Google is making a videogame console.

He wrote the kernel code didn't he. Multi-user, multi-tasking, real time. All in a few tens of KB.

 

Going into full hypothetical mode, I find it interesting that this is in fairly close proximity to the announcement that Nvidia are going to license the IP for their GPU tech and they make specific mention of Kepler... But not a massive fuss over Tegra

Wouldn't it be interesting if MS decided to make a big push towards the media/advertising space, and Sony decided to take the gamble/hit on doubling memory because, actually, they both knew they'd have another competitor on their hands this generation.

Anyway, there's my flight of fantasy!

 

I don't think so MSFT want to use Xbone as a leverage for windows RT or the other way around.
For Sony it is not clear to me why they went with so much RAM, actually I think it doesn't make much business sense.

As for one competitor entering the market, I disagree, if Apple enters so will google, and it works the other way around too.
I think that Google is not really a "single actor" as MSFT, SOny or Apple could be, they will bring a lot of actors with them.

Obviously all this is "if" either Apple or Google makes a move. I think it will be a pretty disruptive move and quite a wrench thrown at Sony or MSFT plans.
I will try to make friends and state that it is actually extremely threatening for Sony, as pretty much consoles would just turn into another battleground for competing OS and AppStore, Sony doesn't have what it takes to compete /no "omni present OS" to leverage.

 

google will rebrand the "google tv" into " nexus big " and then just go on with incremental updates every year .

the most interesting thing that google can do is building a game and entertainmant os like the new xbox os and then make it free for the 3rd parties to make their own hardware with a min spec list . this could make them cover a larger maket like pc and help to compete with steambox and other consoles .

 

I think the whole spanner in the wrench, and the enormous "if's" make it an attractive hypothetical, for me personally.

Now both MS and Sony have shown their hands, from a tech point of view, I've got nothing to track for another seven years!!

So to continue the fantasy...Nvidia has spent years on Project Denver so far. Windows RT is effectively dead in the market right now, so good luck selling high power HSA devices onto laptops and desktops. ARM taking over HPC? Hmmm...you never know. Project Denver in tablets and phones...it'd have to be the most scalable device ever to address everything from a phone to a HPC server.

But they're developing it for something, or someone, or some market they perceive, so I wonder...

And yeah, if Apple came in too, game on!!

 

I've a better name, "the nexus", as living room is sort of the nexus of our personal life (along with TV for lots of people).

I would actually be extremely interested in a proper WiiU, more than in Sony and MSFT offers. My experience with Windows 8 have me realize that I (for now at least) favors Android to Windows RT ( or the schizophrenic take on that windows 8 is). The same applies to their respective cloud services.
As a side both me and my wife have Android phone which kind of bind somebody to a environment.

If they can get 0.7/0.8 TFLOPS into a NUC, Mac mini, type of package, with no pay wall, lots of casual games, neat integration of all ones Android devices and google services ; if they what is available on iOS (as far as games are concerned) and manage to have a couples of of those big AAA titles a year, they can count me in, pretty much in a blink of an eye.

 

MS tried to license the Xbox to HW OEMs and there was little interest because console HW is a low or no margin business. Only way it would make sense is if the got cuts of games sales and service revenues.

But just when it's not clear how sustainable $60 games are, would they share those license revenues?

 

I don't think this is really about making a games console, it will probably be a TV box like Apple TV is trying to become.

It will be internet and multifunctional I bet though, and be able to play games.

I'm not sure they will really aim for cutting edge game quality. I'm not even sure if they will try to be as powerful as WiiU. But it will definitely be able to play games.

I wonder what kind of interface it will use though? Because people wanting to buy an Apple TV or Google TV/gamebox... are they really looking for a controller pad? It's not like Ouya which is primarily designed for games.

Anyway, I hope they wouldn't make a games dedicated machine. One reason I don't want it to damage the console makers. The second reason I think it won't deliver games I will want to play really.

But also I think if they make a dedicated games machine, it will probably be mostly designed for very cheap downloadable games, and not compete directly, though still compete, with consoles like PS4 and Xb1 and WiiU.

All in all, the most important thing to me would be true consoles protection in the future. And I think this won't threaten true dedicated games machines that much in the future. I think our consoles and gaming PCs will remain places where A and AA and AAA games will be an exclusive place. After all, they are AAA games because they are on the cutting edge and this can only be achieved by a small subset of companies, and I think a Google product won't be targeting our demographic very much.

