Console-based games giants Nintendo and Sony have steered clear of China, though privately imported boxes are available and Nintendo recently unveiled a games console designed especially to protect against the country's rampant software piracy.

BBC: NEWS | Business | China's online games sales double

In case it wasn't already clear how small the Android-powered console is, the folks at Ouya included the picture you see above to further illustrate that point -- the thing is really small.

ENGADGET: Ouya dev consoles shipping to backers on December 28th, SDK available same day

"If you look at where the market is headed, it's clear that Sony needs to acknowledge that the traditional console business is dead, " said Dan "Shoe" Hsu, editor-in-chief of gaming site GamesBeat.

CNN: What to expect from Sony event: PlayStation 4

As the campaign page makes clear, Ouya is an appeal to openness in the console market and a bid for innovation and access, sure.

FORBES: OUYA Closes Kickstarter Campaign With $8.5 Million

With luck, these games will clear the way for Microsoft's push to turn the console into a way to crack open the digital entertainment market.

FORBES: CES '09

As should be clear by now, any talk of a successor to a still relatively new game console should be taken with a hefty grain of salt but, if word from Japan's Impress is to be believed, it looks like we could possibly be getting a clearer indication of what might be under the PlayStation 4's non-existent hood.

ENGADGET: Sony said to be hanging onto Cell processor for PlayStation 4

For many PlayStation 3 owners, at least in Hong Kong, the console is little more than a Blu-ray DVD player -- nonetheless, one clear advantage it has over its gaming competitors.

CNN: Sony goes hunting for big game