Database Users

Will Ouya support USB hubs?

Would be nice if could use a hub to run game controllers (USB arcade stick as example), thumbdrives and USB drives at same time.
Also nice if the device had built in support for NTFS.
Even better if the power line to the USB port could power the hub like a laptop, but that is probably being too greedy.
Update: I can find nothing that says it will or will not. I am leaning toward will, since makes not sense not to- in theory.

It should support USB hub, you can buy a hub that accept wall adaptor for extra power. As for NTFS not likely official support due to being a Microsoft propriety format, but there can be apps or modules to install that enable it, same as Android phones (Stick Mount + NTFS Mounter).
Sent from XDA app

I think USB support is build into Android 4 and later. So if you have a power USB hub, you'll be fine. The rest, is just want does Android support or Ouya have build in. I think controllers, keyboards, and mouses will be fine. They may not support all keys or functions, but they'll work for the basic functions.
I just can't say about NTFS support. I think more than likely it may so that larger files can be stored and used for games. It'll possible we could have large and long games available.
The good news, we'll find out in about a month's time.

USB hub would be helpful, my only thought is for me the common user the only thing I might use it for would be an external HDD just for additional game storage space. I suppose though for the ability to also have a keyboard and mouse or other components connected we would then need a hub.

USB NTFS Support? Com on now, almost everything supports NTFS and has at least a USB. Not to mention this being a "Console" type.

It will certainly not support NTFS out of the box, NTFS is a proprietary Microsoft format.
There might be kernel or use Stock Mount + NTFS Mounter.
Sent from XDA app

what about controller from an usual computer? are they working too?

RussianCode said:
USB NTFS Support? Com on now, almost everything supports NTFS and has at least a USB. Not to mention this being a "Console" type.
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+1

m4soN said:
what about controller from an usual computer? are they working too?
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I think it should, I don't see why not, though it might not work fully with some controller, especially analog and touch buttons, but I can't be sure. Knowing Ouya designed this for gaming they will probably make sure it work worth variety of controllers.
eso259 said:
+1
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-1
Samsung and HTC pay a royalty fee of about $10-$15 to Microsoft for every Android phone they sell, yet they still don't support NTFS out of the box.

I am wondering if any controller will work besides their own. They are already apparently locking out the Play store and will lock out the Ouya store for rooted devices. Seems logical they would find a way to allow only their $50 controllers to work, since more expensive than most other options. If not, most people will buy cheaper options.
Perhaps they will allow keyboard map type devices and only analog control with their controllers. Kind of hard to lock all controllers out, unless they also do not allow keyboards.

rushless said:
I am wondering if any controller will work besides their own. They are already apparently locking out the Play store and will lock out the Ouya store for rooted devices. Seems logical they would find a way to allow only their $50 controllers to work, since more expensive than most other options. If not, most people will buy cheaper options.
Perhaps they will allow keyboard map type devices and only analog control with their controllers. Kind of hard to lock all controllers out, unless they also do not allow keyboards.
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Click to collapse
Bluetooth controllers should work just fine. They just won't have all of the features that the OUYA controller will have.
Controller Specs:
Two analog joysticks, each with their own “button” (i.e. L3 + R3)
A D-Pad
Four face buttons (labeled O, U, Y, and A)
Two digital shoulder buttons (L1 + R1)
Two analog triggers (L2 + R2)
A menu button (to open the OUYA menu at any time during a game)
A touchpad (to mimic mouse/touch controls or to be used in games)
Player LED indicators (so you know which player a connected controller is set to)
Don't expect the two in red to be on aftermarket controllers for quite some time (and even if they do have a "menu" button, it likely won't work until someone makes an app for mapping).
The touchpad will make a functional difference if you're playing a game that requires touch input if you're using an aftermarket controller. You'll likely become rather stuck if it requires touch input.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD

RussianCode said:
USB NTFS Support? Com on now, almost everything supports NTFS and has at least a USB. Not to mention this being a "Console" type.
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Click to collapse
The PS3 does not support NTFS. Even Microsoft's own Xbox 360 does not support NTFS. If the Ouya supported NTFS it would be the first console to do so.

So would a USB hub allow me to connect multiple N64 USB or multiple SNES USB controllers to the console? If not, what would I need to do this? Thanks

It should as long as there are modules that allow those controllers to work correctly.
Sent from XDA app

rushless said:
They are already apparently locking out the Play store and will lock out the Ouya store for rooted devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that's what we have the wonderful people of XDA for! :victory: :laugh:

Just my two cents... I have several droids that I've rooted and used Stick Mount with, and they all play very nicely with NTFS formatted USB drives. I also use a nifty little USB hub that has a plain jane USB plug on one side of it and a micro-USB plug on the other end... it works with either end (OTG adapter for USB A) and I haven't had any trouble with it on any of my devices. One other item of possible interest is the variety of common devices that Android will support with little or no extra effort from the folks at OUYA; I have a G-Box Midnight, which has a very crude firmware, based on ICS, and I keep a USB Mouse, USB Keyboard and Microsoft USB WebCam plugged in at all times, and they all worked with zero configuration on my part (the webcam captures 1080p video and even has a microphone built-in and that works too). Before I bought the webcam, I did some reading to make sure that my idea for it would bear fruit, and what I gathered was that a "universal" webcam standard had been developed and that most big manufacturers now conform to it for driverless functionality, along with Windows, MAC and Linux. My experience has been consistent with that explanation, so I am anticipating that my OUYA will be equally kind to these USB devices.
---------- Post added at 12:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:56 AM ----------
One other thought that just struck me... an NTFS file system (at one point in its development) was the only FS that supported persistent data for an Android x86 system installation. At the time, you were stuck operating as a LiveCD if you formatted ext3 or ext4. It's been a while since I fooled around with that, so I have no idea where they're at with that now, but it struck me as odd that I would have to format NTFS for a Linux-based OS installation, instead of ext(x), although I've also used Linux on NTFS partitions in other situations in the past. At any rate, I'm more surprised now when NTFS ISN'T supported than when it is. I could be completely wrong this time.

