Former Xbox exec backing $99 "hackable" Android console

A number of high-profile backers have put their names to a new startup that intends to deliver a $99 Android-based console.

Like any other console, Ouya will connect to a TV. But that’s about all it has in common. All of its titles will be free-to-play and any developer will be able to publish games for the device.

Furthermore, buyers will also receive a dev kit for the system as part of the purchase. The hardware, it is said, is built to be hacked”.

What’s even more interesting are some of the backers putting their name to the project.

The Verge reports that none other than Ed Fries, one of the key execs behind the original Xbox and the signing of developers such as Bungie and Rare, is a project director.

Other names in the frame include One Laptop Per Child designer Yves Behar, IGN’s Julie Uhrman and Amazon’s Muffi Ghadiali, who worked closely on the Kindle Fire project.