Verizon is the latest company to begin testing a cloud-based streaming service for video games, according to The Verge.
The company is currently recruiting testers for Verizon Gaming, a platform that runs on the Nvidia Shield set-top box paired with an Xbox controller. The service will eventually launch on Android devices as well.
Screenshots of the service display an impressive collection of games including “Red Dead Redemption II,” “Fortnite” and “God of War.” But according to the report, the actual availability of games is limited in the initial trial as Verizon focuses on working out the kinks with its streaming platform.
Verizon didn’t confirm the tests, and the report doesn’t include information about a potential launch date for Verizon Gaming. But if the company is indeed planning on launching a cloud gaming service, it will have plenty of competition.
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Last year, both Google and Microsoft began testing streaming game services. Google announced Stream, a “technical test to solve some of the biggest challenges of streaming.” The company is conducting trials by streaming the latest “Assassin’s Creed” video game to Chrome browsers.
Microsoft announced Project xCloud, a video game streaming service it’s currently testing with plans for public trials in 2019. The service will work on PCs and mobile devices—along with consoles—and will allow users to play with a Bluetooth controller or on-screen controls.
Amazon is also reportedly working on a video game streaming service. And Charter Communications recently made a strategic investment in startup Blade, which approximately one year ago launched Shadow, a cloud-based PC available in the U.S. and Europe. The company intends to leverage its involvement with Charter and its high-speed network to develop a “powerful entertainment platform never seen before in the home.”