 

No, that was Carl Sassenrath, who did the Exec. RJ Mical did Intuition, the UI system layered on top of Exec.

RJ Mical did Sinistar, though.

 

I was hoping that Sony would partner with Google to incorporate Android into the PS4 for the apps side of things, but there's been no word about that. They'll at least have a state of the art WebKit engine for HTML5 apps, I suppose.

I don't imagine that a Google console would be to much of a threat out of the box, but by the end of this gen it could be a very big deal, given the mass of Android development going on right now.

 

I would not say that Google (and a possible reaction from Apple) entering the console market (so not another Google Tv hence there is not much to discuss) is not threatening.
There could be cheap and without subscription, plenty of cheap and free games, I'm not sure about how the average guy will react when he is told by his son that the expensive consoles he wants require asubscription on top of it so Jr can play with friends.
Imo MSFT and Sony are pushing a bit, there are making room for new comers.

 

Apple and Google will never chase hardcore gaming because it's a terrible market to be in and hardcore gamers are shitty customers to deal with. They'll smartly chase the casuals using an app store model with very affordable hardware. They'll refresh the hardware every couple years and put serious pressure on Sony and MS before the end of the generation. I doubt they'll market these products as game consoles or attend E3. It'll be a media box with close tie-ins to your tablet, phone.

Edit: In other words, they won't take the financial risks normally associated with consoles. They'll do everything Microsoft and Sony should be doing.

 

Aah, you're right. It's been a long, long time since I got rid of my Hardware Reference Manual and all the other lovely references that Commodore produced for the Amiga. I forget who did what. Seems like only three decades ago I was writing asm on a 386 to emulate copper bars with EGA... *shudder*

Sinistar was hardcore though!

 

Well I expect betterr from Google, what you describe is just a refresh of Google Tv, imo that type of products are going nowhere, more integrated approaches like Smart TV haven't get much traction either.
If Google actually work on a "console" I would think it is because they understood that interactive digital entertainments are their best chance of entering the living room and binding the almighty TV to their OS.
For me a refresh Google Tv is not a console. The rumor speak of a media streamer, a watch, etc.
I think the guys at Google are clever enough to understand what a console is and that Google tv is not one.

On the other end I expect nothing anytime soon. Launching when they have yet to match what you can find on iOS would be a bit ridiculous.
They should also take a good look at what MSFT does, etc.
Overall they have a lot of work ahead.

Overall I think that they need a sane hardware and if it is serious they will wait till 22nm process is available. 2015 sounds right.

I'm not sure any other company than Google could do what I would qualify as a "WiiU done right".
MSFT tries to have synergy between its various Windows (8, phone Rt) and the Xbox one, they have smart glass, Nintendo has the 3DS and the WiiU, Sony has the Ps3/4 and the vita, imo it is peanut to the amount of Android devices in the wild. The refresh rate for those devices is pretty high and their performances keeps going up.

I actually hope that Google disrupt the market because imo it is just getting out of touch with the intended market, I'm still curious about what will be the reaction of poor gamers and parents when their kids/teens tell tham that on top of a pretty pricey system they have to pocket an extra50$ so they can use it with friends online.

Imo Google has a shot at being both the Wii and what the WiiU wanted to be and a lot much more actually. I'm sure that neither MSFT or Sony would be happy or disregard Google threat if the noise/rumors were to accentuate.

 

Apple and very affordable hardware, are two things that never go together.

 

This is true. Another reason they wouldn't want to be in the console business.

 

Well Apple is not that expensive if you look at the overall quality of their products, the constant complain on their prices is a tad exaggerated and coming from people that do not want to buy their product anyway. I don't like their products be it Mac or Mobile, though I see the value, if anything they support their products which is far from the standard in the mobile realm.

Though Google is another matter, Google ships hardware as good as it can get for the lowest price it can get. I think that is why ultimately they did not green light their Nexus Q.
They do what Nintendo should, go cheap and get your hand on the best hardware you can get (for that price obviously).

If they enter the market they will be cheap, online will be free, with sane hardware I' willing to see what people on budget will do.
Google can come with what the WiiU should have been, attract lots of casuals and kids but good enough for non demanding (or cheap) core gamers.

Thought they are not there yet.

 

What about Apple TV? Seems affordable for what it does?

 

I'd bet most people use it as a $99 AirPlay box.

 

Netflix, and now HBO Go.