[Update] Namco Bandai in 'active discussions' with Ouya

[Update: We've been asked to point out that Namco Bandai hasn't announced a 'formal partnership' but is in 'active discussions' with Ouya over supporting the Android-based consoles. What the difference (if any) will be in the end, it's hard to ascertain, but we're happy to make the note.

The official statement from Namco Bandai is (caps beware): ""NAMCO BANDAI Games and OUYA are currently in active discussions to bring some of the world's biggest gaming properties to the exciting open gaming platform. NAMCO BANDAI brings with it a rich history of iconic gaming franchises, from classics like PAC-MAN and GALAGA, to seminal franchises like TEKKEN and Ridge Racer, and we're excited to explore how we can work with OUYA to bring some great titles to the forthcoming console."]

We thought our previous post about the Ouya Kickstarter project was to be final word on the campaign, but Ouya kept a few announcements under wraps until the last few hours.

With the end of their fundraising drive imminent, Ouya surprised their backers by announcing a formal partnership with Namco Bandai Games.

While the details of the partnership are still being negotiated, Namco Bandai has a broad range of games, from Pac-Man to Tekken, to potentially bring to the new Android Console.

Ouya encourages fans and backers to head to the Namco Bandai Facebook page to cast their votes for what titles they would like to see brought over as a result of this partnership.

As a final bonus to backers, Ouya confirmed that its petite and powerful console will officially support up to four controllers when it ships in March – although backers will need to pay $30/£19 for every controller over the first.

With less than 10 hours to go, the Kickstarter campaign sits at $8 million dollars - well past its initial target of $950,000.

Nearly $1 million of those dollars came from the brown, limited edition brushed metal finish Ouya model announced last week that is exclusive to Kickstarter backers. Nice...