History of video games/Platforms/M.O.J.O.

History edit

Reveal edit

 
E3 2013 was an event where the M.O.J.O. was demonstrated prior to launch.

M.O.J.O. was a microconsole developed by Mad Catz. The console was officially revealed in June of 2013,[1][2][3] and was shown at E3 2013.[4]

Despite M.O.J.O. being stylized as an acronym, it was not a true acronym as it was not short for anything.[5] Publications of the time often simply referred to the console as the Mojo.[6]

Launch edit

The Mad Catz M.O.J.O had a limited launch on December 10th, 2013, at a cost of $249.99.[7][4] A Eurogamer review praised the performance of the M.O.J.O compared to other microconsoles, but noted that better experiences could be had for less money on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.[8] At launch, Google policies limited device access to the Play Store due to the lack of a touchscreen, though these restrictions were later relaxed.[9]

On March 6th, 2014 it was announced that the M.O.J.O. would be the first Ouya Everywhere partner along with a price reduction to $199.99,[10] with an update adding those features released on June 30th, 2014.[11]

On June 4th, 2014 support for OnLive game streaming would be brought to the console.[12] This support would last for less then a year, as OnLive itself would cease operating on April 30th, 2015.[13]

The price of the M.O.J.O. would again drop on January 22nd, 2015 to $150.[14]

Legacy edit

Mad Catz experienced financial difficulties in 2016 and laid off 37% of its employees.[15] Despite these cut backs, the Mad Catz company ceased operations on March 30th, 2017 when it declared chapter 7 bankruptcy.[16][17] MadCatz was later revived by January 4th, 2018 becoming a company based in Kowloon, Hong Kong.[18][19][20]

The Mojo game store was shut down in 2019, but some online functionality remained due to it's use of Google Play services.[21]

Mad Catz would later reuse the M.O.J.O. brand for their computer mice.[22]

Technology edit

Compute edit

The Mojo uses a NVIDIA Tegra 4 T40S quad core ARM Cortex A15 architecture processor clocked at 1.8 gigahertz.[7][23][8] The GeForce processor included on the Tegra 4 used on the M.O.J.O. includes 72 GPU cores.[8] The Mojo has 2 gigabytes of LPDDR3 RAM[24] and 16 gigabytes of internal storage.[7][23][8]

The console could output 5.1 channel audio, and gained the ability to output up to 4K video in a 2014 software update.

Hardware edit

The M.O.J.O. included radios for Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi a/b/g/n on both 2.4 gigahertz and 5 gigahertz bands.[4][24][25] The system also sported a 100 megabit ethernet port for hardwired connections.[24]

Software edit

The Mojo ran Android 4.2.2 at launch.[4][23] Notably, Mad Catz did not consider rooting the operating system to be a violation of warranty.[9] Voiding warranties over software run was a common industry practice at the time, despite legal and ethical issues associated with the practice.[26]

C.T.R.L.R. edit

The M.O.J.O. game controllers were marketed as C.T.R.L.R.[27] The M.O.J.O. controller supported the use of a "Travel Clip" attachment to use a smartphone as a portable display for the console.[4] However the software support for this feature at launch was reportedly poor.[25]

Game library edit

The M.O.J.O ran games from the Google Play store for the duration of the system life,[8] leveraging the library of Andorid games on the Play store rather than pursuing its own exclusives. During part of the systems time on the market, games through Ouya everywhere[10] and OnLive would be available for the system.[12]

