Technology startup Ouya made waves in 2012 when it raised $8.6m on Kickstarter to make an Android-powered games console that would be sold for less than $100.
In 2013, it's one of several such devices jostling for the attention of gamers and developers. Gaming accessories maker Mad Catz is the latest manufacturer to enter the fray with a device codenamed Project M.O.J.O.
When it goes on sale, it will go head-to-head with Ouya, as well as rival "micro-consoles" GameStick and Gamepop, although Project M.O.J.O. appears to be the furthest from a commercial launch. According to IGN, the device is still "in its prototyping stage", with hardware specifications yet to be nailed down.
It suggests that the device will ship with 16GB of internal storage, two USB ports, possibly Nvidia's Tegra 4 processor, and the ability to download games from existing Android app stores like Google Play and Amazon Appstore, as well as the ability to stream and play games wirelessly from a PC.
Project M.O.J.O. will sit within Mad Catz's GameSmart range of mobile gaming accessories, which includes the C.T.R.L. wireless gamepad, R.A.T. and M.O.U.S. wireless mice and F.R.E.Q. headphones – all of which will presumably work with the new micro-console.
The timing of Mad Catz's announcement, as the E3 games-industry show gets underway in Los Angeles, emphasises that the Android micro-consoles will be a prominent sub-plot at the event, even if announcements around Microsoft's Xbox One, Sony's PlayStation 4 and Nintendo's Wii-U will hog more headlines.
For more evidence, see the announcement on Friday (7 June) by Gamepop's maker BlueStacks that its device has been designed to make it easy for developers to port their iOS games, to bolster the 500-odd Android titles that will be available when it launches towards the end of 2013.
That's the key battleground for all these devices: attracting talented developers with well-known iOS and Android games, but also original (and possibly exclusive) titles, to help them stand out from their rivals, and give gamers confidence that they'll be around for the long-term.
Independent developer Overdose Caffeine caused a stir in May when it announced that it was ending development of its multiplayer space-dogfighting game Pocket Fleet for Ouya and switching to Gamepop instead.
E3 will be bursting at the seams with announcements of new games for PS4, Xbox One and Wii-U. But keep an eye too on what Ouya, BlueStacks and Gamestick's owner PlayJam have to say about developer support for their own devices, as well as further details of Mad Catz's plans.
There's a lively debate about whether any of these micro-consoles has a healthy future, though, given the growing popularity of gaming on smartphones and tablets, and the growing ease with which they can be connected wirelessly to a TV when desired.
The theory of playing Android games on the living room's bigger screen may sound appealing, but the micro-console makers still have to prove that millions of people will want to buy a new device to do it, rather than use the ones already in their hands.
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