The Wall Street Journal has dropped a bombshell tonight, detailing several products slated to come out of Google as early as this fall. According to the WSJ, Google is working on a game console, a smartwatch and successor to the Nexus Q.
With the success of Ouya, it’s not surprising Google is looking at game consoles as the next big thing. At just $99, Ouya just went on sale this week, and has already started selling out at major retailers and online. Google would presumably take the same approach as Ouya, offering up a cheap box optimized for games, but capable of running other Android apps as well. However, Google’s console wouldn’t be built around media.
Also tipped by the Journal, Google is said to be working on a successor to the Nexus Q that would be sold in Google Play for much cheaper than the first iteration. As stylish as it was, the first Nexus Q was far over priced. The new Nexus Q will be centered around Google Play media, like music and movies.
Rumors of Google working on a new Nexus Q come hot on the heels of news that Google has yanked Play Movie support for the original device, effectively killing it. If Google were to be making a second Nexus Q, killing support for the first generation model would make sense. It will be interesting to see how Google differentiates the Q from its game console, when either of which could fill both roles. We have a sneaking suspicion there may actually only be one device in the works, and that the original information was misinterpreted.
Finally, Google is said to be working on a smartwatch. Fueled by the success of Pebble, news that Samsung is working on a smartwatch and rumors that Apple will enter the market sooner than later, Google wants to provide a first-party Android watch that would connect to your smartphone and provide real-time information. We imagine Google’s smartwatch would be similar to Google Glass, offering a Google Now like experience.
With one of these devices likely to launch this fall, stay tuned for more details soon.
