A google game console codenamed "Yeti" could take on mainstream consoles

[Guest]

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/3253900/consumer-electronics/yeti-google-game-console-streaming-service.html

 

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Codenamed "Yeti", these rumors suggest that google is taking on the gaming by developing their own game console. Its said to be a cloud based gaming service and home console which allows users to play games, directly from remote servers. A game console made by google could possibly be a big deal in the console market.

Running Games offline:

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Here’s the problem with cloud gaming services in general: None of them provide enough incentive to give up playing games natively. Sure, the hardware can be less powerful—and therefore cheaper—but the downsides are higher latency and potential reliability problems. For the vast majority of people who want to play console-quality games, those are unacceptable trade-offs.

Use cloud gaming as a supplement:

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Nvidia is on the right track with its GeForce now experience for PC and Mac, which turns any lightweight computer into a portal to users’ existing PC games on Steam or other PC services. Google could build something similar around its game console, allowing cloud access to any game that users have purchased locally.

Rethink multiplayer:

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Like it or not, games are services now, which means any Google gaming effort will be dead on arrival without multiplayer. This is a chance for Google to leverage its existing services and reimagine how online gaming ought to work. Perhaps you could use Google Assistant to schedule online play sessions, or to find other players who are physically nearby. (The latter is a popular request among Xbox Live users.) Maybe a service like Allo could allow text chat across any device, while Google Hangouts could allow on-screen video chat with friends.

Overview:

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To be honest, the odds seem long for most of these things. The more likely scenario is that Google will release a lightweight Android TV box with some supplemental gaming features, much like the Nexus player that launched in 2014. (There was talk of building “a video game console” in the lead-up to that launch as well.) The result will be underwhelming, Google’s commitment to gaming will waver, and anyone who’s skittish about investing in a game library that exists only on remote servers will wisely stay away.

Well, the way I see it, is a Android TV streaming box with gaming capabilities built into it. What I mean by this is its just a normal streaming service like the apple tv and roku, instead with gaming capabilities added to make it more competitive with other streaming services. I mean, it sounds like a good concept for consumers, but of course there are going to be limitations in the gaming segment (like you cant play a specific game that is only available on Xbox). To be honest, you might as well just buy a fully fledged console that has these functionalities (well maybe not all of the functionalities of the yeti), but something with the basic functionalities of a streaming/gaming device and then buy a chrome cast which has all of functionalities of a google device. But then again, if you were a consumer who wanted a basic UI to navigate through streaming apps and play the occasional android game, I think this device is good for those consumers. To me, its a good idea, but in a way, it looks good in terms of all of the built in functionality it has for a streaming/gaming device.

[Guest]

It will be good if its an extra, like the App Store on Apple TVs (I imagine its competing with that, following Apple's lead).

I don't think there is room for Google to enter the console space when Xbox, PS and Nitendo have a lot covered and have cemented themselves in the market. It will probably run an ARM processor which means most titles like CoD etc won't be able to run - which means pretty much its an Android box .

[Master Disaster]

Oh boy, another competitor in an already crowded market who knows nothing about the industry and has nothing of any real value to offer.

 

Just what gaming needs.

[ignaloidas]

Please fix for night theme, especially quotes.

[Mooshi]

I can't read black on black, remove formatting please?

 

Also no console is really worth considering outside of Nintendo and maybe PS4.

[leadeater]

33 minutes ago, ignaloidas said:

Please fix for night theme, especially quotes.

Looks fine to me, revenge of the normal theme users 

 

Spoiler

Fixed it

 

[AlwaysFSX]

1 hour ago, Master Disaster said:

Oh boy, another competitor in an already crowded market who knows nothing about the industry and has nothing of any real value to offer.

 

Just what gaming needs.

What, you don't want another kind of Nintendo but with Google+ as the service? That sounds like a fabulous idea to me. /s

[Murasaki]

inb4 Android based console

 

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*cough*

 

[suicidalfranco]

DOA

Google would have better chances if they opened up a game dev/publishing division if they want to enter the console/gaming market. There is no money to be made in the hardware front at this point, and streaming is too far ahead in in time if you consider how stuck up US ISPs are currently and for the foreseeable future.

 

 

[AresKrieger]

4 hours ago, Master Disaster said:

who knows nothing about the industry

Well tbf most of the guys in the industry have no clue what they are doing either, or at the bear minimum they are shortsighted and on a course of self destruction.

[Cheezdoodlez]

What happens to this console when Google shuts down their servers? We can still enjoy our old 80s and 90s consoles today. I doubt you can say the same about this one in 20years?

[porina]

They're not trying to directly compete, but compete by other methods. Before its launch, many wrote off the Switch's inferior specs against the PS4 and whatever the Xbox thing is these days, but that didn't matter. It offered something new. That's the key to success here. It has to be as easy to use as any other game console, and perform as well. Not everyone is dropping multiple 4 figure sums on a PCMR box, but if you could get that experience with a streaming box, it could open up higher end gaming to those who otherwise wouldn't consider it due to hardware costs. It doesn't have to replicate anything, it just needs to do what it aims to do well.

