"If you don’t have a Google+ account you can start or join a limited hangout, which only includes the option to hang out with 1 other person. If you’d like access to all Hangouts’ features including the ability to hang out with up to 9 people, share your screen, and use cool Hangouts’ apps, you can upgrade to a free Google+ account at plus.google.com"

from https://support.google.com/chat/answer/161986?hl=en

Shit that sucks. Despite its bugs Hangouts is a great product I use multiple times a week, sometimes daily. Now I'm going to have to create a fake account just to use Hangouts.

hangouts are the one thing I do like about G+

Have you tried a WebRTC service like Talky? It has anonymous, group video chats with screen sharing, room passwords, and persistent room URLs.

https://talky.io/

But I don't understand why Google refuses to just offer this as a stand alone product for those of us who actually do enjoy this service, ya know.

The same reason you have to jump through hoops with third party tools to download apps from Google Play without using a Google-approved device. They want everyone to be fully immersed in the Google experience.

Because the value proposition is simple: provide an actually half-decent video conferencing solution as a way to boost G+ usage.