Google might enter the gaming market with ‘Yeti’ streaming service,Bad news for Microsoft and Sony , II What is Google Yeti? Google's console and cloud gaming service explained

Rumours of a Google games console and cloud gaming platform abound, with full details possibly to be unveiled within the next month.

Yeti is said to be the company's "Netflix for games", with games hosted on remote servers and video streamed to dedicated hardware.
But what do we know about the project so far? And how will it be different to existing cloud gaming services?

What is Google Yeti and how will it work?

Google Yeti - as it is reportedly codenamed - is said to be a subscription-based streaming platform whereby members can play any of the games available on the service, but don't have to download them or purchase them individually.
That's because, through dedicated hardware or an application for phones, tablets and/or TVs, you play the game in real time, but it's actually run on a remote server somewhere else in the world. The video of the gameplay is transmitted to your device over the internet, while the control codes from a game controller are sent in the other direction.
The biggest hurdle other similar services have encountered over the years is latency - the time it takes from the moment you move the controller thumbstick or press a button to the action occurring on screen.
Once you've pressed a button, the signal has to be transmitted (usually through Bluetooth or another wireless connection) to the receiving device, then sent over an internet connection, then read by the source device, then sent back to the receiving device, then transmitted to your TV (if not using a smartphone or tablet screen). Each of these actions take time - usually milliseconds - and that can be important in gaming as milliseconds can be the difference between avoiding a bullet or being shot in the noggin.
However, some other platforms, such as Nvidia GeForce Now and PlayStation Now, have squeezed the latency down to acceptable levels these days and we'd expect Google to follow suit.
This could be the reason Google has waited to launch its own service - it is said to have been developing Yeti for at least two years.

Where will Google Yeti be available?

The current rumours suggest that Google will launch Yeti with its own Made by Google games console.
There are few other details about the hardware, but the company did purchase Green Throttle Games in 2014 - an Android games platform and controller that was originally launched by Guitar Hero creator Charles Huang. It was part of the briefly-lived Android console boom at the time, but some of the hardware could have inspired a Yeti machine.
Alternatively, it might be similar to the Nexus Player - another short-lived product that was the first to bring us Android TV on a set-top-box. It too had an optional games controller.
Games console or not, we fully expect Yeti to be available via an app for Android devices, and that would include Philips and other brands' televisions with Android TV built in. You might even be able to play it through the Nvidia Shield TV box, giving you an alternative to Nvidia's own GeForce Now cloud gaming solution.
Who knows, maybe even iOS or tvOS will get a Google Yeti app? Although, Apple has been resistant to cloud gaming platforms in the past.

Will I have to pay for Google Yeti?

Although we have no idea of the payment system yet, rumours point to Google Yeti being a paid subscription service - much like GeForce Now and PlayStation Now.
PlayStation Now, which is available through PS4 consoles, costs £12.99 a month. For that you get unlimited access to PS3 and PS4 games streamed over the 'net.
Nvidia's GeForce Now costs £7.49 a month and offers PC games run remotely on hardcore gaming PCs sporting top-end Nvidia graphics cards.
We'd expect Google's service to be priced nearer the latter.

What games will be on Google Yeti?

It is not know yet exactly what types of games will be covered by Yeti - whether it will adopt a similar PC-based structure as GeForce Now or give unlimited access to Android games.
If it goes down the Android route - and considering this is Google it's the most likely option - there is a current service that will give you an idea of
what's possible.

 

Hatch is a cloud gaming platform for Android devices that gives unrestricted, unlimited access to many great quality, big-name Androidgames, including all the in-game purchases at no extra cost.
It is available to download in beta form on Google Play already and is currently ad-supported, so you aren't charged a penny to play. It too will add a monthly subscription option in future to remove the adverts.

When will Google Yeti be available?

That's the million dollar question and one we don't know the answer to yet. However, with the Games Developers Conference (GDC) scheduled to start in San Francisco on 19 March 2018, we might hear more about the project then.

 

It will let people play games as they're being streamed.

Alphabet Inc.'s Google is developing a subscription-based game streaming service that could work either on its Chromecast or a Google-made console, which is still being developed, The Information reported on Wednesday.
The service, codenamed ‘Yeti’, would put Google at the forefront of a new part of the videogame business that lets people play games as they're being streamed, rather than using downloads or disks, the report said. (http://bit.ly/2FUNLOu)
The plan that Google has been working on involves use of its cloud servers to broadcast the games to users over the internet, the Information report said, citing people with knowledge of the project.
Google has discussed Yeti with game developers, but it is unclear whether any of them will develop a game specifically for Yeti or only make existing streamed games available, the Information reported.