Google to unveil first venture into console gaming next week at GDC

There have been rumors for quite some time of Google making efforts to enter the gaming space. I mean, why wouldn’t they? They’re one of the biggest tech companies out there, they’ve got the money, they’ve got the talent. But they’ve never actually *done* it in a significant way.

Now, that looks to be changing. On Tuesday, March 19th at 10 AM PST, Google will officially unveil its new endeavor into the industry which is heavily rumored to be a console. It’s hard to say what exactly this console will be. Will it be a something to contend with an Xbox or PlayStation or is it something smaller scale that could be compared to the likes of an Ouya?

It’s hard to say but many are speculating the games on it will be played via streaming. Xbox is releasing a disc-less Xbox One this year, meaning all games will just be downloaded. Google could take that a step further by using their innovative and successful Project Stream technology which allows you to stream games. This would eliminate the huge downloads, the long wait times, and more.

It’s all still very speculatory but it’s quite exciting to see such a huge company looking to enter the gaming scene. If Google does announce a new console that’s of the scale of an Xbox or PlayStation, it’ll be the first time a new company outside of the big three has released a major new console in nearly 20 years.

One thing we do know about Google’s keynote is that Ubisoft and idSoftware will be in attendance. The two developers will likely announce that they have games on this console, whether that’s ports of old games, announcing Doom Eternal/Upcoming Ubisoft games will be on the console, or entirely new games remains to be seen.

Finally, Jade Raymond is now a vice president at Google. Raymond was one of the minds behind Assassin’s Creed and founder of EA’s Motive Studios where she helped helm some canned Star Wars games, so she’s kind of a big deal. It’s not clear if she’s VP of Google as a whole or some new gaming division (seems more likely) but whatever the case may be, the tech giant isn’t messing around and is storming the industry head-on with lots of key talent.

We’ll be sure to continue to keep you posted as we learn more regarding whatever it is Google has in store.