Google, Ubisoft Partner For 'Assassin's Creed Odyssey' Chrome Stream Test

One of the biggest upcoming video games of the busy holiday release season will be entirely playable from within a Google Chrome browser. Google and publisher Ubisoft announced Monday that select participants will be able to stream “Assassin’s Creed Odyssey” for free when it launches on Friday, as a way to test something Google is calling "Project Stream."

Anyone in the United States can sign up for one of the limited spots on Google’s Project Stream site right now. Those who get in can play the game through their Chrome browser until the testing period ends in mid-January. Given that “Assassin’s Creed Odyssey” reportedly has more than 100 hours of content in it, that should give testers plenty of time to see the game to completion.

Ideally, Project Stream will allow users to play “Assassin’s Creed Odyssey” without needing an expensive piece of hardware, like a PlayStation, Xbox or gaming PC. Players will essentially stream a video of themselves playing the game, similar to how the PlayStation Now service works on PS4.

Google included footage of the game purportedly being played through Project Stream in its announcement.

Of course, for the game to consistently look that good and run that well over a stream, the player’s internet will need to hold up. Google recommends download speeds of at least 25 megabits per second. That would disqualify around 24 million Americans, or almost 8 percent of the population, according to the FCC’s findings in 2016.

Game streaming could also be an expensive proposition for Americans who do have access to fast internet. Hundreds of ISPs around the country impose monthly data caps on customers. Meanwhile, the federal government reversed net neutrality protections earlier this year.

Aside from visual fidelity and performance, the primary concern with game streaming going forward is latency. If a player presses a button and their character on-screen does not respond until half a second later, the player will notice. Responsiveness is not an issue when streaming music or even high definition video, but nobody has presented an ironclad solution for video games, yet.

Google acknowledged that in its announcement, emphasizing that Project Stream will hopefully help the company figure out how to properly stream games.

“We’re inspired by the game creators who spend years crafting these amazing worlds, adventures and experiences, and we’re building technology that we hope will support and empower that creativity,” product manager Catherino Hsiao wrote.

Rumors have indicated Google would dip its toes into the gaming market via game streaming for months. The project, reportedly codenamed Yeti, may or may not eventually tie into a piece of dedicated gaming hardware manufactured by Google, according to a Kotaku report from June.