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Google’s announcement is almost certainly a brand new console - Ars Technica

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There are two big pieces of evidence that this is a hardware announcement. First, Google is a heavily compartmentalized company, and the person promoting this event on Twitter is none other than Risk Osterloh, Google's senior vice president of Hardware. Osterloh is behind the division that brought us the Pixel phone, Google Home, and every other Google hardware product. His involvement is a solid sign that, yes, new hardware is coming.
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The second big piece of evidence is that Google is also hosting a teaser page on store.google.com. The Google Store. The Google Hardware Store. Google could host a teaser page at any of its thousands of sub-domains, but for some mysteriousreason, it picked the Google Store. The "Google Store" doesn't sell software—that would be "Google Play." The Google Store only sells hardware—things like smartphones and tablets and laptops and Google Home speakers. Soon, apparently, it will sell video game hardware.
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According to a report from The Information (subscription required), Google's gaming hardware was reportedly codenamed "Yeti" and has been in the works at Google for over three years now. As pointed out by Tyler Choiniere on Twitter, On the Google Store's teaser page, the background video is titled "yeti-teaser" in the source code.
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You can read the full thing on Ars Technica.

Do note (and Ars itself notes this), a new gaming console can still just be a "streaming box" (a hardware receiver for Google's streaming service).

That said, one way or the other, it seems like Google is gearing up to announce a brand new console in some form or the other next week.
 
Dest

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I didn't think we needed an article for this. It's pretty fucking obvious it's hardware because they've already got their streaming stuff out in the open and in the hands of the public to some extent.
 
hibikase

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If a streaming box counts in your definition of "console" then yeah, no shit sherlock. Good job figuring it out Ars.
 
Fire Bocchi

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mainly be a streaming box but with capability of playing android games natively is what im guessing its going to be
 

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Hardware box with steaming and local?

Something like the Nvidia Shield? Probably.

Actual rebranded NVidia shield with new tegra chip. Possible lol.
 
Shoichi

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If anything they had their patent for the controller which would be considered "hardware" to sell on the store. But I think its possible they sell a streaming stick of some kind at least, to market the controller with.
 
tyfon

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My bet is android hardware/sw + streaming of PC games like ass creed in the beta.
So android games locally, pc games from the cloud.
 
FoneBone

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i don't think that there's any question that they're announcing new hardware; the question is whether they're announcing a traditional console in addition to their streaming box
 
Servbot24

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Only question is if it will have compelling AAA exclusives. Launching with Assassin's Creed won't cut it.
 
RROCKMAN

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I see everyone thinks its a streaming box, but what if its a serious console that not only can stream games from googles servers, but can also let you remote play games installed from home on any device with a screen that can access google.com?
 
mario_O

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If it's hardware, and I doubt it (other than gamepad + hdmi dongle), it's still going to be streaming only, I'm sure.
 

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If it's just a streaming box it won't do well. Imo, if Google or anyone else wants to get into the console/gaming space they need to position themselves similar to Microsoft and Sony. I just don't see a box exclusively for streaming games as very successful when you'll be able to stream games to pretty much every device soon.
 

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RROCKMAN said:
I see everyone thinks its a streaming box, but what if its a serious console that not only can stream games from googles servers, but can also let you remote play games installed from home on any device with a screen that can access google.com?
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So.... a computer with steam? Jk

Doubtful. This thing is gonna be cheep.
 
BreakAtmo

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Shame it's probably just a basic streaming thing. Imagine if they kicked down the doors with something that did streaming, but was also a Switch competitor with a more cutting-edge Tegra, or an x86 Windows handheld.
 
SharpX68K

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A streaming box/dongle with less CPU horse power than the Apple/Bandai Pippin (which had a PowerPC 603 processor running at 66 MHz)

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Imagine if Google had a real console with a mid-range next-gen Nvidia 7nm Ampere GPU and 8 next-gen ARM cores and 16-24 GB RAM.
 
Camells

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What i find really curious about this streaming box thing is how niche the market will be. How many people actually have a good + solid + fast and capless data service? Not to mention the lack of a good infrastructure on various places around the world...
I'm all ears but i don't have enough fate on this one.
 
Demacabre

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And our all streaming future approacheth. There will eventually be Four.

Google will show Epic how you properly moneyhat like a Bond villain.
 
hibikase

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JDSpades said:
If it's just a streaming box it won't do well. Imo, if Google or anyone else wants to get into the console/gaming space they need to position themselves similar to Microsoft and Sony. I just don't see an box exclusively for streaming games as very successful when you'll be able to stream games to pretty much every device soon.
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It doesn't matter if the hardware doesn't do well, the money will be into the subscription service itself.

Hell they'll probably sell the hardware at a loss.
 
Mcfrank

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RROCKMAN said:
I see everyone thinks its a streaming box, but what if its a serious console that not only can stream games from googles servers, but can also let you remote play games installed from home on any device with a screen that can access google.com?
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Not tracking what you mean here. Why would google want to sell you a box that competes with a PS4 Pro and Xbox One X (something they have no experience doing and is very low profit) when they can leverage their massive infrastructure advantage to be the leader in game streaming?
 
stan423321

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Oh my, I just realized that they probably won't ship it here. Would make ignoring it somewhat easier...
 
Diarrhea Day-Lewis

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SharpX68K said:
A streaming box/dongle with less CPU horse power than the Apple/Bandai Pippin (which had a PowerPC 603 processor running at 66 MHz)

l7bRTG4.jpg


Imagine if Google had a real console with a mid-range next-gen Nvidia 7nm Ampere GPU and 8 next-gen ARM cores and 16-24 GB RAM.
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Why the Pipin reference? Most streaming sticks alone are a million times more powerful than a Pippin. Many Quad Core ARM and 1-2GBs. Not crazy powerful mind you but not 66Mhz 90s PowerPC
 
pixelation

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The only thing that would generate any interest in their box for me would be the exclusives (being great), and an option for physical media. Eventhough I mostly purchase digital these days, I am not willing to buy a digital only box just yet.
 
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