Gaming on Android TV is about to get a lot better.
Google announced a new feature that will allow users to play multiplayer games on Android TV while using their Android smartphones and tablets as controllers.
The update is powered through a new Nearby Connection API, which allows developers to add the feature to their games. It's part of a larger update to Google Play Games, which helps developers market their products, announced during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco Monday.
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The changes will roll out over the next few weeks but Google showcased one early partner, Vector Unit, the studio behind Beach Buggy Racing, who has already built the Android TV functionality into their game.
"What they're building is the ability to do four-way split screen multiplayer gaming in in the living room using controls that are basically the phones and tablets that are lying around in your pockets and on the coffee table," explains Google's Greg Hartrell, senior product manager of Google Play Games.
Android TV isn't the only new platform getting attention, Google is also rolling new tools for game developers who want to build virtual reality games for Google's Cardboard VR headset with new software development kits (SDKs) for Cardboard. The SDKs will make it easier for developers to create new VR games for Cardboard or make their existing apps compatible with the headset.
"Cardboard is definitely the platform that has the greatest reach for developers to create these new and immersive experiences, certainly for games but it extends to any type of immersive experience you can imagine consuming," Hartrell said in an interview with Mashable.
Finally, Google is also adding new ways for game developers to learn about their users and monetize their games. A new Player Analytics tool provides insights into how users are playing their games and whether or not they are spending money on in-app purchases.
For those that use Google's AdMob platform, which allows developers to monetize their apps, the company is rolling out a new form of native advertising that will match ads to the design of their game and new ways to target users with in-app purchases. AdMob will be able to predict which users are more likely to make an in-app purchase so developers will be able to customize ads for in-app purchases based on these insights. The new AdMob features are in beta and will also be launching over the next couple weeks.