LOS GATOS: Not content with dominating merely the video streaming business, Netflix is looking to further expand into video games with a new cloud gaming offering.
Similar to cloud gaming platforms from tech companies Microsoft and Nvidia, Netflix's offering would allow people at home to play games online without the need to buy expensive hardware.
Since these services run the game on remote servers and advanced gaming hardware, the player at home needs only a screen and a stable Internet connection to play the game.
Netflix says it is now trialling its own cloud gaming service in the UK and Canada, where “a small number” of users can now play games on their TVs and computers using Netflix.
Only two games (an arcade game and a supernatural thriller) are available in the trial and they can be used on Samsung and LG TVs and streaming boxes from Amazon and Google, among others. Windows PCs and Apple's Mac computers are also supported.
Netflix says players can use their mobile phones to control gameplay. As such, Netflix does not appear to have its sights on rivalling the more high-end gaming experiences offered by Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's PlayStation consoles.
Netflix is primed to expand into the cloud gaming business after years of technical experience in delivering video content over the internet.
The streaming platform had already started its entry into the mobile-oriented video games business a few years ago, but is taking its time. The service had already made the first games available on smartphones for subscribers at the end of 2021. – dpa
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