Chromecast, the dongle that allows apps to project content on to TVs, is getting more attention from Google. According to the Google developer’s blog, the company just announced the release of the “Google Cast Remote Display plugin for Unity”. What it does is make games based on the Unity engine take advantage of Chromecast’s screen casting ability.
They’re announcing on the blog that Monopoly Here & Now, as well as Risk, are all set and ready to go. The former is about traveling the world and collecting stamps, and the latter is the classic game with additional maps. Given Unity’s cross-platform appeal, it strikes me as strategically smart on Google’s part to start with the most popular gaming engine, with the expansion for Chromecast.
In the blog, Google advises that developers design the compatibility in a way that reduces or outright precludes gamers from having to glance between their handsets and TV screens. As an example, they cite the option to use handsets as motion controllers for what’s happening on the screen. On the whole, I think we can expect this to lay the groundwork for either new games, or games we already have being expanded for playing in new ways.
Given the price point for Chromecast, this can bring an entirely new dimension of gaming for a wide audience.
Website Referenced: The Verge | Google Developer’s Blog
