Google’s Project Stream makes a promise that’s borderline remarkable. Imagine if you could play a game without a graphics card. Everything renders off-site, on a massive GPU, and streams to your screen. You’re literally using a CLOUD-BASED Graphical Processor Unit! Everything happens in realtime, and to you, it essentially means you’re playing a game as advanced and intensive as Assassin’s Creed, but you’re playing it in Google Chrome. Run your controls on your computer, they get sent to the cloud where the game is being played, the cloud inputs your controls, renders the scene, and livestreams it to your browser with negligible lag. All you need is high-speed internet! Sounds BONKERS, right?!
Project Stream occurred as a one-time test-run for Google, allowing just a handful of people to play Assassin’s Creed Odyssey on Chrome. However, if recent patent-files are any indication, Google is planning on taking this seriously. Here’s a look at the Project Stream controller, a visualized concept based on Google’s patented design… a concept, if executed perfectly, that could tank XBox and PS sales, and even kill the gaming laptop industry. The Project Stream (I made the mistake of calling it Steam a bunch of times. I wonder why Google hasn’t caught onto that glaring possibility) helps integrate quite a few community features into the gaming experience too. For starters, since you’re gaming on the cloud and having the game streamed to you in realtime, you can stream your game to other people too. The controller has a chat/voice button built into it, aside from a Stream button, home button, options button, and your regular control sticks, action keys, directional pad, shoulder buttons, and triggers. Gaming with Google’s Project Stream won’t be a radically new experience… but it’ll be so radically convenient, you’ll probably be able to play the latest and best games on a chromebook over reliable Wi-Fi… and if that isn’t the most mind-numbingly great thing ever, I don’t know what is!
Designer/Visualization: Sarang Sheth
Patent Application: USPTO
