Google TV gets dedicated games

The upcoming Google TV platform is poised to welcome dedicated games functionality – a move that could enable the platform to squarely rival dedicated consoles such as Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii.

Google TV is a software platform that will come included in the innards of some new TVs or via a dedicated set-top box. It will stream content such as TV and movies directly from Google but will also allow for the installation of apps.

It had already been confirmed that Google TV will support Flash Player 10.1, meaning users will be able to access the wealth of Flash games content already rife on the net.

But speaking to TechRadar, Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch explained: Google TV is taking an approach initially that’s very browser centric; you’re viewing web pages. You go to URLs and you can see apps that have been put on the website.

Those apps can be built with HTML and Flash together because we worked with the Google TV team to really create an excellent experience for Flash and HTML on these boxes.

Over time we’re also looking at applications that you could put on your box and the installation will be different for those. There will be applications as well as browsing; right now it’s browsing and the Flash player.”

Google TV’s lead product manager Rishi Chandra went further: TV is an entertainment device and there are plenty of web apps out there, web content – whatever might be [relevant]. Games obviously make sense on the big screen in the living room. But I think there’s going to be plenty of opportunities for a whole bunch of different applications that can make sense on the platform.”

There’s no UK release date for Google TV as of yet, though a 2011 launch seems likely.