Google making an Android Game System

[vcoleiro1]

Supposedly Google are making a Android Game System, that's the rumour anyway.

See Story here:  http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/27/wsj-google-android-game-console/

 

[Nintendo]

It better be a portable console with a 8" screen + an octa-core & clocked @ 2.5Ghz with 3GB of RAM and have 64GB of on board memory.

 

[vcoleiro1]

This is my vision of what Google should develop:

The Nexus Q and the Game system should be the one system (Called something good ;p) with games and apps built for the TV screen. A special zone of the Play store should be devoted to these apps/games . Games in this zone should be certified to work with a standard blutooth controller that comes with the device and that controller should be pushed as a standard for Android Console gaming. A logo to certify that a game meets this controller standard should be next to each game that meets the standard.

The system should not stop you loading other Play store apps/games if you want. On the same note, it should include an App that allows you to map touch controls to the systems real controls.

The Controller should also include a keyboard (like the one for the Archos TV Connect) so that you can type in movie names etc. It should also have an air mouse capability and allow for the joysticks to be used in a mouse mode and be able to perform zoom functions. The controller should also include motion sensors for motion sensitive games.

The system should be powered by no less than a Tegra 4, S800 or Baytrail SOC. The main unit should have a camera for Skyping and online gaming. It will have the standard ports: HDMI, USB (several of these so you can plug in your controllers if you want), Micro SD etc. It will also allow you to hook up external storage.

 

[EssoAir]

This is my vision of what Google should develop:


The Nexus Q and the Game system should be the one system (Called something good ;p) with games and apps built for the TV screen. A special zone of the Play store should be devoted to these apps/games . Games in this zone should be certified to work with a standard blutooth controller that comes with the device and that controller should be pushed as a standard for Android Console gaming. A logo to certify that a game meets this controller standard should be next to each game that meets the standard.


The system should not stop you loading other Play store apps/games if you want. On the same note, it should include an App that allows you to map touch controls to the systems real controls.


The Controller should also include a keyboard (like the one for the Archos TV Connect) so that you can type in movie names etc. It should also have an air mouse capability and allow for the joysticks to be used in a mouse mode and be able to perform zoom functions. The controller should also include motion sensors for motion sensitive games.


The system should be powered by no less than a Tegra 4, S800 or Baytrail SOC. The main unit should have a camera for Skyping and online gaming. It will have the standard ports: HDMI, USB (several of these so you can plug in your controllers if you want), Micro SD etc. It will also allow you to hook up external storage.

I think a Snapdragon 800 (or 1000 when that comes out) would be better because Meh Open GL ES 3.0

It better be a portable console with a 8" screen + an octa-core & clocked @ 2.5Ghz with 3GB of RAM and have 64GB of on board memory.

There are no commercially available ARM Octa Core processors (or even software to take advantage of such a thing)

 

[elwing]

and 8" is not portable at all... add gaming control and you'll carry a laptop...

 

[SeeThruHead]

I really hope this is true. A Google games seal of approval is needed. I've been waiting for a game ecosystem that's bring your own hardware. Android is exactly that. The ability to play the same game on your shield on the bus and then continue playing on your TV at home is something that neither pc nor console is capable of doing right now. Nintendo isn't the closest of the big three . they've actually made a huge push so that game assets cam easily be used for both 3ds and wii u games. As well as save transferring (monster hunter tri has thsis). But with and android based gaming ecosystem this feature is a given. The only thing better than this would be portable x86 gaming handheld pc. But probably not possible due to power constraints.

 

[Garrett]

Some kind of ubiquitous/standardized Android console (A bridge too far for Ouya) is desperately needed, if the vast amount of iOS games that are mia on Android is ever to change.

There's still the piracy excuse of course.. but something like this is probably a step in the right direction.

 

[SNESFAN]

From the beginning I saw android as the "windows" of mobile space. It surely seems it is well on its way to being that. If they can just nail down a proper desktop ui experience it will have achieved that goal IMO. The OS that seamlessly incorporates every genre of device and universally compatible apps.

