Android · OUYA

OUYAlaunch

Fast, OUYA-styled launcher for the OUYA micro-console

OUYAlaunch is a custom home screen replacement for the original OUYA. It keeps the console’s dark, cinematic look, adds genre tabs and favourites, and focuses entirely on controller-only navigation and fast app launching.

Platform: OUYA · Android 4.1.x
Download latest APK View on GitHub
OUYAlaunch favorites and genre tabs on OUYA

Features

  • OUYA-styled, clean UI
    Dark background, OUYA-orange highlights and simple tiles designed to blend in with the stock system.
  • Fast and lightweight
    Optimised for OUYA’s Android 4.1.2 base with icon caching so the app grid stays responsive even with many games installed.
  • Favorites and genre tabs
    Separate Favorites row plus six configurable genre tabs for a tidy library.
  • Controller-only navigation
    Every action can be performed with the OUYA controller.
  • Automatic app discovery
    Scans all installed apps for an ouya_icon.png in their resources and uses that as the tile art, just like the original OUYA launcher.
  • JSON-based genre names
    Rename the six genre tabs via a simple JSON config on internal storage.
  • Safe drop-in replacement
    Can be used alongside or instead of the stock launcher – you choose it when pressing the OUYA / Home button.
  • Shows internet connection status
    A small icon displays the current connection status via LAN or WiFi.

How OUYAlaunch works

On first start, OUYAlaunch scans all installed apps on the console. For each package it looks for an ouya_icon.png anywhere inside the app’s res/ folder. Matching icons are cached so the launcher can draw the app grid quickly.

Every detected app is initially placed into the second tab “Casual”. From there you can move each title to the genre that fits best or mark it as a favorite. The icon cache can be rebuilt at any time.

Controller mapping

In-grid actions

  • O – Launch selected app
  • U – Move selected app to the next genre tab
  • Y – Delete an app (hold for ~2 seconds)
  • A – Mark / unmark an app as Favorite

Navigation & global

  • L1 / R1 – Switch between Favorites and genre tabs
  • L2 + R2 (together) – Rescan installed apps and rebuild the icon cache
  • D-Pad / Left stick / Right stick – Move selection in the grid

Renaming genre tabs

From version 1.5 onwards you can rename the six genre tabs without recompiling the app. OUYAlaunch writes a JSON file to internal storage on first start:

sdcard/android/data/com.ast.ouyalaunch

Inside that folder you will find a JSON file similar to:

{ "Favorites": "Favorites", "Genre1": "Casual", "Genre2": "Action", "Genre3": "Racing", "Genre4": "Simulation", "Genre5": "RPG", "Genre6": "Apps" }

Installation

Ready-to-use APK

  1. Download the latest APK from the Releases page.
  2. Copy it to your OUYA (USB drive, network share or browser).
  3. Install the APK on the console.
  4. Press the OUYA / Home button and select OUYAlaunch as launcher (optionally set it as default).

You can check the detailed version history in the bundled changelog.txt file or directly on GitHub.

Build from source

If you want to modify OUYAlaunch or build it yourself:

  • Minimum Android version: SDK 16 (Android 4.1.x – OUYA firmware)
  • IDE: Android Studio 4.0.1 or newer
  • Language: Java

Clone & build

git clone https://github.com/Andiweli/OUYAlaunch.git cd OUYAlaunch # Open in Android Studio, let Gradle sync and build the APK