OK Google, let’s play. We’ve been hearing about a potential ‘Google Gaming Console’ being in the works for a while now, and we’ve been watching Google’s game streaming trial “Project Stream” for Chrome with interest.
Over the weekend we got a look at a set of Fan made renders of a Google branded gaming controller.
Right up front the online gamer community has embraced the new controller with all of the sensitivity and tact of a frat BBQ, with many a criticism of it’s comfort, design and the quality of the gaming service been called into question.
Considering no one has seen a real version of this, let alone handled it, we’re going to reserve definitive comment until we’ve held it, if it ever exists.
That said the design renders do not make it appear super ergonomic, however our own Jason Murray points out that one of most popular gaming devices on the market uses the below controllers, which were clearly designed for Oompa Loompa’s to use.
The controller features everything you’d expect a 2019 Google gaming controller to have including the typical digital and analogue controls, 4 buttons, shoulder triggers, a very Android-looking Home and Menu button, a G button and of course an dedicated Assistant button. We can’t see if the controller includes a microphone (or headphone jack) but a Google product without an Assistant microphone seems…. unlikely. There’s no wires in the renders so a fully wireless controller, hopefully with USB-C charging built in is also a real possibility.
These renders were made to match a US Patent and Trademark office submission by Google for a ‘Game Controller’. While these renders are not genuine with GDC just a few weeks away we may not have long to wait to find out if it’s really coming in this form or another.
This looks a lot like a PlayStation controller. In a way I would have preferred it to be closer to an Xbox one as they have better ergonomics at least for me.