Netflix’s test of streaming games is small, but it’s poised to be a big deal
Having quietly released a phone-based TV game controller for iOS devices last week, Netflix has both made their ambition for streaming subscription gaming official—as well as expanding it to PCs and Macs through the web.
In a blog post today, Mike Verdu, vice president for games at Netflix, states that the streaming content company is rolling out "a limited beta test to a small number of members in Canada and the UK on select TVs starting today, and on PCs and Macs through Netflix.com on supported browsers in the next few weeks."
The first two games available on bigger-than-mobile screens are the visual novel-esque adventure game Oxenfree 2, from Netflix-owned Night School Studio, and Molehew's Mining Adventure, described as a "gem-mining arcade game." Those two games and future titles can be streamed. Those early testers playing on TV can use Netflix's app-based controller, while Netflix says that members "on PCs and Macs can play on Netflix.com with a keyboard and mouse." There's no mention of controller support, Linux, or other systems that have browsers. Given the mess that Linux users encounter with web-based DRM, and Netflix's peculiar device support, it's not a likely bet, at least for now.
