While currently just a rumor, a recent executive hire triggered the speculations that Google is building its own gaming device. The new Google hire is video game industry veteran Phil Harrison, who worked on the Sony PlayStation brand across 15 years, and most recently held the position of corporate vice-president at Microsoft Xbox division. While some said Phil is hired to join Google Play, he is actually directly reporting to Rick Osterloh, the head of Google’s hardware division. A weird choice since Phil has no engineering background.
Industry watchers have said there is absolutely no chance of Google developing a gaming console to rival Microsoft and Sony, and thus speculated that Phil will be the one helping to add “gaming” in Google’s hardware, including Daydream VR set, Pixel phones, and Pixel laptops. Phil’s previous roles were to orchestrate major game launches, and it might be a sign Google is taking gaming more seriously than ever beyond just Google Play. However, we would still love to see Google disrupt Microsoft and Sony with a gaming console.
