Google search was briefly seen with a nifty feature allowing gamers to access multiple cloud gaming platforms. Bryant Chappel (The Nerf Report) first spotted the new feature which appears to be in a testing phase. He saw that while it does work seamlessly with Stadia he was still able to get games from Amazon Luna, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and GeForce Now, up and running as well.
The feature also works for Amazon's cloud gaming platform @AmazonLuna! Definitely not as seamless, but still faster than downloading, updating, and jumping into a game. pic.twitter.com/JkvQi0ZcYj
— Bryant Chappel (@BryantChappel) August 11, 2022
The cloud gaming space has been largely dominated by Microsoft and NVIDIA but this could soon change with players being able to access their favorite service just by doing a quick Google search. Players would still have to be logged into their accounts but instead of jumping from one service to the next, they could just utilize the search bar.
Unfortunately, Google removed the feature shortly after multiple outlets discovered it. It is presumed that Google is merely testing the waters as it prepares to formally launch the new feature sometime in the future. The test also follows a recent partnership announcement between Google and LG for a Stadia Pro promotion that is being offered for select smart TVs so perhaps this too is a sign of more things to come for Stadia users.
It’s not clear when or if Google will fully roll out this feature. We initially saw it live this afternoon, but suddenly it was gone and doesn’t appear in our search results anymore. Then it came back for me, but only for my Google Workspace account, which isn’t associated with any cloud gaming services and can’t play Google Stadia at all. Chappel confirms to The Verge that he’s still seeing it working from his home in Austin, Texas. 9to5Google saw it as well.
Sources: The Nerf Report, The Verge