Game Developers Conference 2019 (March 18th - March 22nd)
I wasn't quite sure where to put the below news about Google, so I figured I'd make a dedicated thread for this year's GDC, seeing as it's lining up to be a year of note for the conference, as news has also circulated recently that Microsoft would be present to talk about Xbox Live coming to iOS, Android and the Nintendo Switch.
It was announced today that Google will be holding a mysterious gaming-related event for the media at 18:00 BST on March 19th, during GDC 2019, with the tone being set for the event very different to previous keynotes that they've held at the conference in recent years; it seems that they'll have something to show:
As reported by Kotaku's Jason Schreier last year, Google's been making moves on the gaming industry throughout the 2010s, last year going so far as to holding meetings with major video game companies during GDC 2018 to gauge their interest in their streaming platform, believed to be codenamed Yeti, as well as reportedly courting a number of development studios during last year's E3 -- not with the aim of simply wooing them over with Yeti by their side, but with the prospect of outright purchasing them. Supposedly, as talked about by Schreier in his article last year, their service will take a three-pronged approach:
1. A streaming platform.
2. A form of hardware.
3. Attempts to bring developers under the Google umbrella, by way of aggressive recruiting or even major acquisitions.
As many here will be aware, Google held public tests of a streaming platform - Project Stream - towards the end of last year, which came to an end just last month, with Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Odyssey being the only game available for these public tests. For those unaware, Project Stream streamed the game through Google Chrome.
Could we see hardware next month from Google? A more concrete idea of their plans for gaming? Have they made any major acquisitions already that are to be announced at GDC? And let's not forget Microsoft: what does bringing Xbox Live to iOS, Android and Switch really mean, and how does it fit into their plans for Project Scarlett and xCloud?
It seems like the biggest GDC in recent years is knocking on the door -- and I have no doubt that it will be an interesting one, giving us more perspective on the potential future of gaming, whichever way it goes.
So Google Stadia is the name of the game and as @killthenetpredicted, it is a full streaming service. All the computing power is done in Google's datacenters on a custom AMD GPU with 10,7 teraflops and is then streamed to your Chrome device of choice.
The promise now is 4K output on 60FPS, with support coming "later" for 8K and 120FPS. There will be heavy integration with Youtube. For example, seeing a trailer of a game on it ends with a play now button, which takes you in-game within 5 seconds. Further there will always be a 4K stream of your game available to broadcast or save on Youtube. You can use Google Assistant to help you on with a game, without the need to close it and open up Youtube for a tutorial.
The only real hardware announcement (besides the computing unit in the server they use) is a new controller. It features a built-in microphone for Google Assistant, a button for instant streaming. It connects through wifi, so it is not connected with your device but with your gaming session. This makes seemless transition from one device to another possible without the need to reconnect the controller.
Google is teaming up with developers (Assasin's Creed Odyssey, DOOM Eternal and the creators of Rime are involved). Dev kits have been send out to hundreds of developers. The platform supports Unreal Engine and Unity. Google will also develop first party titles through their new studio Stadia Games and Entertainment. They will support cross-play and cross-progression if a developer wants it.
The service will launch "2019", and the game line-up plus pricing will be announced on a later date. Perhaps E3?