Yesterday, rumor spread of a new Android gaming platform set to debut during Google's I/O developer conference. On Wednesday, vice-president of Android product management Hugo Barra announced the various APIs associated with Google Play Games, rolling out to developers immediately. While there's no word in regards to when Google Play Games will roll out to the public, the service looks like a strong competitor to Apple's GameCenter.
"Building low-latency, real-time synchronous multiplayer games is pretty hard, so we want to help," said Barra during his Google I/O presentation.
The new APIs, bundled into Google Play Game Services, give some insight into what Android gamers can expect from Google Play Games. Cloud saves mean you're now able to pick up a game where you left off, moving from an Android smartphone to a tablet, for instance. And jumping onto the Xbox Live and iOS GameCenter wagon, the platform will allow game developers to access centralized achievements and leaderboards. The cross-platform functionality will extend to the web, as well, said Barra.
But if there's one feature Android gamers would truly appreciate, it's multiplayer matchmaking from a standardized perspective. Google attempted to show the new multiplayer functions with three people playing a build of Riptide 2, but appeared to hit some technical snags. Unfortunately, the players were unable to connect to each other and play the game.
Still, presentations like these are never foolproof, and the massive interference in the room can lead to problems showing off the new features in the best light. We'll let you know as soon as Google announces when Google Play Games is set to go live.
Matt Clark is a freelance writer covering the world of videogames, tech, and popular culture. Follow him on Twitter @ClarkMatt and MyIGN at Matt_Clark.
Source : ign[dot]com
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