Netflix Game Streaming Beta Heads To More Screens In US: Here's What's Compatible
Following an ambitious launch of video games for mobiles two years ago, Netflix is now looking at a bigger screen real estate. The company has today announced that it is expanding the test of Netflix games on TVs and desktop web browsers to the U.S. audience. The company originally started the test phase in August this year but kept it limited to the U.K. and Canada.
If you are playing games on a TV, your mobile phone will double as a controller with on-screen buttons. Their regular keyboard and mouse should be fine for folks accessing Netflix games on a desktop browser. Right now, the library isn't particularly rich, as Netflix's support page only mentions "Oxenfree" and "Molehew's Mining Adventure," but the future seems bright.
The company is looking to milk in-house hits such as the Chris Hemsworth-led action thriller "Extraction," "Black Mirror," "Squid Games," and the "Wednesday" universe. The company is reportedly even talking with GTA developers for a game set in the cult franchise. Due to hardware limitations, these games will likely arrive on mobile first, but it isn't clear if Netflix can port them all to TVs and web browsers.
Limited, but a promising start
Right now, if you are among the lucky few folks in the U.S. who have been selected for beta testing, you will automatically see a games carousel on the home page. There isn't any registration system in place to sign up for it. For playing games on a PC, you need Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, as those two are the only two supported browsers at the moment.
On TV, Netflix games will be available for Amazon's Fire TV streaming kit, Chromecast with Google TV, LG and Samsung Smart TVs, Roku, Nvidia Shield, and Walmart Onn. However, you need a stable internet connection with a bandwidth of over 5 Mbps and the N-Controller mobile application installed on your iPhone, iPad, or Android device.
Before enjoying Netflix games on a large screen, you will need to scan a QR code for pairing. Remember that these gaming experiences are no replacement for proper console or PC games. The resolution is limited to 720p (or HD), and there is currently no multi-player support.