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Google's gaming platform may let you play along with your favorite streamers
Google is gearing up to take a big step into the world of gaming later today, with what is expected to be the launch of its own video game streaming service. Ahead of the announcement at the 2019 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco at 10AM PT, we have some late rumors to talk about.
Kotaku speculates Google’s streaming product may not feature a new console — something rumored previously — but may instead be focused more on the streaming service itself as well as a unique controller.
This controller, it seems, may allow for streaming to compatible TVs, phones, or desktop systems like PCs and Macs, without any additional hardware.
Google showed off earlier this year how it could handle AAA games streamed on its own servers with Assassin’s Creed Odyssey on Project Stream. The major appeal of such a service would be trading the costs of buying expensive computer hardware to run such games against what would presumably be a monthly subscription fee.
That alone would be a huge development for gaming, but Kotaku speculates the streaming service itself may have several other intriguing features.
— Stephen Hall (@hallstephenj) March 18, 2019
Among these is the suggestion of specific interactivity with streamers. These include being able to purchase/download the game you’re watching and start off in a similar position to the streamer in your own game (like downloading a copy of their save), as well as installing the title they’re playing and jumping into the same play session as them. These would ostensibly rely on the streamer having already consented to allowing these types of activities, though.
If Google is planning anything like this it would do more than just change the way we buy gaming hardware and titles — this could redefine the whole way we interact with them. But these are only rumors and we still have some hours left to see if any of this pans out.
It may be time to get excited though: the company responsible for the biggest mobile platform, the biggest video platform, the biggest search engine, and much more is taking a significant move into gaming. Who knows what could happen.
We’ll be reporting live from Google’s GDC showcase so be sure to check out all our coverage later today here at Android Authority!