eksasol said:
It should as long as there are modules that allow those controllers to work correctly.
Sent from XDA app
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Are modules on the software side? Do you mean modules that allow the controllers to work with an emulator, or is the module for telling the ouya that multiple devices are connected to the one USB port? Thanks again

raptir said:
The PS3 does not support NTFS. Even Microsoft's own Xbox 360 does not support NTFS. If the Ouya supported NTFS it would be the first console to do so.
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see i find this weird since i have used ntfs formatted hard drives on the 360 and they worked just fine, just plugged in and was good to go. the console did say it wasnt supported but still let me use it. so i dont really understand why it says it and they claim it is unsupported when it clearly has for me on more than one console :/
---------- Post added at 07:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:31 PM ----------
raptir said:
The PS3 does not support NTFS. Even Microsoft's own Xbox 360 does not support NTFS. If the Ouya supported NTFS it would be the first console to do so.
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Click to collapse
SGTChilidog said:
Just my two cents... I have several droids that I've rooted and used Stick Mount with, and they all play very nicely with NTFS formatted USB drives. I also use a nifty little USB hub that has a plain jane USB plug on one side of it and a micro-USB plug on the other end... it works with either end (OTG adapter for USB A) and I haven't had any trouble with it on any of my devices. One other item of possible interest is the variety of common devices that Android will support with little or no extra effort from the folks at OUYA; I have a G-Box Midnight, which has a very crude firmware, based on ICS, and I keep a USB Mouse, USB Keyboard and Microsoft USB WebCam plugged in at all times, and they all worked with zero configuration on my part (the webcam captures 1080p video and even has a microphone built-in and that works too). Before I bought the webcam, I did some reading to make sure that my idea for it would bear fruit, and what I gathered was that a "universal" webcam standard had been developed and that most big manufacturers now conform to it for driverless functionality, along with Windows, MAC and Linux. My experience has been consistent with that explanation, so I am anticipating that my OUYA will be equally kind to these USB devices.
---------- Post added at 12:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:56 AM ----------
One other thought that just struck me... an NTFS file system (at one point in its development) was the only FS that supported persistent data for an Android x86 system installation. At the time, you were stuck operating as a LiveCD if you formatted ext3 or ext4. It's been a while since I fooled around with that, so I have no idea where they're at with that now, but it struck me as odd that I would have to format NTFS for a Linux-based OS installation, instead of ext(x), although I've also used Linux on NTFS partitions in other situations in the past. At any rate, I'm more surprised now when NTFS ISN'T supported than when it is. I could be completely wrong this time.
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yeah its been years since i have had issues with ntfs and linux playing well, infact it seems standard to have it out of the box on most flavors. even our cable boxes support it now without a second thought

i remember the days when i need it 2 or 3 libraries in linux to be able to read ntfs, writing was a whole other issue Thank god those days are gone

mromutt said:
see i find this weird since i have used ntfs formatted hard drives on the 360 and they worked just fine, just plugged in and was good to go. the console did say it wasnt supported but still let me use it. so i dont really understand why it says it and they claim it is unsupported when it clearly has for me on more than one console :/
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Well, you're the only person I've seen saying that it works. Googling "xbox360 ntfs" will get you about fifty people saying that NTFS does not work just on the first page.

Ouya a good choice for XBMC at the price point?

I plan on primarily using it for XBMC. The support looks good, along with the price and specs. What do you guys think?

I think it depends on how you plan to access your media. If you plan to use a NAS, you might be alright; if you were planning to use an external drive from the USB port, you need to wait for the OUYA team to fix the problem with detection of the hard drive. Also, you may find yourself needing to use the gamepad to control the interface--if that's a deal breaker you need to plan accordingly.
Also, bear in mind that the XBMC for Android is still in early alpha!
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk HD

As someone who had never used XBMC or Plex (or anything else like that for that matter) prior to this past month, I am so excited about how well XBMC works with the OUYA!
You sound like someone who has used it before. If you're familiar with the basics then getting the OUYA to run XBMC in (almost) flawless 1080p is...well...easy! With the release of an official version of XBMCHUB last week, I don't think I'll ever hook my laptop up to my TV again.
Going into the OUYA, I had no idea of it's potential as a do-all media center. I was hoping it'd have Netflix and flash content, but that's about as far as I had hoped, so I'm very excited about all of this.
At only $99, I've been hearing people say there is no better box for XBMC, but maybe other, more experienced people could chime in.
EDIT/ADDITION:
bornagainpenguin said:
I think it depends on how you plan to access your media. If you plan to use a NAS, you might be alright; if you were planning to use an external drive from the USB port, you need to wait for the OUYA team to fix the problem with detection of the hard drive. Also, you may find yourself needing to use the gamepad to control the interface--if that's a deal breaker you need to plan accordingly.
Also, bear in mind that the XBMC for Android is still in early alpha!
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk HD
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Click to collapse
I'm not sure what USB port problem you mean? I am using a 1TB WD USB HDD and have no problems with read.

