
Android+AMD(CPU+GPU)+Steam Big Picture+Half Life 3
There's an unbeatable launch combo.
The Wall Street Journal, citing those ever-loquacious "people familiar with the matter," reports that Google is developing a game console and a smartwatch to be powered by, no surprise, Android. "With the watch and game console, Google is hoping to combat similar devices that Apple Inc. may release in the future, the WSJ …
Valve has already ported some of its AAA games to run on Linux, as have a number of others. In fact, a quick check shows 223 games available on Steam for Linux. Android is, of course, based on Linux. There are already versions of Steam that run natively on Linux and as an App on Android.
A combined Android (i.e. Linux) based Steam box using a similar CPU/GPU architecture to the PS4/XBox One, released by Valve/Google in partnership and launched with Half Life 3 would have a serious impact and attract AAA developers.
It won't happen, of course, but it could be done and would probably succeed if it was.
"Valve has already ported some of its AAA games to run on Linux, as have a number of others."
Examples? I've looked through the entire list and I didn't notice anything that comes close to being an AAA title. I saw a few good games - Amnesia The Dark Descent and Penumbra Gold Edition stand out (for someone of my particular tastes, of course) - but those are not triple A. The only Valve games I noticed were Half-Live - the original from 1998, and the two expansion packs - along with Team Fortress, and Counter-Strike. So no AAA titles there, either...
If I've overlooked something, I'd be interested to know.
Google have spent the last few years going through all their software offerings and they have streamlined (well axed) a lot of them. Waves, iGoogle, Google RSS Reader... While I can see the logic behind it (saving money, focusing on core key strengths) it seems Google haven't learned and are repeating the same mistakes in the hardware arena with various partners which is probably more costly and damaging to Googles reputation in the long run...
Google TV was a failure (who knows what's happening with that)
Nexus Q was a total unmitigated disaster (see article)
Google Chromebooks are still limping along but are ridiculed quite a bit (I'll admit though they are pretty good and they have their uses and can be quite handy, but Google seem to see it as a pet project)
Speaking as a Nexus 4 Owner, I'd rather Google just abandoned this scatter gun approach to Software and Hardware. Amidst the announcement of the second generation Sony smartwatch, the constant iWatch rumours and some rather fantastic developments on independent gaming devices (Ouya, Steam) here we have Google rumoured to be starting work on a watch and a gaming console.
Personally I use the bulk of the Google software services, but I'm not daft I know they can drop any of them at will. Why would anyone buy a Google watch or gaming console when they could just drop it like they have with most other things when someone else does it better?
"With the watch and game console, Google is hoping to combat similar devices...."
Similar devices to the watch and game console? There's only one that I know!
Nintendo's Game & Watch!
http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/FCKEditorFiles//Game_and_watch_Ball.jpg
.......Someone had to do it.