Google Stadia

Google will very likely unveil it's own video game console at GDC.

That will likely mean some big competition to the current console landscape.

I have a hard time believing Google will have physical hardware games, admittedly stranger things have happened.

Perhaps they will go for a Steam-like model.

Curious to see how this turns out. Google is probably one of the only companies that can even think about attempting to break into the heavily inclusive console business.

I agree, if any company stands a chance, it would probably be Google.

And who knows, maybe Microsoft will make it compatible with X Box games. They seem to have a curious relationship with Google's software these days.

People still use Skype?

Also, I can't imagine Microsoft collaborating unless they bow of the console war out next gen. At least the Switch compatibility that's rumored doesn't totally cannibalize the Xbone since it'll be restricted to Live games that can actually run on the thing.

Edited by Karxrida on Mar 14th 2019 at 2:05:33 AM

People still use ICQ

The fuck is that?

Does Google even have a chance to make room to themselves in this market?

before Skype. Before snapchat. Before Facebook and it's messenger. In the 90s, people used older, worse messaging app. ICQ was one of those. Even pre dating AOL instant messaging

Edited by Ghilz on Mar 14th 2019 at 5:57:16 AM

ICQ is an IM client that apparently can also do VOIP.

Yes, lots of people still use Skype. It's the most common and popular VOIP and video phone client. Just because you don't use something doesn't mean nobody else does.

From what I've heard, I get the impression Google intends to use this box as a vehicle for their streaming service. There are rumours that there will be some high-profile developers supporting it, most notably Sega, and since it's GDC everybody in the gaming part of YouTube is sure they'll have some sort of locally-installed games as well.

Some of ye might be too young to remember, but we were also super-sceptical when Microsoft decided to enter the console market, and since they did they've consistently held second place each generation. That's pretty consistent.

Then again, this is Google we're talking about; physical media isn't something they're especially interested in. I suspect their console will be digital-only, like the Ouya or Steam Machines... and look what happened to those.

Google hardware also tends to be hit and miss. Their phones and tablets do pretty well, but remember Glass? Yeah, Google throws a lot of stuff at a lot of walls, and most of it doesn't stick. This will be interesting to see, but I'm not giving it better than even odds of succeeding.

Should point out that your 2nd part was also true of Microsoft at launch.

It's too early to judge. Google can certainly cut themselves a niche. They need to figure out what the console is about, and have exclusives people want.

Well that would explain why my last Google Rewards survey was asking a bunch of questions about my console-buying habits. I'm just gonna go ahead and say right now I'm not gonna be interested. I doubt there are going to be any interesting exclusives, and between Switch, PS4, and PC, I'm pretty covered on all bases when it comes to entertainment.

What would their schtick/system seller even be? Nintendo and Sony both have a lot of strong exclusives and first-party IPs, with Nintendo also having the whole hybrid console thing right now. Microsoft has... high-end hardware. What could a Google console offer that isn't already offered by one of the other three?

Edited by danime91 on Mar 14th 2019 at 3:53:16 AM

Google can get its own exclusive. God knows they have the money to drag publishers from the others.

I'd put five dollars on them getting The Elder Scrolls VI as, at the very least, a timed exclusive. If any game's gonna have enough leveraging power to be a Killer App I'd expect that to be it.

Huh. With the console wars pretty consistently barely managing to have three players involved, I don't think this'd have much of a chance unless it adds something new and exciting, and I'm not sure what that'd be. Or Microsoft could bow out. That's also possible

Microsoft is already bowing out of the browser market competition, with Edge basically becoming a Chrome-clone. Stranger things ARE happening right now.

Google has become the new Microsoft.

No it wasn't. The XBox 0 launched in 2002, when the Internet was just starting to become popular, let alone mainstream. Having broadband was unusual, and the majority of companies didn't have websites; heck, it was possible to get away with not having email at the time. Steam wouldn't appear for another year, and even then it was just a program to manage patches; Valve didn't start selling games on Steam until 2005.

Microsoft sold all their software on physical media back then. If it didn't come bundled with your PC, you bought it on an optical disc, usually a CD, and there were still a few legacy customers who paid extra to get stuff on floppies.

It would be a while before Microsoft started moving to all-digital distribution.

@ Hylarn: If the rumors of X Box Live being on the Switch come true, I could see Microsoft's Xbox division eventually become a part of No A at some point, especially since its obvious they've given up on true console exclusivity with all their games also being released on Windows.

Edited by Demongodofchaos2 on Mar 15th 2019 at 10:28:28 AM

It's a bit odd how Microsoft seems to have lost it's appetite for competition in some markets. The company has come a long way since Bill "lets monopolize the market by any means" Gates.

From Microsoft's point of view, those games are still exclusive, because they're exclusively on Microsoft platforms.

This morning, Google set up a pop-up museum outside GDC featuring retro consoles that are bound to raise some eyebrows.

Among them are:

• Atari 2600
• Game Boy
• PlayStation
• Sega Dreamcast

There's also stuff about "Anything you dream can be built" and "Together we'll build a playground for our imagination."

...What is going on here?

Marketing guff.

Google wants us to perceive them as a new player in the console wars, worthy of being talked about in the same sentence as the established names (and apparently giving short shrift to Microsoft).

I have to wonder if this new console will fall victim to the Firefly effect. Considering how many projects like Glass, Wave, Buzz, and even Google + that they've launched to much fanfare and soon abandoned, people might be unlikely to buy their console on the grounds it will be unsupported in a couple of years. This means it will sell poorly, which means developers won't support it, which means it will have few games, which means people won't be interested in buying it, which means Google will abandon it as they have so many other things. Abandoned because everybody figured it would be abandoned.

I mean, there's plenty of reasons to be suspicious. You just need to look at the google play store where Copyright Infringement, Scam Games, and other garbage run rampant.

Google can probably give Valve a run for their money on "How to be awful at running a digital distribution".

If anyone cares, the reveal video is here: