Google began testing a new front page for its main website with a small selection of users earlier this month. While the biggest change is the addition of widgets, a small addition that seems to have flown under everyone’s radar was the implementation of support for cloud gaming services such as Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming and Google’s own Stadia.
Bryant Chappel was one of the first to spot this new feature which adds a “Play” button to the search results for games that are playable via the cloud. Upon clicking this new button, the user is taken immediately to the game in the appropriate cloud gaming service and can begin playing almost immediately.
You can see the feature in action in the tweets below.
It looks like the Google search engine has a new update for cloud gaming platforms!!!
When searching for a game players can now launch a game directly from the search results utilizing @GoogleStadia. pic.twitter.com/xblOsBpF6O
— Bryant Chappel (@BryantChappel) August 11, 2022
Add Xbox Cloud Gaming to the list too! pic.twitter.com/LgXgSpe6wt
— Bryant Chappel (@BryantChappel) August 11, 2022
It’s worth noting that this Xbox Cloud Gaming functionality isn’t live for everyone yet but it is definitely something to keep an eye out for in the near future, especially if you frequently play via the cloud.
In general, this is a pretty great move as this will allow people to simply search for a game in their web browser’s address bar instead of having to go to the Xbox Cloud Gaming website. Sure, it’s just the removal of a single step, but added convenience is added convenience.
These new buttons prominently displayed in Google search results will also expose a large number of people to cloud gaming who likely wouldn’t have heard about the technology otherwise.
Xbox Cloud Gaming is a relatively new initiative by Microsoft that allows people to play video games without having to download and install them or own expensive hardware by streaming the game content in real-time via Microsoft’s servers.
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