Today.Az » Weird / Interesting » Google on way to challenge with game console
01 July 2013 [10:15] - Today.Az
Google is reportedly working on a video game console that would be powered by its Android operating system, potentially putting another huge tech player in an arena dominated by Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo.
Oh, and The Wall Street Journal reports Google is working on a smartwatch, too. Like almost everybody else in the industry.
Both a console and a watch would be moves to undercut rival Apple, which is widely expected to roll out its own smartwatch and is reportedly planning to add gaming as part of the next iteration of its Apple TV product.
Citing unnamed sources who have been "briefed on the matter," the Journal also said Google is planning to release a revamped Nexus Q, a media-streaming device that was announced but never released for sale to the public.
An Android gaming console would come on the heels of the release of OUYA, a $99, open-platform console that runs on a version of the Google operating system. After raising $8 million on Kickstarter, OUYA went on sale to the public on Wednesday. Demand for the new console appears to be strong; it was sold out on Amazon earlier this week.
READ: Ouya's profile in The CNN 10: Startups to watch
If the console report is true, it remains to be seen whether Google would go for the OUYA model of a more affordable, accessible system or try to compete with the so-called Big Three -- Sony's PlayStation, Microsoft's Xbox and Nintendo's Wii U.
All three carry heftier pricetags but are more powerful and more well-established in the gaming world, with new games developed specifically for the devices.
An Android-powered smartwatch would enter Google in what's becoming a crowded, if largely still theoretical, field. Credible leaks have most analysts convinced that Apple has a smartwatch in the works. In recent months, Samsung and LG have confirmed they're working on connected watches, as well.
READ: More than a watch -- Apple's entry into wearable tech
And a handful of those watches, a leading item in the emerging field of "wearable tech," are already on the market. Consider Pebble, another Kickstarter success story.
A Google watch could partner with arguably the most exciting wearable tech product to date: Google's Glass connected headset.
Google did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment for this story.
/CNN/
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