Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony… and now Google, apparently.
The search giant, responsible for creating Chrome, the Android OS, and Incognito mode, is reportedly set to enter the gaming market with a streaming console. A Kotaku report with five anonymous “sources” detail Google’s plan: create a game streaming service, invent the hardware, and acquire as many developers as possible.
Earlier this year, The Information reported about a possible gaming project codenamed “Yeti” with details that fit this very bill: a streaming console, offloading processing and rendering to a Google server, streaming to any user.
The last time rumors about a Google console swirled the internet, it was rumored to be an Android-based OS like Android TV. But as we’ve seen with the OUYA, Android consoles aren’t exactly a means to success.
Sony, whose already competing PS Now service allows users to stream PS3 games to PS4 consoles, already struggles to offer lag-free connections to paying users. And with PS Now rumored to soon allow offline downloads, the prospects of a streaming console aren’t looking so hot.