Gallery edit

External Resources edit

References edit

  1. "Mad Catz Preparing M.O.J.O. Android-Powered Game Console For Debut At E3". Android Police. 7 June 2013. https://www.androidpolice.com/2013/06/07/mad-catz-preparing-m-o-j-o-android-powered-game-console-for-debut-at-e3/. 
  2. Parrish, Kevin (June 10, 2013). "Mad Catz is Working on an Android Console Too" (in en). Tom's Hardware. https://www.tomshardware.com/news/Mad-Catz-GameSmart-Bluetooth-Smart-Micro-Console-E3-2013,23009.html. 
  3. "Mad Catz Makes M.O.J.O. Android-Powered Game Console Official". Android Police. 11 June 2013. https://www.androidpolice.com/2013/06/11/mad-catz-makes-m-o-j-o-android-powered-game-console-official/. 
  4. a b c d e "Mad Catz MOJO Android mini game console shipping". SlashGear. 10 December 2013. https://www.slashgear.com/mad-catz-mojo-android-mini-game-console-shipping-10308290/. 
  5. McFerran, Damien (23 February 2014). "Mad Catz Mojo review" (in en). Eurogamer. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2014-mad-catz-mojo-review. 
  6. Corriea, Alexa Ray (5 June 2014). "OnLive streaming app coming to Mad Catz' Mojo Android console" (in en). Polygon. https://www.polygon.com/2014/6/5/5782162/onlive-streaming-app-coming-to-mad-catz-mojo-android-console. 
  7. a b c "Mad Catz's M.O.J.O. Console Gets Release Date and Price; Specs Revealed". Game Rant. 9 October 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  8. a b c d e McFerran, Damien (23 February 2014). "Mad Catz Mojo review". Eurogamer. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  9. a b Taylor, Alun. "Revival of fortune: Mad Catz Mojo Android gaming micro console" (in en). www.theregister.com. https://www.theregister.com/2015/02/27/review_mad_catz_mojo_android_gaming_console/. 
  10. a b "Mad Catz Becomes The First Ouya Everywhere Partner, Drops M.O.J.O. Price To $199.99". Android Police. 6 March 2014. https://www.androidpolice.com/2014/03/06/mad-catz-becomes-the-first-ouya-everywhere-partner-drops-m-o-j-o-price-to-199-99/. 
  11. "Mad Catz M.O.J.O. Software Update Adds OUYA Everywhere Support, 4K Output, And Wider Play Store Access". Android Police. 1 July 2014. https://www.androidpolice.com/2014/06/30/mad-catz-m-o-j-o-software-update-adds-ouya-everywhere-support-4k-output-and-wider-play-store-access/. 
  12. a b "The microconsole lives as OnLive and Mad Catz team up on Mojo". VentureBeat. 4 June 2014. https://venturebeat.com/2014/06/04/the-micro-console-lives-as-onlive-and-mad-catz-team-up-on-mojo/. 
  13. Lowensohn, Josh (2 April 2015). "Sony buys streaming games service OnLive only to shut it down" (in en). The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2015/4/2/8337955/sony-buys-onlive-only-to-shut-it-down. 
  14. "Mad Catz MOJO Micro-Console Gets Another Price Drop To $150". Android Police. 22 January 2015. https://www.androidpolice.com/2015/01/22/mad-catz-mojo-micro-console-gets-another-price-drop-to-150/. 
  15. Sarkar, Samit (9 February 2016). "Mad Catz laying off 37 percent of staff in restructuring after Rock Band 4 disappoints" (in en). Polygon. https://www.polygon.com/2016/2/9/10954964/mad-catz-layoffs-restructuring-rock-band-4-sales. 
  16. "BRIEF-Mad Catz Interactive makes voluntary assignment in bankruptcy" (in en). Reuters. 31 March 2017. https://www.reuters.com/article/brief-mad-catz-interactive-makes-volunta-idUSFWN1H80KP. 
  17. "Mad Catz has closed up shop: company will liquidate assets". SlashGear. 31 March 2017. https://www.slashgear.com/mad-catz-has-closed-up-shop-company-will-liquidate-assets-31480476/. 
  18. "MAD CATZ". Mad Catz official. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  19. "Mad Catz rises from the ashes with CES 2018 product line". SlashGear. 4 January 2018. https://www.slashgear.com/mad-catz-rises-from-the-ashes-with-ces-2018-product-line-04513633/. 
  20. McWhertor, Michael (4 January 2018). "Mad Catz is back from the dead" (in en). Polygon. https://www.polygon.com/2018/1/4/16849302/mad-catz-returns. 
  21. "Preservationists Are Racing to Save Ouya's Games Before They Disappear". www.vice.com. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  22. Rae Uy, Michelle (April 23, 2021). "Mad Catz M.O.J.O. M1 mouse review" (in en). TechRadar. https://www.techradar.com/reviews/mad-catz-mojo-m1-mouse. 
  23. a b c Hide, Nick. "Mad Catz Mojo Android console packs Tegra 4 for £220". CNET. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  24. a b c "Mad Catz M.O.J.O.". Video Game Console Library. https://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/pg10-mojo.htm#page=specs. 
  25. a b "Mad Catz M.O.J.O. Review: Stock Android Is Simply Not Ready For A Screen-less Gaming Console". Android Police. 28 February 2014. https://www.androidpolice.com/2014/02/28/mad-catz-m-o-j-o-review-stock-android-is-simply-not-ready-for-a-screen-less-gaming-console/. 
  26. "Companies Can’t Legally Void the Warranty for Jailbreaking or Rooting Your Phone" (in en). www.vice.com. https://www.vice.com/en/article/yp3nax/jailbreaking-iphone-rooting-android-does-not-void-warranty. 
  27. "Mad Catz C.T.R.L.R. Review: MOJO's Kick Ass Controller Comes To All Android Devices". Android Police. 11 July 2014. https://www.androidpolice.com/2014/07/11/mad-catz-c-t-r-l-r-review-mojos-kick-ass-controller-comes-to-all-android-devices/.