Ouya gains major distribution partners online and in stores (maybe)

Ouya has won an important victory in what is sure to be an all-out war for Android-based consoles in 2013: major retailer partnerships. The system became available for preorder for $99 on Tuesday through several online merchants, including Amazon, GameStop, Best Buy and Target.com. The proposed shipping date through these sites is June 4. What isn't clear, however, is whether any of these partners will, where applicable, dedicate physical shelf space to the console (and its optional $50 extra controllers). CEO Julie Uhrman told the Wall Street Journal that the company was having "conversations" with retailers to see how to best demonstrate the unit to consumers. A separate spokesperson for the company Gamasutra was also unable to confirm specifics, but did tell Gamasutra that "since Best Buy, GameStop and Target all have physical retail space we anticipate that OUYA will be available in store." 2013 is shaping up to be a crowded year for console launches. In terms of Android-based systems alone, Ouya faces stiff competition from Nvidia's Project Shield and the recently-funded GameStick, which offers functionality similar to the Ouya on a console the size of a thumb drive.