According to a new report from 9to5Google, the giant is gearing up to announce their brand new “Project Yeti” console at this year’s Game Developers Conference on March 19.
The upcoming hardware will be a massive departure for the company and will be its first foray into the world of gaming. As of right now, Microsoft and Sony largely control the gaming industry with their Xbox and PlayStation consoles, an industry that’s currently valued at around $140 Billion.
The report confirms that Google is going to be releasing proprietary controllers alongside the console that’s reportedly going to be powered by Google’s “Project Stream” technology. The console is currently being dubbed “the Netflix of gaming” and is said to be able of pushing out AAA games at console quality (provided you have access to fast enough internet, of course). The “Project Yeti” hardware will be restricted to streaming only and will not feature any way to play games locally.
The console was first reported by The Information early last year, where they claimed that Amazon was also developing a competitor to Sony and Microsoft’s platforms.
The news comes after the end of Google’s Project Stream beta back in January, where users were able to stream Assassin’s Creed Odyssey on the Google Chrome browser. The beta was largely a success and must have provided Google good reason to pursue the console’s development, even amidst massive competition.
The Verge has also added some credibility to the rumours, claiming that media officials have received invitations to Google’s event, and letting fans know that “all will be revealed” on March 19th.