Google reportedly working on device to compete with PlayStation and Xbox

Gaming outlet Kotaku reports that tech giant Google is apparently working on a gaming platform which could take on Xbox and PlayStation. Google’s rumoured platform codenamed Yeti, is going to focus on game streaming, with the company planning on acquiring development studios to create exclusive titles.

Jason Schreier, writer at Kotaku wrote an article about Google’s plans on taking on yet another entertainment medium. The company we most often associate with Youtube, Android and Gmail seemingly is very interested in joining the bandwagon of traditionally non-gaming centred companies that are set to make big waves in the industry. Like Amazon which started a few years ago by buying game development studios and the most popular game streaming service Twitch, Google is sensing a possible revolution in the seasoned gaming industry.

It all comes down to streaming. In this case, not music or video but games. In fact, Google is by far not the first company that shows interest in this topic. Prominently, Sony was one of the bigger players in gaming that managed to put the fantasy into reality by launching PlayStation Now in 2015. Users are able to stream and play games via the cloud, rendering the purchase of expensive dedicated hardware obsolete.

While the idea of playing the latest and greatest games on tablets, laptops and TVs is enticing, infrastructure problems have been hindering the concept of reaching great success. Streaming games demands a high bandwidth connection with fast download and upload speeds to reduce latency and uphold pristine picture quality. Even in 2018, many users simply lack the necessary internet connection quality for a great game streaming experience.

Steady upgrades on infrastructure and new wireless network standards such as 5G are poised to improve the situation however. Maybe it’s that insight which enabled many big companies recently to announce or hint at their own game streaming plans, like Microsoft and Electronic Arts did during this year’s E3.

Google will have to convince not only customers but also development partners that their venture into games through streaming won’t end up being abandoned like many previous projects of the tech company. There’s one thing for sure though, Google has significant potential to establish game streaming as a highly successful new technology with their immense presence in data centers and experience in streaming content across the web.