Can you imagine raising a million dollars in just over 8 hours? That’s exactly what OUYA, an upcoming Android-based video game console, accomplished shortly after launching their project campaign on the crowd funding website Kickstarter last July of this year. That is well past their $950,000 initial funding goal and the numbers are still climbing.

Boxer8, the LA-based developers behind OUYA is pitching it as platform that is made by developers, for developers, with independent game makes in mind. The console will be running Android 4.1 with features like a Quad-Core processor, Tegra 3 chip, a GPU powered by Nvidia with HD graphics they claim can rival those on commercial gaming consoles, 8GB internal storage, and built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, all for the very friendly price of $99. All of the games coming out for it will be either free-to-play or have free gameplay aspects as well.

It seems that people are liking the idea of OUYA very much. As of this writing, the yet-to-be released console has a total of 63,416 backers with a total of $8,596,474 in pledges and still counting. So what did OUYA do right? And how can you attract the same attention and funding for your startup company? Here are four lessons that you can take from OUYA’s book.

Have An Innovative Vision

From the get-go OUYA was clear with their vision: To provide a platform where everyone can enjoy games and be able to create and publish video games without the hefty price-tag. They believe that gaming should be an open ecosystem.

Have a clear vision on what your company and product or service is about. Know who you are. In today’s Social Media driven world, it will be easier to tell people your story, promote your vision, and attract the right kind of people to support you, if you are clear with about what your startup intends to accomplish.

Be Different (in A Good Way)

Android phones, sure. Android tablets, be my guest. But an Android gaming console? Clearly, Julie Uhrman (the creator of OUYA) and her team were thinking outside the box whent they conceptualized this project. Instead of focusing on fancier hardware specs, they thought about what would improve the gaming experience. Certainly, free-to-play games wouldn’t hurt, and although you can get many for your phone or tablet, it’s still quite a different experience to play games on your television.

Your startup need not re-invent the wheel, but you should understand your customers needs, even if those needs are not obvious or apparent. Nobody directly said that they wanted free yet quality video games on a cheap and open platform, until now.

Don’t Be Afraid to Take-On the Big Players

OUYA plans to give Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony a run for their money. Remember, these guys have been around for decades and have spent billions in marketing to get where they are now. Only time will tell if OUYA can leave a mark in the gaming industry but the crucial lesson here is do not be afraid to challenge established industry players.

One big advantage that startups have is that their size allows them flexibility to quickly and efficiently adapt to meet the needs of their customers. Startups do not suffer from bureaucracy. Often, there are significant amounts of unsatisfied customers who are just looking for an alternative. With OUYA, they want to cater to gamers who are tired of paying so much for games and consoles. They also want to open opportunities for indie-game developers who, due to the prohibitive costs of developing for the big 3 (Wii, Xbox & PS3), would have been otherwise unable to deliver quality games to the market.

Keep Fans Excited and Encourage Inventiveness

One of the biggest selling point of OUYA is it’s controller. It is a beautifully crafted piece of hardware (with a built-in touchpad too). Along with the OUYA console itself, the hardware is something you wouldn’t mind having in your living room. Good design can get people pumped-up about your product.

OUYA is probably the only video game console that actually encourages users to hack their platform. They hope that by allowing unrestricted access to the software and hardware, the more inventive users can come up with even cooler and novel ways (and pheriperals) to improve the OUYA experience. Don’t be an Apple, allow people to discover creative uses for your product or services as well.

The developers also maintain a blog where fans and investors are kept in-the-loop with the latest exclusive titles coming out for the console, development news, and everything else to keep loyal fans happy until the console starts shipping by March 2013. A blog is a great way for startups to keep loyal users engaged with their product or service.

Jimmy Wentz is a freelance tech writer, gadget and gaming enthusiast, and social media junkie. He writes regularly about O2 and the latest news in the tech, gaming, and social media world.

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