I personally bought the ouya strictly for XBMC. I've used xbmc streaming from smb shares since original Xbox and it was called Xbox media center. I still use original Xbox with xbmc and the ouya is its replacement. Xbmc works amazingly better on it even in its alpha state. Those guys are pros and I have every faith they will deliver on the android platform. The only caveats so far is that I'd like a remote control instead of controller and it doesn't exist yet. Perhaps in the future it will. I've set my ouya to boot directly into xbmc but like above poster said the USB support needs work and the issue with the ouya turning itself on when its asleep and not shut down. That's annoying. Also don't plan to use WiFi. Ouyas metal casing hinders WiFi too much for streaming video in decent quality.

JLCollier2005 said:
EDIT/ADDITION:
I'm not sure what USB port problem you mean? I am using a 1TB WD USB HDD and have no problems with read.
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Click to collapse
I have a 2TB WD drive and a 3TB Toshiba drive, both using external power. With either of them if I plug in the drive light comes on and blinks but the OUYA doesn't mount it no matter how long I wait. One is formatted as FAT32, the other as NTFS. It makes no difference.
The workaround I've found (don't remember where I saw this originally) is to plug in the drive while the OUYA is powered off and unplugged, then do a system reset. After this, the external drive is recognized and mounted as /usbdrive and the light on the drive only flashes when being read from or written to. I can install XBMC, scan my movies and shows into the library, use the external drive for my emulator roms, etc, etc. It works.
The problem is if I remove the drive for any reason or if I get an update the drive is no longer recognized and I need to do another system reset again, add back all my games, reinstall XBMC and rescan my library (import doesn't seem to work for me) and hope that I don't have to deal with another system update any time soon....
That's why I'm not currently recommending the OUYA if people plan to use an external hard drive to access their media. I'm not the only one with these issues, if you Google for OUYA and external drive you'll see many others are having the same issues.
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk HD

Ouya is stuck on 60hz framerate. So 24hz or 50hz files will have some stutter. Maybe stutter is not the right description, it's not perfectly smooth due to framerate adapting to 60hz. I have XBMC with hardware acceleration installed, it really is framerate conversion (or whatever you call it) that causes this.
I like XBMC on Ouya but prefer a media player that adapts its framerate output to the media file, like my Boxee Box does. You'll have a perfectly smooth picture. It really is a lot better to look at.

Using the XAF edition while I wait for Gotham to become stable for android. Works amazingly well.
Sent from my SGH-I317M using Tapatalk 2

Does Dolby digital and dts work with this?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

wouwout said:
Ouya is stuck on 60hz framerate. So 24hz or 50hz files will have some stutter. Maybe stutter is not the right description, it's not perfectly smooth due to framerate adapting to 60hz. I have XBMC with hardware acceleration installed, it really is framerate conversion (or whatever you call it) that causes this.
I like XBMC on Ouya but prefer a media player that adapts its framerate output to the media file, like my Boxee Box does. You'll have a perfectly smooth picture. It really is a lot better to look at.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I read about that. Is that a limitation that can be fixed with development, or is it impossible?

bornagainpenguin said:
I think it depends on how you plan to access your media. If you plan to use a NAS, you might be alright; if you were planning to use an external drive from the USB port, you need to wait for the OUYA team to fix the problem with detection of the hard drive. Also, you may find yourself needing to use the gamepad to control the interface--if that's a deal breaker you need to plan accordingly.
Also, bear in mind that the XBMC for Android is still in early alpha!
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a 1TB Seagate with which I used to have the problem with it not being recognized by my Ouya. Since then I have tried different OTG mounting apps. The best I've found is an app called Paragon which mounts USB drives to '/mnt/usbdrive' by default and has full NTFS read/write capabilities. Also it's automated so it mounts the USB drive at startup without any prompting. The only thing is it requires full root and superuser access. Not a big deal, but a formality nonetheless. Mainly I'm just saying that's there's simple enough workarounds for the Ouya's external hard drive issues.
Also the XBMC Android build found here (http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=152005) works great on my Ouya. Navigating using the gamepad may be a little clunky but the capabilities of using the Ouya for full media playback is already there. Hell, I'm working on turning an Ouya into a full-fledged internet/digital PVR box.

just got my Ouya yesterday and I had xbmc with the 0.6 release installed and the xbmchub fusion wizard thing installed. The issues I have encountered are typing on that xbmc keyboard with only the touchpad is a very arduous experience. Navi-x is installed alongside all the 1 channel stuff but this has a script error but does not stop it from working.
It does crash in navi-x but the speed at which this thing boots up and restarts is rapid so it does not cause that much of a headache, but dont forget that this info comes from less than 24 hours usage.
Overal i am happy with this device and the xbmc install but i would like a easier way of starting the software similar to netflix on the apple tv as the kids can play what they like and not get on my back.

Skater4599 said:
...The only caveats so far is that I'd like a remote control instead of controller and it doesn't exist yet...
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Click to collapse
There are two remotes for XBMC the official remote doesn't seem to work for me. But Yatse works well but drains my phones battery really fast. And as a response to a USB drive not working, I have a 2TB WD Passport for my Ouya that works like a charm.

binome- said:
There are two remotes for XBMC the official remote doesn't seem to work for me. But Yatse works well but drains my phones battery really fast. And as a response to a USB drive not working, I have a 2TB WD Passport for my Ouya that works like a charm.
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Click to collapse
I'm talking an IR remote that can turn the console on/off as well... I have the android app remote working just fine. the official one even.

