crowded non-traditional console space.
Despite the promise, the pre-release Ouya was panned by early reviewers, with one calling it unfinished and another questioning why consumers would buy a console duplicating smartphone functionality. The industry also saw Apple's Apple TV as potential microconsole competition due to its experience in the mobile games market, with speculation that an Apple TV App Store could spark a rush of games to the television. The microconsole field faced questions about its ability to succeed amid competition from each other as well as from Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft's new consoles.
Did You Know?
- The iQue Player, released in 2003, is considered a potential first microconsole, offering downloadable games via kiosks and later from home.
- OnLive's MicroConsole was produced at a loss and made the company an early leader in the microconsole field.
- The Ouya crowdfunding campaign raised $8.5 million overnight in July 2012.
- The PlayStation TV was released in Japan on November 14, 2013, and in North America on October 14, 2014.
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