Assassin’s Creed Odyssey will be available in just a few days, and you can pick it up for play on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, but what if there were another option? With Google’s Project Stream, you will be able to stream the latest AAA games directly to your Chrome browser.
Project Stream is a “technical test to solve some of the biggest challenges of streaming,” according to Google. As you’ll be able to stream games through the service directly to your laptop or desktop, the heavy lifting won’t be done on your machine, and Google wants participants to help it push its limits.
You can sign up using this form for a chance to be selected by Google for Project Stream. When Assassin’s Creed Odyssey launches on October 5, so will the test, and you will be able to play the game until mid-January for free. A limited number of spots are available for the test and you need a high-speed internet connection (at least 25 Mbps), a keyboard and mouse, a Google account, a Ubisoft account, and the Chrome browser in order to participate.
“We’re looking forward to what the future of streaming holds, and feedback from those participating in Project Stream,” Google product manager Catherine Hsiao said in a blog post. “Thank you for helping us bring streaming to the next level.”
No other games have been announced for the program thus far, but it seems likely that a larger rollout will take place next year. The footage released for Odyssey show the game running at 60 frames per second in 1080p resolution.
Though official details from Google are scarce, it’s possible that Project Stream is just the tip of the iceberg. We have heard in the past that there could be a physical piece of hardware available for the service and that it could even have exclusive games. The platform is reportedly code-named “Yeti,” and it could even work with Chromcast units plugged into a television set.
Game streaming is already a thing, with services like GeForce Now allowing you to play games your machine can’t run on its own, but the ease of being able to stream games directly into your browser could open up the door for true console and high-end PC quality gaming from any device.