NssOne said:
I have a 1TB Seagate with which I used to have the problem with it not being recognized by my Ouya. Since then I have tried different OTG mounting apps. The best I've found is an app called Paragon which mounts USB drives to '/mnt/usbdrive' by default and has full NTFS read/write capabilities. Also it's automated so it mounts the USB drive at startup without any prompting. The only thing is it requires full root and superuser access. Not a big deal, but a formality nonetheless. Mainly I'm just saying that's there's simple enough workarounds for the Ouya's external hard drive issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perhaps, but so far the OUYA has been the only Android device I've not felt a need to root and I'd like to keep it that way. Maybe it's just an artificial distinction, but to my mind if I have to root to get basic functionality then the OUYA ceases to be a console (plug and play) and becomes a small computer. If I'm to treat the OUYA as a small computer then I may as well simply run Cyanogen Mod and not waste any money with the OUYA games, because I'll be too busy mapping the game pad to play the many titles available in the Play Store. It becomes a silly, pointless waste of time and money, because I have several desktops which I can use on my television and had in the past been running XBMC just fine on those desktops with my 5.1 surround sound card and speakers.
I bought the OUYA because it promised me XBMC + Games + Android in a simple to use console. Most of those interested in the OUYA as and XBMC box are also people who've already run XBMC on their televisions via an old desktop or htpc, and want a console which will make doing this easier and standardized to just work. We already hacked together something on the desktop; we're looking for the easy button.
Otherwise, we'd have just bought a Midnight box or a Pivos....

I'd say yes.
I've got XBMC running on a load of devices, Raspberry Pi, Pivos Xios DS, Odroid U2, Nexus 7, HTC One X, Intel i5 w/ATI 7770... The RPi and Pivos are sluggish, the Odroid very buggy, the Nexus, One X and Ouya (all tegra 3) are very usable and provide nearly as smooth an experience as the powerful PC.
There are a few bugs still being ironed out but none are show stoppers. The current libstagefright build works nicely enough and will only get better. We should have an interim 12.2 build hit the Ouya store soon which will be mostly bug free and feature complete.
For remote the controller is ok and will be better when they finish key mapping it. You can also connect the ps3 bluetooth media remote which makes for a better experience. Other options are IR remotes that present as keyboards or the FLIRC device.
The main thing to bare in mind is that the Ouya is a pretty new device with lots of development being done every day, something like 10 OS updates in the past 4 months - give the devs time and we'll have a very nice little Tegra 3 box; I'm looking forward to seeing where we'll be in 6 months time. Not to mention the work being done on XBMCs side. A lot of core devs are working on supporting the Ouya as they all have the device.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

NssOne said:
I have a 1TB Seagate with which I used to have the problem with it not being recognized by my Ouya. Since then I have tried different OTG mounting apps. The best I've found is an app called Paragon which mounts USB drives to '/mnt/usbdrive' by default and has full NTFS read/write capabilities. Also it's automated so it mounts the USB drive at startup without any prompting. The only thing is it requires full root and superuser access. Not a big deal, but a formality nonetheless. Mainly I'm just saying that's there's simple enough workarounds for the Ouya's external hard drive issues.
Also the XBMC Android build found here (http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=152005) works great on my Ouya. Navigating using the gamepad may be a little clunky but the capabilities of using the Ouya for full media playback is already there. Hell, I'm working on turning an Ouya into a full-fledged internet/digital PVR box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am also trying to replace cable TV with my Ouya and use it as a DVR. I would love some help, tips on getting it done.
* I have XBMC installed, but it doesnt see my network drives (shared drives on a Win7 PC), although all my other PCs can see them and use them?
* I planned on downloading the TV shows from 'sources' on the web, but wasn't sure how to setup auto gather new shows?
* I heard about Sick Beard and Coach Potato, but I never used them, I would love a guide or steps to help me set it up
* I wanted to get Amazon Video working too, since I pay for Prime, no official app, and I couldn't get a good Android one yet?
* Wouldn't mind having Hulu and Netflix too, I heard the google tv apks are best - any comments on that?
Anything you could help me with, would be very appreciated. I hate overpaying for Cable, and the service/quality sux

bornagainpenguin said:
I bought the OUYA because it promised me XBMC + Games + Android in a simple to use console. Most of those interested in the OUYA as and XBMC box are also people who've already run XBMC on their televisions via an old desktop or htpc, and want a console which will make doing this easier and standardized to just work. We already hacked together something on the desktop; we're looking for the easy button.
Otherwise, we'd have just bought a Midnight box or a Pivos....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't blame the lack of XBMC support on Ouya, it was up to the XBMC team to follow through on that. Ouya only announced it was going to come to the Ouya because that's what XBMC said on their own website. They're finally working on an Ouya fork for the next XBMC release, probably integrating libstagefright into it (because those work best on the Ouya).
And you could've gone for one of those other boxes. They're around the same price as an Ouya. I was a KS backer but I supported it hoping, yet not expecting, some ROM dev support for the console. I know there's CM10 but I'm going to wait for better unlocking of the system before I go full custom ROM. Unless the custom ROMs have better overscan compensation support already (a huge issue with Ouya on my TV).
Zehrfox said:
I am also trying to replace cable TV with my Ouya and use it as a DVR. I would love some help, tips on getting it done.
* I have XBMC installed, but it doesnt see my network drives (shared drives on a Win7 PC), although all my other PCs can see them and use them?
* I planned on downloading the TV shows from 'sources' on the web, but wasn't sure how to setup auto gather new shows?
* I heard about Sick Beard and Coach Potato, but I never used them, I would love a guide or steps to help me set it up
* I wanted to get Amazon Video working too, since I pay for Prime, no official app, and I couldn't get a good Android one yet?
* Wouldn't mind having Hulu and Netflix too, I heard the google tv apks are best - any comments on that?
Anything you could help me with, would be very appreciated. I hate overpaying for Cable, and the service/quality sux
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) I don't use network shares on my XBMC Ouya setup right now. All video files are stored locally to the external hard drive I have connected to my Ouya.
2 & 3) I actually couldn't get the Sick Beard Android app to load on the Ouya. I ended up buying an app called PowerNZB which came with its own Sick Beard server. It's just not as automated right now as it would be on PC when used in conjunction with SabNZBd and I hope to see that change soon. I don't know if I can talk about what 'web sources' I use openly either, but you can figure it out. Also I'll just bluntly tell you to Google Sick Beard tutorials to get a better idea of how to use it.
4 & 5) No clue. I don't have any of these on my Ouya at all. Sorry if I'm not as much help as you'd like.