You run the risk of piracy on any open platform. The only 2 models I've seen to actually work to help prevent that is centralized servers where a significant amount of added content is given to those that use it (battlenet/steam/gog) Or subscription based services that provide an "all you can eat" experience. (Onlive) but to a lesser extent.

I've never seen anything to support it but I would imagine any kind of MMO (RPG/RTS/FPS) have the least amount of pirates because the frequency of updates and requiring that update to experience the game.

 

[EssoAir]

Id love to see a PS Vita/PS3 style pause on one console resume on the other. Also, Google needs to make an official Android desktop application. Bluestacks and Virtual box do not cut it. It needs to be able to run apps in different windows like normal desktop apps run, but the catch is that they are relying on a virtualized android backend that the user never encounters.

 

[monstercameron]

I would like a second life-like system, with little big planet "game in a game" style gameplay "gameplay-ception?"

one persistent world where every dev/user makes contributions -similar to  gary's mod- like enhanced textures, assets, patches etc, and user in the game can create games with easy to use tools then sell/trade those games with other users...

the world would have many different settings, and if the setting isn't right devs could import it into the main world, so it would be ever growing...

then being the only piece of software running on the google gamebox, it could be highly optimized, so an apu or custom super arm-based soc would run it without the need for extreme hardware...

 

[EssoAir]

I would like a second life-like system, with little big planet "game in a game" style gameplay "gameplay-ception?"


one persistent world where every dev/user makes contributions -similar to  gary's mod- like enhanced textures, assets, patches etc, and user in the game can create games with easy to use tools then sell/trade those games with other users...


the world would have many different settings, and if the setting isn't right devs could import it into the main world, so it would be ever growing...


then being the only piece of software running on the google gamebox, it could be highly optimized, so an apu or custom super arm-based soc would run it without the need for extreme hardware...

That would require a closed source system if everyone was in a single world. Alternatively you couod let people run their own srrver, but then it comes down to a more capitalistic competition to see who can gain the most users which wouod also lead to closed sourcity.

 

[monstercameron]

I would like a second life-like system, with little big planet "game in a game" style gameplay "gameplay-ception?"


one persistent world where every dev/user makes contributions -similar to  gary's mod- like enhanced textures, assets, patches etc, and user in the game can create games with easy to use tools then sell/trade those games with other users...


the world would have many different settings, and if the setting isn't right devs could import it into the main world, so it would be ever growing...


then being the only piece of software running on the google gamebox, it could be highly optimized, so an apu or custom super arm-based soc would run it without the need for extreme hardware...

That would require a closed source system if everyone was in a single world. Alternatively you couod let people run their own srrver, but then it comes down to a more capitalistic competition to see who can gain the most users which wouod also lead to closed sourcity.

maybe everyone gets a copy of the world instead of mmo sharing it, maybe like gta with drop in/out multiplayer...

 

[second exodous]

I don't get it, why bother?  The Ouya is doing well and from the videos on youtube of actual owners it seems that they like it.  It can't just be an Android SoC machine, that is what Ouya is doing, this will have to be a portable.  The stories I read say it is because of Apple, so I bet it will be a portable as that is all that Apple sales that is 'affordable'.  They'll release a proof of concept device so other manufactures can aim for that in their designs.  It will be a Nexus device, useless to everyone bet developers.  They'll cripple it somehow like they do with their Nexus phones, only 16GB of storage and no SD, so not many people will buy it but manufactures will look at it for standards.

 

[Exophase]

The system should be powered by no less than a Tegra 4, S800 or Baytrail SOC.

The most important thing spec-wise is going to be absolute perf for the GPU, then maybe absolute perf for the CPU, with perf/W for both trailing far behind. BayTrail mau have very strong perf/W and compelling CPU perf but its GPU perf is nothing special; the other two you listed are like twice as powerful and several others today can beat it. By the time it comes out late 2013 the situation will be even worse. If you're going to drop an x86 SoC on a cheap (let's hope) set-top you'd may as well just go for Kabini.

