Begun 
the clone wars have.
Though the U.S. government decided not to fund research into a Death Star, Star Wars fans longing to witness the power of a fully armed and operational battle station have taken to Kickstarter to get it done.
The Rebel Alliance isn’t taking that threat lightly, though, and has countered by using the crowdfunding site in an attempt to build an X-Wing fighter.
Crowd 
funding has been a buzzword in the start-up world for years. For most entrepreneurs, though, it was virtually mythological: While it was certainly possible to fund an idea through donations by potential customers, there was no real way to reach out to a broad audience.
Then came Kickstarter.
It’s 
hard not to be impressed with the Ouya so far.
First unveiled in July, it’s a full-fledged home console system powered by the Android OS. Every Ouya is a developer’s kit, turning every owner into a potential developer for the system. It costs $99, hooks up to your TV, comes with a gamepad, and is the size of a Rubik’s Cube. Pretty compelling stuff.
Virtual 
reality got a bad reputation in the early 1990s. Proponents overpromised and underdelivered, with crappy graphics and headache-inducing headgear — not to mention prices that were so stratospheric, there was no way anyone could afford to buy a system.
It was a technology that became an afterthought — until game design guru John Carmack took an interest, at least. During the E3 conference in June, Carmack showed off the Oculus Rift headset, a virtual reality device he helped to create using (no joke) Oakley ski goggles, duct tape, and spare miniaturized rocket parts he had lying around his shop.
Veteran 
journalist Chris Morris tackles the major reasons why Ouya could be a revolution or a mere footnote
Any time a start-up makes $4.5 million in four days through crowdsourcing, it’s bound to raise a few eyebrows. And Ouya has certainly done that.
Enthusiasts are dreaming of a dark horse console that will bring gaming back to its roots, ending the cycle of sequel-itis and injecting some fresh new game mechanics into the industry. Skeptics, meanwhile, say those Kickstarter supporters could be throwing their money away on a product that will never find a significant audience.
Ironically, they could both be right.
As 
Nintendo prepares to launch its latest videogame console this holiday season – and Microsoft and Sony continue to prep theirs for an expected 2013 launch – a new competitor for the living room is threatening to steal their thunder.
Ouya – an upstart technology firm with some big industry names behind it – is bypassing traditional financing methods and relying on crowd funding to raise capital. And gamers can’t seem to hand over their money fast enough.
Kickstarter 
is already a haven for independent game developers to find backing for their projects.
Now a new tech-savvy group is hoping the community is willing to back an entire game console.
When 
Double Fine Entertainment launched its crowd-sourced video game experiment on Kickstarter in early February, it was anything but a sure bet. While the funding platform had boasted a number of successfully funded projects, it had yet to chalk up any victories on the big stage.
By now, of course, everyone knows how that story ended. The developer, which had hoped to raise $400,000 to create an adventure game, took in more than $3.3 million. That opened the dam, and it wasn’t long before Kickstarter was flooded with game projects, many from well-known industry names.
Chris Morris: Journalist 