Google Search tests a new update for cloud gaming services: What is it and how can it help – Times of India

Google Search has been an aggregator of all the content streaming services available around the world for a long time now. For example, if a user is trying to stream a particular show, they can use Google Search or Google TV to get accurate information about the platforms where the show is available. Building on the existing support for movies, TV and music, Google Search is now testing a new way to show which particular video game is available on what cloud streaming services. According to a report by 9to5Google, Google is planning to expand its Search capabilities to include support for video games. The report also mentions that Google is “strictly focusing” on cloud gaming as it is not showing links to various consoles’ storefronts or PC gaming retailers.
Google Search new update availability
Another report by The Verge mentions that there is no information about when Google will fully roll out this feature as it is showing for some users and not for everyone. Moreover, the search results are also disappearing for some users who have initially noticed the change, the report adds. As per the report, the tech giant is running a test with this feature to check the reaction of the users.

How does this new feature work
The Verge report states that users have to be logged into an account that’s associated with these cloud gaming services or they will be redirected to a signup page along with the possibility of getting intermediate prompts. Moreover, the report mentions that this new Google Search feature doesn’t appear to work with all games.
However, for Stadia and Xbox Cloud Gaming, a single click from a Google search result will take users further. Meanwhile, currently, users have to navigate to the website of their favourite cloud gaming service, pick the title and press the play button to start the game. The new feature is expected to directly put the play button on Search results.
The report also claims Stadia is getting a bit of a “special treatment” because when mobile users are searching for a game that has a free trial through the platform, the page is switching the text from black to green to show “Trial available.” For other platforms, Google Search is showing if a game is “Free” or if users can only stream it with a “Premium subscription”.
When Android users click the “Play” button on the Google Search results page, it launches directly into that service’s store in the app (if allowed). However, the report also mentions that this function seemed to work fine with Stadia but not for Xbox Game Pass which doesn’t seem to have link-based launching on Android.
Nonetheless, the report mentions that the list of services seems to differ between desktop and mobile. For example, searching for a particular game on Android is only showing results for Stadia, while the same search on the desktop is showing results for other platforms as well.

Why Google is focusing on cloud gaming
As per the 9to5Google report, the tech giant is focusing more on cloud gaming as the company is invested itself with platforms like — Stadia and Google Cloud’s Immersive Stream. However, Google Search is not only showing results for Stadia, as it is also showing support for — Amazon Luna, Nvidia GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming.
The report also mentions that Google has been reportedly preparing to aggregate cloud gaming services like this. The earliest hint was when Google started preparing the ChromeOS launcher to show cloud gaming titles while searching, the report mentions. Moreover, the report also claims that if this feature was made only for ChromeOS it would have “made more sense”, considering the cloud-ready nature of the platform.