NssOne said:
You can't blame the lack of XBMC support on Ouya
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Click to collapse
I don't.
As far as I'm concerned, XBMC has already produced a build for the OUYA which works quite well and which I expect to continue to get better and better. Instead I blame OUYA for being unable to (or unwilling?) to fix USB drive detection.
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk HD

I appreciate the help
* at NssOne - Thanks, I do appreciate the help I wanted to use the network shares, that way I could have my win7 pc obtain all the shows and movies for me, using PC software, then place it on a shared network drive, where the Ouya could access them and play them. I figured that would be easier that having the Ouya run all that software and handle all those processes.
Which version of XBMC works best on Ouya, I saw several people post different versions, I know you need HW accel, but an exact file name or link would be appreciated.
Is Sick Beard better than Coach Potato? - I have never used either one? will they look for new shows and grab them for me?
Any one else trying to replace Cable TV with Ouya and XBMC? - Any advise, tips, software suggestions?

For XBMC Google the libstagefright version. And I don't know the difference between Sick Beard and Couch Potato. I've stuck with Sick Beard the whole time.

Preping for the Sheild to arrive.

I've ordered my shield, it should arrive on the 23rd.
While I wait I thought I would get some suggestions for things I may want to do before it arrives; download software, buy any accessories, etc.
My current PC wont be able to stream with out something like SplashTop. I'm building a new rig in the next few months but until then I have to rely on the shield's hardware till then.
Section 1: PC Prep.
*note: I have never used an android device before, but I'm a quick adapter.
1• Is there any software I should get installed on my PC now before it arrives?
2• Is there any shield rom files I should look into at this point?
Section 2: Android-ware
I am sure this has been discussed a lot already:
1• As a first time Android user, could i get some suggestions for some of the better:
1•2 Games for the shield.
1•3 General Apps.
2• I am a big nostalgia gamer, love just about any and all consoles/hand-helds I can emulate, I was wondering which are the best emulators out there so far?
*by that I mean the name of the best emulator per console, not just what systems it can emulate.
Section 3: Accessories
1• Would like to know if there are any "must have" accessories to get for the shield, be they specific for the shield or a general product, I'd like to know.
2• I saw the Nyko docking unit, and know it isn't available yet. I was wondering would one of those wireless charge pad things work? If so can you suggest a good one?
Thanks for any and all suggestions.

On the PC part of the beauty of android compared to iOS or windows phone is the fact that you need *no* software. Plug micro USB into shield, plug other end into PC. It might do the installing device driver screen as a formality but after that it will be listed as a device in my computer, you can open it and browser around the contents of the SD card and Shield storage. Great huh?
Just drag and drop your music into the relevant folders, I no longer have a working android device so I dont recall what the correct folder actually is, I think it might be sdcard/media/audio, although creating a new folder called Music in the root directory of either the external SD or the internal storage (extsd and sdcard respectively) and sticking it in there works. There are itunes plugins for those that prefer them, think there is a way for windows media player to sync libraries too.
ROMs I dont think there are any for the Shield yet, one is being worked on but for now if your new to android, ignore.
Plenty of android games out there. 2 casual games to get started, beach buggy blitz and Dead Trigger (both support hardware controls hence why I mention them, and they are free). But seriously, there are tons.
I cant live without ES File Explorer. Beyond that, I tend to get BBC news and steam, I steer well clear of the facebook app as that just annoys me (browser it) but do keep twitter. None of them particularly support the shield controls though.
There are lists online of like the 50 must have android apps and games etc. Take a look at them.
Emulator wise someone posted a list of their favourite emulators for the shield covering quite a large range of console. The Shield will emulate anything right upto PS1 and N64. Might do more powerful still, but that would require someone to make an emulator for that. Anything below PS1 or N64 it should be fine with. Retroarch is meant to be a good start. Some consoles you may require a bios file first (primarily PS1) which is copyrighted material so no one on XDA can tell you where to get it unfortunately.
The wireless charge mats require a device which supports wireless charging. The shield doesnt. No one makes a skin for the shield with a wireless charge coil yet either (they did for some other devices). Only android accessory that I get as a must have is a USB host cable. Awesome little tools, microUSB plug on one side and a USB socket on the other so you can plug mice and keyboards into your android device. Otherwise, just make sure you have a micro USB cable around, maybe some headphones and a microSD.

