While it’s no secret that their Go90 video service was lackluster, Verizon is trying their hand again, this time focusing on different medium: Gaming. Appropriately called Verizon Gaming, the new service will be in competition with companies such as Valve, Microsoft, Epic Games, Sony, Nintendo, and Electronic Arts.
Verizon offers a game streaming service
What we know
Verizon Gaming is currently in its alpha testing, and is up and running on the Nvidia Shield set-top box. Verizon plans to push the platform onto Android smartphones as well, and users can allegedly pair Xbox One controllers to either device. Considering that Google may be about to kill Android for good, this is a risky move. Despite that, Verizon has discreetly been recruiting testers for some time now, and their gaming catalog has supposedly grown to over 135 games. Verizon Gaming will also be tested via Google Play, and the trial run is scheduled to be completed by the end of January.
What games are on it?
While no titles are confirmed as of yet (Verizon is keeping any news regarding Verizon Gaming on the down and low), we’ve seen screenshots of the app, and have to say it looks to boast a solid selection of titles:
Fortnite, God of War, Red Dead Redemption 2, Battlefield 5, and Destiny 2. Not to burst the excitement bubble, but just because these games are shown in the images doesn’t guarantee their placement on the Verizon Gaming lineup. That said, if these are not merely placeholder images but are in fact games readily available, then the competition might have something to worry about!
When will it be available?
We have no idea.
Verizon Gaming is in its very early days, which means they’ve got to plot a course, organize a budget, and work out the kinks well before even making the announcement more public and starting a whole marketing campaign. Regardless, Verizon is clearly watching the market trends and seeing the growing success of game streaming. With so many companies investing in it, it’s starting to become clear that it’s the way of both the present and the future.
Streaming is cool
The immediate appeal of streaming a game is that you no longer have to get up and buy a physical copy anymore. Valve made that abundantly clear after the release of Steam as far back as 2003. You don’t need powerful, expensive hardware to play games on desktop or on mobile; you just need to be able to snag a digital copy. It’s not just gaming, but also film, TV, and music. For Verizon, the smartest reason to start a streaming platform would be to showcase 5G broadband on mobile or desktop, and that could potentially bump them up in popularity when compared to the slower download speeds and high latency of, for example, Sony’s Playstation Now.
Time will tell whether Verizon will be successful in their attempt. Would you get an account? Let us know in the comments below!