[porina]

4 minutes ago, Cheezdoodlez said:

What happens to this console when Google shuts down their servers? We can still enjoy our old 80s and 90s consoles today. I doubt you can say the same about this one in 20years?

Did you buy a console in the 80's thinking you'll have retro fun with it in 2020? You gain most of the value early on. Anything after that is a bonus.

 

I got a Dreamcast at the time just for House of the Dead 2. Light guns for it only work on CRT TVs, so technology has already moved on to prevent me from using that. Rather than look back, I'm looking forwards. I have VR offering me what could only be dreamt of even a decade ago. I don't expect the current incarnation of VR to last forever either, but whatever will replace it will certainly be interesting.

[Misanthrope]

Oh so it's Lag Cloud gaming!

[Ryujin2003]

4 hours ago, leadeater said:

Looks fine to me, revenge of the normal theme users 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Fixed it

 

Come on @leadeater, it's the 21st Century. It's not cool unless it's in night theme.

4 hours ago, huilun02 said:

You need high speed internet, have to deal with latency, and don't own the game or actual machine that runs the game.

Even with highspeed internet, the video quality is SH!T I tried the Playstation streaming thing, and cancelled it the first day. The quality is just garbage. Doesn't replace local use.

[Doobeedoo]

Yes, streaming gaming, sure. Will they provide fiber optic to my home, no? Well then. Subscription too I'm sure will be expensive. Either way wouldn't want it. Just better to own a pc by far though. So meh. 

[MoonSpot]

Like it or not, games are services now...

 

Like hell it is.  I don't know what garbage games y'all been fingering at but in my house they are, and will always be, a product.

 

[AshleyAshes]

7 hours ago, Master Disaster said:

Oh boy, another competitor in an already crowded market who knows nothing about the industry and has nothing of any real value to offer.

 

Just what gaming needs.

I mean... That's literally how Sony and Microsoft got started.

 

Sony: "FUCK THOSE NINTENDO FUCKS!  They think they can snub our deal ON STAGE at E3 and announce a partnership with Phillips!?  You! Ken Kuturagi!  Strap this MIPS processor to a CD ROM drive and go kill Nintendo with it!"

 

Microsoft: "We don't just want to be on the desktop, we want to be in the living room.  We need some kind of Living room Box that runs DirectX.. A DirectX Box if you will.. X...Box... But we'll need billions of dollars to force our way into the market, where are we going to get billions of dollars!?  Wait, we HAVE billion's of dollars!  BWA HA HA HA! :D"

 

(Fun fact, Microsoft lost five BILLION dollars on the classic Xbox from 2001 and that was basically part of the PLAN just to get their toe in the door.)

[chilicheeseburger]

6 hours ago, huilun02 said:

You need high speed internet, have to deal with latency, and don't own the game or actual machine that runs the game.

Yeah but if you think about it, that's already the way people are watching their movies nowadays.

Of course with games it's a little different because a bad internet connection will be more noticeable.

[You_are_a_cunt]

so, a glorified android box that can run some bad games.

Gee, thanks Google. We didn't have enough of those

[Shreyas1]

lets hope this doesn't become another one of THOSE android gaming consoles

[Jito463]

8 hours ago, TheBeastPC said:

Maybe a service like Allo

You confused me for a moment.  We have a new internet service in Lincoln called Allo.

[Misanthrope]

1 hour ago, AshleyAshes said:

I mean... That's literally how Sony and Microsoft got started.

 

Sony: "FUCK THOSE NINTENDO FUCKS!  They think they can snub our deal ON STAGE at E3 and announce a partnership with Phillips!?  You! Ken Kuturagi!  Strap this MIPS processor to a CD ROM drive and go kill Nintendo with it!"

 

Microsoft: "We don't just want to be on the desktop, we want to be in the living room.  We need some kind of Living room Box that runs DirectX.. A DirectX Box if you will.. X...Box... But we'll need billions of dollars to force our way into the market, where are we going to get billions of dollars!?  Wait, we HAVE billion's of dollars!  BWA HA HA HA! :D"

 

(Fun fact, Microsoft lost five BILLION dollars on the classic Xbox from 2001 and that was basically part of the PLAN just to get their toe in the door.)

If anyone can afford 5 billion it's Google, possibly Apple.

[AshleyAshes]

6 minutes ago, Misanthrope said:

If anyone can afford 5 billion it's Google, possibly Apple.

And that was just the five billion dollars that Microsoft willingly lost on the Xbox Project just as part of their long term plans.  Then you have to factor in the Xbox 360 'Red Ring Of Death' which was NOT planned and cost about another billion.  Though RROD asside, the Xbox 360 was a big success in terms of getting Microsoft into your living room.

[plsno]

Until there's much better internet service I don't see cloud gaming becoming a thing.