Did anyone watch the Google Stadia announcement? I’m curious what you all think of streaming services. On the one hand, it would be incredibly convenient to not have to own a console or a Windows machine, and to be able to play your games on any device with a browser. On the other hand, I don’t like the idea of needing a good connection up to a cloud provider just to enjoy a single player game. In fact, the US is not exactly known for its ubiquitous, high-speed, quality internet. Much of the US has data caps too, so how would that work out?
I was testing Odyssey during the best and it was very smooth. I never watched how much data I was using, but I know technologies such as Citrix HDX use very small packets that only update screen quadrants during movement. They recommended 25Mbps during the beta but that was without the specialized WiFi controllers that go over your regular internet connection.
It will be interesting to see all those UbiSoft titles in action over the streaming service.
Or not very lightweight at all …
"Google Stadia’s first Connect stream yesterday gave us hard numbers on the game streaming service, and the maths presents a sobering reality when it comes to data: 1TB for every 65 hours of play.
PC Gamer did all the adding up, and worked out that with a bitrate of 35Mbps, 4K streaming in Stadia will require 15.75GB per hour. Not nothing if you’re dealing with a monthly cap on your internet usage.
You can stream Stadia at a lesser resolution, which comes to 9GB per hour at 1080p, or 4.5GB per hour at 720p."
Oh, yipes! Yeah… I don’t know if this is going to work. It definitely feels like this is what the future will be like, but it’s perhaps ahead of it’s time?
I am not interested in streaming services at all for video games. I feel the subscription model isn’t something I want to support, but obviously companies want constant revenue flow. I would like to keep my computer, operating system, programs and computer games local in a buy once model. I am sure that won’t stand the test of time unless consumers pick the own model over the sub model. Sure, there is convenience in the “cloud”, but there is also a lot more danger than benefits from my perspective. Freedom isn’t free, nor is it easy, but then neither is slavery.
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FWIW I feel the same way @brohawk. They are saying you would “buy” games, but they would just be available in the cloud. However, I wonder if that would be like how you “buy” movies and music from Google Play or Apple where really you’ve just leased it for a really long time (in theory), and the companies have the right to revoke the lease at any time, or go out of business.
I really hate these models, personally, which is why I agree with what you’ve said. I don’t know if that’s what’s going on here or not.
What happens with games like ESO where mods are quite popular (and for some people-me) are necessary ;)? While we’re lucky here in Canada, in that many carriers offer reasonable no cap data plans, our speeds still lag, especially in rural areas. That, and I just don’t trust Google ;)!
Doesn’t appeal to me at all.
I own a computer for many reasons, not just for gaming, so removing the games would not remove the need for a computer.
I also don’t live a particularly mobile lifestyle. Gaming on my computer, in the comfort of my own home, is perfectly adequate 99.9% of the time.
Lastly, ergonomics matters. After a lifetime of working and gaming on computers for many hours every day, I take it seriously. That means sitting at a desk, in a good chair, with good ergonomic posture. I don’t need a streaming service enabling slouching on the sofa and aggravating my RMIs.
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I would of course still own a computer, but I would be very happy to no longer need to own a computer with Windows on it.
I had zero interest in this as I am just not interested in paying a monthly fee to stream games on a device that will be weaker than my PC and also potentially have some real issues with latency. My lack of interest can now be quantified as a negative integer given that you have to pay full price for the games on top of the sub fee. Stadia just gets nichier and nichier…