Mojo - A few tips

After a few weeks of extensive Mojo use, just figured I'd throw in a few tips/tricks:
1. Do not unplug the controller bluetooth dongle from the USB 3.0 slot. It sucks (for now) but anywhere else and you will experience some serious lag. It was a bummer as I am using a 7-port USB 3.0 hub with it...and I have to have that hub plugged into the USB 2.0 port. Yes, I tried plugging the dongle into the hub while it was plugged into the USB 3.0 port. It still lags. That dongle needs to be alone in the USB 3.0 port for reliable controller use. Hopefully KitKat resolves this. I would really like to use my 2.0TB USB 3.0 HD to it's full potential!
2. I updated the console first, and then applied the root. Everything worked fine, except I still could not see things in the Play Store. Apparently the Play Store updated before I rooted the machine. I had to go into Settings->Apps and uninstall the current Play Store and revert back to the shipping Play Store. Then I could see everything. Just a heads up if this happens to anyone.
3. There are issues reading exFAT and writing NTFS with android. There are work arounds as well, but do you need them? I have a 2TB drive with just a whole lot of "stuff", and nothing I have ever exceeds the FAT32 4GB filesize limitation. You may be different, but if not it is really easy to format a very large HD (up to 2TB as far as I am aware) to FAT32 and have read/write access right off the bat. I used this to format a 2.0TB Seagate USB 3.0 drive:
http://www.ridgecrop.demon.co.uk/index.htm?guiformat.htm
Works great.
4. Everything I use with this device has its own power. The seven port USB 3.0 dongle (Pluggable Peripherals) has its own power supply as well as the Seagate drive. I find everything solidly reliable when they are not sucking anything out of the Mojo.
5. Every device needs a reboot sometimes...Android devices as well. I do not necessarily like the "always on" idea, but that is how it was manufactured so what can you do. You can reach behind it and yank the power plug to reboot (bad idea...it'll wear out!) or you can use Quick Boot (search the Play Store) which works perfectly for rebooting the console.
If i remember more I will post them. The Mojo is a darn fine device with a lot of potential (and power) and I have been really driving it lately. I have not experienced any slow down even with the most demanding games and emulators.

zektor said:
After a few weeks of extensive Mojo use, just figured I'd throw in a few tips/tricks:
1. Do not unplug the controller bluetooth dongle from the USB 3.0 slot. It sucks (for now) but anywhere else and you will experience some serious lag. It was a bummer as I am using a 7-port USB 3.0 hub with it...and I have to have that hub plugged into the USB 2.0 port. Yes, I tried plugging the dongle into the hub while it was plugged into the USB 3.0 port. It still lags. That dongle needs to be alone in the USB 3.0 port for reliable controller use. Hopefully KitKat resolves this. I would really like to use my 2.0TB USB 3.0 HD to it's full potential!
2. I updated the console first, and then applied the root. Everything worked fine, except I still could not see things in the Play Store. Apparently the Play Store updated before I rooted the machine. I had to go into Settings->Apps and uninstall the current Play Store and revert back to the shipping Play Store. Then I could see everything. Just a heads up if this happens to anyone.
3. There are issues reading exFAT and writing NTFS with android. There are work arounds as well, but do you need them? I have a 2TB drive with just a whole lot of "stuff", and nothing I have ever exceeds the FAT32 4GB filesize limitation. You may be different, but if not it is really easy to format a very large HD (up to 2TB as far as I am aware) to FAT32 and have read/write access right off the bat. I used this to format a 2.0TB Seagate USB 3.0 drive:
http://www.ridgecrop.demon.co.uk/index.htm?guiformat.htm
Works great.
4. Everything I use with this device has its own power. The seven port USB 3.0 dongle (Pluggable Peripherals) has its own power supply as well as the Seagate drive. I find everything solidly reliable when they are not sucking anything out of the Mojo.
5. Every device needs a reboot sometimes...Android devices as well. I do not necessarily like the "always on" idea, but that is how it was manufactured so what can you do. You can reach behind it and yank the power plug to reboot (bad idea...it'll wear out!) or you can use Quick Boot (search the Play Store) which works perfectly for rebooting the console.
If i remember more I will post them. The Mojo is a darn fine device with a lot of potential (and power) and I have been really driving it lately. I have not experienced any slow down even with the most demanding games and emulators.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you are not looking at FullHD MKV movies with DTS or higher, because 4GB max is very small.
If you want to see FullHD MKV movies 10+ Mbps with DTS or higher then 10GB or more is a must, it's really a pity you can't see and hear the beauty
of Full HD movies with DTS and a bitrate of 10+ Mbps or more.
A movie buff won't go for 4GB or lower.

AmigaWolf said:
So you are not looking at FullHD MKV movies with DTS or higher, because 4GB max is very small.
If you want to see FullHD MKV movies 10+ Mbps with DTS or higher then 10GB or more is a must, it's really a pity you can't see and hear the beauty
of Full HD movies with DTS and a bitrate of 10+ Mbps or more.
A movie buff won't go for 4GB or lower.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't really get into this console for HD MKV movie rips. I did it for the complete collections of roms and isos (game systems) and as a music player basically. I am personally interested in emulation performance, and the Tegra 4 in this excels at it. PSX and N64 play flawlessly, even with various filters enabled. I was extremely impressed with the emulation performance across the board. I'll play actual Blurays (or even my HDDVD's...remember those?) for my HD movie fix.

Thanks for the Quick Boot recommendation. That is a handy one to have.

christoph80 said:
Thanks for the Quick Boot recommendation. That is a handy one to have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem, yep it is quite handy. I have also been using "Clean Master" which does a great job clearing out cache and such. Just be careful with the "advanced mode" on this, which can delete things you wouldn't want it to Otherwise, the standard mode is keeping my Mojo nice and clean

New MOJO owner. My issues + YouTube Video.

