Google Looks to Add Gaming to the Chromecast
posted Sunday Jun 7, 2015 by Nicholas DiMeo
If you're a fan of the Google Chromecast and you really like Android gaming, you'll be pleased to know Google is working to make that happen on its $35 streaming device. It's "coming soon," but users will soon be able to play games on their Chromecasts.
Moreover, Chromecast users will also be able to play both Android and iOS games on their television sets without the need to mirror the content. Currently in beta, Google has released an API to Android and iOS games developers and made it available to those devs at Google I/O. The most important feature is Google's "casting" ability that is now open for devs to tinker with. This gives the ability to bring around a second screen experience for users of smartphones. The main difference between the existing feature to cast your Android screen and this is that the new API allows for iOS and Android games to play games on a TV without needing to have a console accompany it.
Google is already in second place with its Chromecast at 20 percent marketshare. Roku is in first with 29 percent. Giving the Chromecast an enhanced feature set might boost sales if consumers actually want these features on their streaming devices.
The search giant didn't just stop at gaming, however. The company is also going to give Chromecast users a way to queue up and autoplay both videos and music without the need to use YouTube. As it is right now, you can only play one song or video at a time, which is an annoying thing to have to manage. Through the new API, developers can now enable buffering and queues on their apps.
As far as gaming is concerned, the question that is always the constant is what type of games can be offered on such a limited platform. Unless AAA brands can get behind a movement, these attempts at Android gaming often fall by the wayside, usually prompting another company to swoop in and give it a go. Can Google's direct attempt at this be a success? Is gaming on a Chromecast something you want? Let us know in the comments below.
