There is a lot of talk about google entering the game console market, and they are “going to be the netflix of gaming” but I will not be getting a google game console for a variety of reasons.
1) As I posted here https://blog.mikeoconnor.net/2016/04/google-bricks-devices/, google has had hardware that they decided they did not want to support anymore, so instead of just letting it work for those that had spent the $300 on the device they sent out a firmware update to brick the device. And given googles history on killing projects (see https://gcemetery.co/ for a partial list of killed google projects)
2) google will probably try to do it as streaming only. I have an issue with this as I like to have my game physically. Here are some issues with streaming and “all digital” even if you download the game. There was a game on both the PS4 and the Xbox called “Scott Pilgrim vs the world” It was only digital, you can not get the game as the license for it expired and the game is now fully lost to the sands of times. The problem with streaming, is you have to be connected to the internet and have a good connection to the servers. With a local game if the network is loaded you will not have.
3) People seem to be excited for “the netflix of games” I am currently thinking of canceling netflix, and the reason for that can very easly happen to a console that “is the netflix of games” The reason is, netflix was once great, but now that media companies see that it can be profitable, they have over time kept pulling the license away from netflix to start their own streaming services. It is now to the point that I have gone back to cable (Verizon FiOS) as with all the IP removed from Netflix that I wanted to watch, and now it would cost well over $100 just for what I wanted to watch, and cable is only $40 month, I cut the cable all those years ago to save money, but now cable is now cheaper then streaming. So the question is if this starts to be profitable, how many of the “AAA” companies see this and pull away from google to open up their own streaming (you would then loss all your progress for games that get pulled) If you don’t have the physical game for a single player game, that you can not put into a console that is not connected to the internet to play then do you own that game, and the day the servers go down you will never be able to play it again. I like physical copies of the single player games. If it REQUIRE a day 1 patch to play I am not sure I will be able to keep the game for as long as I want. Think about this, you have an old 2600 and cartridges you can still play it, but if it had been a streaming service those games could well all be lost. This issue might not be ween at first, but over a few years the price will go up as companies think they can make money and pull out from Google.
4) Sharing games: with digital games how are you going to share them, this was part of the advertising for the PS4, with a digital game can you share your game? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWSIFh8ICaA I have shared games with friends.