Hello All.
I'm new to the forum and I've been messing around with my MOJO for about a week now since I received it in the mail. I have been plagued with a couple issues, but the experience has been overall positive. I updated the firmware and rooted it using Mad Catz's tutorial. And recently I noticed the new OS upgrade by Unjustified Dev. I haven't decided whether I want to move forward with it yet, because it does void the warranty after all.
I downloaded a boatload of apps and games to play around with. So far no issues until 2 days ago when the MOJO started freezing. It would sometimes get stuck and then eventually respond, but other times it would freeze entirely. It froze 3 times yesterday and 2 times today before I gave up with it. Not sure what to do. Should I upgrade to the new unofficial OS, or should I just return the MOJO?
I also made a quick review of the MOJO a couple days ago before the freezing began happening. See it at /watch?v=MjALrGzpQ4A
The video shows the PSX to USB adapter I tested with much success! As well as a webcam that works with video AND microphone audio. I just can't figure out how to get it to work with Skype and Messenger, as if it were a built-in camera like any other smartphone.

I had constant freezes too using the official software. I upgraded to CyanogenMod 12.1 and it has never frozen since.

Edit: I moved this post over to the CM12.1 thead instead because it was more relevant.

UPDATE: I upgraded to CM12.1 by Unjustified Dev and it works great. Unfortunately I had some trouble getting it to work in the beginning but it seems to function perfect now. It still works with the PSX to USB adapter, but I have yet to try it with a webcam.

Hi all,
I've only had my MOJO for a week or two at this point, but I wanted to throw my two cents in since I had the freezing and didn't end up updating to one of unjustified's roms yet (although I did root with towelroot).
I noticed the freezing occasionally when I had the MOJO multitasking quite a bit.
Restarting the MOJO once a day or so seems to have kept the freezing at bay. I have limitless remote service installed so I can control the MOJO with my phone to save controller battery, so I just use that to restart the thing if I remember or if I feel like it needs it. Being an "always on device" I'm not sure if the caches being cleared etc. is what the issue was, but since I've been restarting the MOJO on a regular basis (much the way I do with my phone) it hasn't really been an issue.
Sent from my C6730 using Tapatalk

krikit said:
Hi all,
I've only had my MOJO for a week or two at this point, but I wanted to throw my two cents in since I had the freezing and didn't end up updating to one of unjustified's roms yet (although I did root with towelroot).
I noticed the freezing occasionally when I had the MOJO multitasking quite a bit.
Restarting the MOJO once a day or so seems to have kept the freezing at bay. I have limitless remote service installed so I can control the MOJO with my phone to save controller battery, so I just use that to restart the thing if I remember or if I feel like it needs it. Being an "always on device" I'm not sure if the caches being cleared etc. is what the issue was, but since I've been restarting the MOJO on a regular basis (much the way I do with my phone) it hasn't really been an issue.
Sent from my C6730 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The freezing only started for me about the same time (after 2 weeks from purchase). But after upgrading to CM12, I can confidently say that it is far superior to the Mad Catz stock version of Android, and its totally reversible. If you need any further assistance on how to get it installed, I can help. However, I didn't do the towelroot way, I used USB-USB.
I actually didn't even know that Remix 2.0 was a thing. And now that I know, I may try installing it on my old Dell netbook. Windows Starter ran like crap, but Ubuntu worked better. I can only hope that Remix 2.0 will run even more smoothly.

TwistyTravster said:
I also made a quick review of the MOJO a couple days ago before the freezing began happening. See it at /watch?v=MjALrGzpQ4A
The video shows the PSX to USB adapter I tested with much success! As well as a webcam that works with video AND microphone audio. I just can't figure out how to get it to work with Skype and Messenger, as if it were a built-in camera like any other smartphone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, thanks for talking about the peripherals here and in your video. I went ahead and got the playstation to usb adapter. I just need to keymap the dual-shock 2's, and 4-player games can be a thing without having to buy more controllers.
Another side-note: I believe you were speculating in your video about if an optical drive would work with the MOJO? I tested mine out (LG GP50NB40) , but couldn't get it to work with or without extra external power. I did find out that Samsung makes one specifically meant to mount on Android devices that's supposed to work on the Nvidia Shield, so I imagine that one works.

krikit said:
Hey, thanks for talking about the peripherals here and in your video. I went ahead and got the playstation to usb adapter. I just need to keymap the dual-shock 2's, and 4-player games can be a thing without having to buy more controllers.
Another side-note: I believe you were speculating in your video about if an optical drive would work with the MOJO? I tested mine out (LG GP50NB40) , but couldn't get it to work with or without extra external power. I did find out that Samsung makes one specifically meant to mount on Android devices that's supposed to work on the Nvidia Shield, so I imagine that one works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I saw, somewhere on the TransformerForums, a post about that--some optical drives can be set to work with Android. (Asus Transformers, at least the older ones, are Tegra-powered Droids). If I get time I'll try to find the post, not right now for sure. Google is a good friend of mine...

krikit said:
Hey, thanks for talking about the peripherals here and in your video. I went ahead and got the playstation to usb adapter. I just need to keymap the dual-shock 2's, and 4-player games can be a thing without having to buy more controllers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I was extremely surprised that the PSX to USB adapter worked so perfectly. I do wonder if you could get 2 of them and connect them to powered USB hub and get all 4 wired controllers to be registered.
FYI, I found out recently that you can actually stream ROM files through ES File Explorer using any of Robert Broglia's emulators on a DLNA/uPnP server, which is AWESOME! That means you could have multiple Android devices streaming games to multiple emulators all from one place, without needing to be directly connected.
krikit said:
Another side-note: I believe you were speculating in your video about if an optical drive would work with the MOJO? I tested mine out (LG GP50NB40) , but couldn't get it to work with or without extra external power. I did find out that Samsung makes one specifically meant to mount on Android devices that's supposed to work on the Nvidia Shield, so I imagine that one works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the video I saw regarding the external optical drive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvoyab75QgQ
It may be a FAT32 format issue.