I don't get it, why bother?  The Ouya is doing well and from the videos on youtube of actual owners it seems that they like it.  It can't just be an Android SoC machine, that is what Ouya is doing, this will have to be a portable.  The stories I read say it is because of Apple, so I bet it will be a portable as that is all that Apple sales that is 'affordable'.  They'll release a proof of concept device so other manufactures can aim for that in their designs.  It will be a Nexus device, useless to everyone bet developers.  They'll cripple it somehow like they do with their Nexus phones, only 16GB of storage and no SD, so not many people will buy it but manufactures will look at it for standards.

 I don't understand why there can be a vast plethora of different Android phones or tablets that are all pretty similar in form and function but can there can only be one console. Apple isn't strictly limited to non-portables, they do have Apple TV and may have aspirations for making that more game-oriented.

What Google brings to the table should be similar to what they do with their other Nexus branded devices - something with a stock but very leading edge Android revision, very competitive price for the components used, and decent quality and support. They're hardly useless to everyone but developers, the Nexus brand devices are pretty strong sellers; Nexus 7 and Nexus 4 really bolstered nVidia's and LG's sales positions respectively (just to give a couple examples). This isn't always the case, Nexus Q was a flop and this could be too, especially if they price it like they did the Q, but I wouldn't totally bet against them.

I think it'd be good to have something that doesn't have yet another device-specific user interface and store like OUYA does, because something standard does a better job encouraging normal Android games to include support for physical controls. OUYA has its strengths and I admire their passion but let's face it, it's really hard for relative new comers and small players like this to take off totally smoothly and despite what impression some Youtube vids may give there have been loads of complaints.

 

[Askarus]

Come one.

Do we really need dozens of Ouyas?

 

[SeeThruHead]

Come one.

Do we really need dozens of Ouyas?

I'd like something cheap home based and running stock android. Would be better than an ouya.

 

[EssoAir]

I agree with the "crippling" statment. I reeeeealy hate Nexus phones. They suck compared to the competitionm if I want stock Android, I can download it and run it on any phone. But I almost never want stock as TouchWiz and Sense are both far better [see: MultiWindow]. I love havijg a removable SD and Battery. I like having the millions of notification toggles Samsung offers. I like having a manu button as apposed to using screen realestate for that. But, I'm not everyone. A lot of people like Nexus devices. I think its great that Google is making a console. This will in turn legitimize all the others. A lot of people right now see Android Consoles as dumb and clunky. But uf Google could bring a 10 foot interface to android (that isnt so damn complicated like my Google TV) then I'm all for it! Ive actually been looking for a good launcher to be used on my CarPC (Galaxy Tab 7 wired into the car). Id love to attach some game controls to my steering wheel and control my CarPC that way. I think people are seeing the possibilities opened up by an official Google Console in a very narrow light. If you think about all the possible benefits from it, it doesnt seem so bad.

 

[Link]

http://reviews.cnet.com/consoles/mad-catz-mojo-android/4505-10109_7-35796809.html

 

[WizardStan]

Come one.

Do we really need dozens of Ouyas?

Dozens? Probably not, but innovation is basically driven by competition: if there's only one major player in the game then there's no incentive to try anything new. Three or Four big time devices sounds like the right number, so long as they stick to the same market and don't try to compete against Sony, MS, and Nintendo directly.

 

[vcoleiro1]

Maybe the Apple offering will be decent. I hope so, but I'm remaining cautious after my experience with Apple TV.


Apple TV thought me that common sense isn't so common. A device that routinely requires you to enter text, but has no keyboard remote and until recently , no way to even use a Bluetooth keyboard. The frustration of not being able to run a browser so that you can display web content . The inability to load apps onto it . The fact that streamed movies on it are more expensive to rent than it is to hire a physical copy of the movie . Etc