YouTube is stepping into the realm of gaming, but it’s not an ambitious project looking to bring major titles or cloud gaming. Instead, we will soon be getting a suite of mini-games on the YouTube homepage for some chill time pass.
The video-sharing platform has started experimenting with this feature just now and only a select few beta testers are able to try it at the moment. The feature is called “Playables” and it should appear in a separate tab on the homepage if you’re one of the lucky chosen beta testers. It will be available on the mobile app as well as the desktop website.
There is currently no list of published titles available, but according to 9to5Google, there is a game called Stack Bounce that can be found. In this game, players control a ball that smashes through rings with well-timed clicks.
If the name sounds familiar, it’s because Stack Bounce was previously featured on Google’s GameSnacks service.
GameSnacks is one of Google’s many slashed projects, which begs the question if Playbles is just a rehash or something big.
It’s worth noting that navigating a 3D ball is quite different from the types of games that Google Stadia offered before it ceased operations. However, Google mentions that the system will save game progress, which can be accessed through the “History” tab.
In essence, this suggests that more complex gaming experiences may be on the horizon, as there isn’t much progress to save when simply maneuvering a bouncing ball through rings. For now, though, the platform primarily serves as a collection of mini-games.