What I found on transformerforums.com was a link:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2402880
I checked Amazon, it's available in black or white, a bit over US$100.

kevinthefixer said:
What I found on transformerforums.com was a link:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2402880
I checked Amazon, it's available in black or white, a bit over US$100.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for posting this, that's a good find. I guess it's just a question of if a person's needs justify paying a bit more for a bluray drive that won't let them watch bluray's on the MOJO legally. Even if that's not a consideration, it's a clear case of proprietary garbage rearing it's self-eating head again. I digress.
It almost seems just a matter of time before Google builds this into a future version of Android (unless physical media sales continue to be replaced by digital).
Here's the Samsung DVD drive demo'd on the Shield TV that I was mentioning above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnwynmT8GVI
Apparently, Samsung has been quick to make Android compatible optical drives to enhance their Galaxy brand: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2406001,00.asp

krikit said:
Thanks for posting this, that's a good find. I guess it's just a question of if a person's needs justify paying a bit more for a bluray drive that won't let them watch bluray's on the MOJO legally. Even if that's not a consideration, it's a clear case of proprietary garbage rearing it's self-eating head again. I digress.
It almost seems just a matter of time before Google builds this into a future version of Android (unless physical media sales continue to be replaced by digital).
Here's the Samsung DVD drive demo'd on the Shield TV that I was mentioning above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnwynmT8GVI
Apparently, Samsung has been quick to make Android compatible optical drives to enhance their Galaxy brand: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2406001,00.asp
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm thinking the question is why Google hasn't added the few necessary drivers & codecs to Android to support optical drives natively--maybe just to support Samsung's market corner? Or simply not enough interest? It's not a big deal for me, I'd as soon rip a dvd and watch the resulting mp4, store the source dvd for backup purposes. But that's not quite so easy for Windows users, they must pay for an effective dvd ripper, while Linux has several open-source ones. I like Handbrake.

krikit said:
Thanks for posting this, that's a good find. I guess it's just a question of if a person's needs justify paying a bit more for a bluray drive that won't let them watch bluray's on the MOJO legally. Even if that's not a consideration, it's a clear case of proprietary garbage rearing it's self-eating head again. I digress.
It almost seems just a matter of time before Google builds this into a future version of Android (unless physical media sales continue to be replaced by digital).
Here's the Samsung DVD drive demo'd on the Shield TV that I was mentioning above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnwynmT8GVI
Apparently, Samsung has been quick to make Android compatible optical drives to enhance their Galaxy brand: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2406001,00.asp
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was gonna start a new thread to post about this but I searched DVD and this active thread will do as well as any, I suppose. Hopefully this interests someone!
Earlier today I figured out how to watch encrypted (DRM) retail DVD movies by sharing my PC's DVD drive on my SMB network. My PC is wired via ethernet but the MOJO is fully wifi. The same trick should work for a lot of Blu-Ray and all HD-DVD discs.
First off, I tried just sharing the optical drive on the network. Sorta worked, I could view the files but I couldn't play the movie. So I did a bit more research and figured out that Android doesn't have anything to decrypt your DVD's DRM (as some of you have noted) so I went back to the drawing board. Eventually I came across a Windows program called AnyDVD HD that decrypts DVDs, Blu-Rays, and HD-DVDs on the fly, seconds after you pop them into the drive. I downloaded and installed version 7.3.0.0 from a certain torrent site, you know the one. Don't worry, AnyDVD is no longer in business because they weren't allowed to be making the program in the first place, so you couldn't buy the program if you tried. Installed and patched AnyDVD HD, popped in my retail Scarface anniversary edition DVD and voila! Starts up and plays in seconds via Kodi. Even gets rid of those pesky trailers and FBI warnings. Like I said, this should work with most if not all DVDs and HD-DVDs. Blu-Rays are a little more hit or miss because as I understand it, with each new release they tweak the DRM a bit making it hard for programs like this to keep up.
It might not be as streamlined as having an external plugged directly into it, but for as often as I watch physical media I don't mind walking 20 ft over to my PC and popping the disc in the drive. Hopefully this is useful to everyone! If anyone has questions, feel free to ask!
EDIT: I'm thinking about maybe starting a YouTube channel for MOJO/possibly just general Android Box discoveries, and tips and tricks I've learned. Is this interesting to anyone/would anyone want to contribute?

tideee88 said:
...
Earlier today I figured out how to watch encrypted (DRM) retail DVD movies by sharing my PC's DVD drive on my SMB network. My PC is wired via ethernet but the MOJO is fully wifi. The same trick should work for a lot of Blu-Ray and all HD-DVD discs.
...
EDIT: I'm thinking about maybe starting a YouTube channel for MOJO/possibly just general Android Box discoveries, and tips and tricks I've learned. Is this interesting to anyone/would anyone want to contribute?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent work! If I thought I got surprised finding out about streaming shared ROM files, through ES File Explorer, directly to any of Robert Broglia's emulators. That totally blows my mind. But streaming DVD's wirelessly from one device to another? LOL Hot damn.
Technology... you scare me sometimes.