Google's latest browser-based game turns your smartphone into a game controller

Trust Google to come up with fun games that make a boring night at home a super one with friends. Say “Hello!” to Chrome Super Sync Sports , which is a collection of browser-based, ’80s-themed multiplayer races. The game runs on your computer browser while you use your smartphone or tablet as a controller.

You can use your smartphone and tablet to get your avatars to run, swim and cycle. Part of Google’s Chrome Experiments, Chrome Super Sync Sports makes use of the new web technologies, including HTML5 features such as WebSockets, for real-time gaming synchronicity on desktop and mobile, as well as Canvas and CSS3 for rich visuals.

What a fun night in at home could now look like

To run Chrome Super Sync Sports, you essentially need a computer and a smartphone that runs on Android 4.0 and up or iOS 4.3 and up. Log on to www.chrome.com/supersyncsports on your computer and pick a game depending on whether you want to play solo or with friends. Visit g.co/super using Chrome on your smartphone and sync them using a code that appears on the screen.

You can sift and choose between 50 athlete avatars to play the game. You need to make motions on your smartphones or tablet touchscreens to get your athlete to move on the computer. The aim of the game is to be the quickest to make correct gestures to win the game. There is also a global leaderboard that is updated with each game, so you’re not just competing with your friends. Up to four people can play the Wacky Races together. 

Google’s last outing in the gaming department, Ingress , turned out to be pretty good—at least in most countries. An augmented reality game, Ingress is still in closed beta since it was released in November 2012. You can apply for a beta invite at the Ingress website. Once you are part of the closed beta, you can download the app from Google Play.

Ingress seems like a cross between a dystopian, cyberpunk theme game with an ancient war between hidden factions thrown in for good measure. The game has you join one of the two factions—the Resistance or the Enlightened—and going to various landmarks to complete objectives. It is also completely online with a social aspect, much like a massively multiplayer online game. The game allows you to track the progress of other players from around the world and communicate with them using an Intelligence app. According to the description of the game, players need to work together to complete objectives. Cooperation across neighbourhoods, cities and countries is required to achieve victory.