Internet giant Google is to enter "the battle for the living room" with its own games console based on Android, which will connect wirelessly via Bluetooth to Google Glass, smart watches and other wireless devices.
The aim of the initiative is not simply to compete against Microsoft and Sony in games, but also to use the device as a "Trojan horse" into people's living rooms from which it can offer downloadable content, such as television programmes and films.
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Running on Android 5, the Google device will be able to play all the (cheap) games and other currently available on Android for smartphones and tablets.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the console is being lined up for a release some time this year, along with a Google smart watch, which has also been heavily trailed for at least a year.
The Google device comes as the games console battle between Sony and Microsoft intensifies, while Valve, which runs the popular gaming download service Steam, is also planning a console. The Steambox, as it has been dubbed, will run on Ubuntu Linux in contrast to the Windows operating system that the majority of its online customers use to download and play games.
It will also compete against Apple TV and, perhaps, Apple's long-mooted high-end television that was supposed to do for the TV industry what the iPod did to the music industry.
In addition, it will also compete against similar devices from start-ups such as GamePop and Ouya.
