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Google to show Android TV set-top box at I/O conference: WSJ

Google to show Android TV set-top box at I/O conference: WSJ

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Video games said to be focus for new living-room initiative

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Bloomberg Businessweek reported earlier today that Google will announce its TV-focused version of Android on stage at the I/O conference tomorrow, but there may be more than software on show. A separate report in The Wall Street Journal claims that Google will have "at least one" set-top box running the Android TV operating system. The Verge first revealed the existence of Android TV in April.

Video games are said to be a focus

The set-top box will reportedly be branded by its manufacturer, though the WSJ doesn't name the OEM involved, and says it's unclear whether Google will release a self-branded version along the lines of its Nexus tablets and phones. Existing Android devices will serve as controllers for the box, according to the report.

Video games are said to be a focus for the Android TV initiative. CNET reports that one device will use Nvidia's Tegra 4 processor, with other boxes using Intel processors also in the works. One developer tells the WSJ that users will be able to suspend progress on a smartphone game and continue playing at home, for example, and another source says there is at least one split-screen multiplayer game in development.