More than 1 million people from around the world gathered on their Internets this week to watch Google’s annual developer-focused conference in San Francisco.Google I/O is two days of in-depth talks about the web and mobile applications. More importantly for us, it’s about Android devices and the games that can be played on them.Check out our full coverage from the event right here. For more in-depth coverage about the conference, make sure you check out The Verge’s comprehensive coverage.
Watch Unreal Engine 4 running on the next version of Android
Yesterday at Google’s I/O developer conference, the company announced a suite of GPU-focused technologies designed to bring better graphics to Android devices. Press play above to see the video Google showed on stage to demonstrate the power of the Android Extension Pack tech using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 4.
You can learn about Google’s other announcements — including games, watches and television peripherals — in Polygon’s Google I/O 2014 StoryStream.
Read Article >How to make a VR headset with a pizza box, smartphone and $21 worth of tech
Google is bringing virtual reality to Android phones with cardboard — literally.
The Cardboard project is Google’s attempt to bring inexpensive VR to its operating system using items you can find around home or buy at a hardware store or order online. Those include actual pieces of cardboard (an extra large pizza box will do), lenses, magnets, velcro, a rubber band and, if you like, an near-field communications (NFC) tag, which will launch Cardboard automatically. Combine those ingredients with a ruler, glue, scissors and an X-acto knife, and you’ve got yourself a makeshift virtual reality headset. Detailed instructions are available on the Cardboard corner of Google’s developer site.
Read Article >Google’s Android TV platform brings mobile games to the living room
Android TV, a platform designed to make it easier for people to find entertainment content on televisions, is Google’s latest attempt to enter the living room, and games are an important focus for it, the company announced today during Google I/O 2014.
Devices running Android TV require input devices with a minimum of a D-pad and a microphone, since voice navigation is built into the interface. You can use a virtual controls on a smartphone or tablet, a typical remote control or a game controller.
Read Article >Android Wear watches are available to pre-order today (update)
Smartwatches running the Android Wear software are now available to pre-order, Google announced today during the Gogle I/O conference.
Android Wear is a scaled-down version of the Android mobile operating system. This version is designed for smaller, namely wearable, devices such as smartwatches. Google revealed its Android Wear software back in March, along with smartwatches running the software made by telecommunication electronics companies Motorola and LG.
Read Article >Android’s next release will include GPU-focused tech for PC quality graphics
Android’s next release will include the graphics-focused technologies designed to boost mobile GPU performance and bring PC-like gaming capabilities to mobile phones and tablets.
The Android Extension Pack technology supports tessellation, geometry shaders, texture compression and more. Google is working with hardware manufacturers like ARM, Imagination Technologies, Nvidia and Qualcomm on the technology. It will be available to consumers this fall with Android’s L release. Developers will have access to the technology soon.
Read Article >Google I/O 2014: Watch it here
Google I/O kicks off today in San Francisco. Among the expected announcements are news of a new game-centric set-top-box, details on Android TV and Android Wear and of course, plenty of Android games.
You can watch the livestream right here.
Read Article >Zombie Gunship Reality lets you become an AC-130 with Google’s new 3D tech
Zombie Gunship Reality, an upcoming game from developer Limbic Software, will turn Android devices into gunships with the help of Google’s new Project Tango hardware.
As you can see in the trailers above and below, players will twist, turn, push and pull their phones and tablets to control Zombie Gunship Reality. Using the 3D positioning technology in Project Tango hardware, which allows devices to calculate precise positions, players serve as an AC-130 gunship, taking out zombies and protecting survivors from the air.
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