Google Stadia

Posted in the E3 thread due to it being a E3 direct but overall pretty bad. Not sure why Sony and MS were so worried.

Stadia is out and it's not great from what I'm hearing. I can't tell you personally as I've not bought a founders pack or plan to.

When it's open to the public then maybe I will try Gylt.

Why I'm posting here as this week we've seen Sony promote PSNOW more and MS as well at XO19 with XCloud.

I got a invite to XCloud which is in BETA at the moment with about 50 games to play (almost three times Stadia already) which I've tried five of them on my phone, using a tripod as I don't have one of those clips to attach the phone and controller together.

Now I've played PSNOW before on my PS4 which has been fine and Stadia test says I can get 4K, that I was expecting good things from XCloud.

It's a mixed experience, first I played Halo 5 multiplayer which was almost unplayable and I had a warning coming up saying about my connection. Says I'm using 2.4ghz and should use 5ghz, my phone doesn't have a setting to change this but know I can get the 5ghz because of seeing my Xbox One and Apple TV settings.

Next was Sea of Thieves which was also online as a two man crew (that poor other player) this was much better part from the resolution looking like it was at about 480p.

Then today played Bloodstained, Yoku's Island and Darksiders III which all ran like they were native to mobile, with no connection errors or whatnot. Those are all single player games that I'm guessing my issue is multiplayer or I had a bad connection yesterday.

This was all on my home WiFi, yet to see how it would do on a 4G phone signal but I don't plan to take my Xbox One controller to work with me to find out.

I could see me using this now and again, which I guess is a good sign for Stadia as well. I just found the mobile screen to small (might be fine on one of those clips) that if I had a tablet or when this comes to laptop's (other screens, Switch?) with a bigger screen would be more useful to play Halo 5 on the go.

That would be the benefit for me at the moment as even though Xbox Anywhere is great and I can download on Halo 5, Sea of Thieves, Forza Horizon 4 but my laptop can't run them, yet via the cloud that wouldn't be a issue, which would be handy on the go at EGX for instance where I have taken my laptop in the past.

Basically it's wait and see where all this cloud gaming and at the moment it sort of works.

Why I've got to put stuff in the Positive Thread Balla made, due to thing's like that video with price thing as when I've said about something like DOOM coming to Switch and that being five times the price of Xbox One, that was fine but this isn't???

No, pretty sure folk hated the "Switch tax" as well.

Yeah they do but pointing out more the game being RRP, Kingdom Hearts just come to Xbox One and looks well expensive but is the same price on PSN. Sure I go get cheaper on PS4 on disc like in this video with Red Dead but not 100% comparable and is still new game on Xbox One or this case Stadia.

Would have been same for DOOM on Switch, as yeah could get for £10 on Xbox One but don't think anyone would have thought Bethesda would release the game for £10 on Switch on day of release but RRP.

Problem being Switch would RRP of Xbox One + a extra £10 because of the cart or something, now that isn't right.

I just think you've missed the point of the video.

I get it's a funny video etc but seeing so many of Stadia is dead, it doesn't work etc videos when I've been using it almsot every day with no issues and it's got benefits to it like I turned my Xbox One on which I had 3GB update then games wanted updates then had to download Two Point where it's all instant on Stadia.

Now I do think the prices are expensive but also know hat Red Dead isn't going to be any cheaper unless on sale because of the RRP it has digitally on PSN, XBL etc

Of course it has upsides but I think the point is for a lot of folk it has too many downsides hence the "stadia is dead" opinion, if you enjoy it then wire in and don't let other folks opinions bother you so much.

Switch tax is frustrating but a little more justified in the game having the added value of portability. Stadia doesn't have that - instead it's /less/ valuable because of the internet requirement.

Like I said it's annoying that a Switch games can be £10 about more, which is meant to be because of the cartridge which is needed for portability like you say.

But there isn't a Stadia Tax, as the store is comparable to PSN, XBL (you need internet to basically do anything on Xbox, so this no different to Stadia in some regards) which a Red Dead is the same price on all the fronts.

I didn't realise you had to pay for everything through the online storefront on the other consoles. Switch games are often overpriced compared to other platforms, but at least I can sell much of my library when I'm done with it. The real opportunity cost of the Stadia is its removal of consumer ownership, which means that the sunk cost of purchasing a video game on any other platform is always going to be significantly lower than the Stadia.

Didn't mean for this to become a bash the Stadia video though, I thought it was pretty cool that Ashens rigged it up to all this Jurassic tech.

Stadia is a digital platform and I'm comparing to other digital platforms and I can't sell my digital verison of Assassin's Creed Odyssey on
Xbox One or my digital copy I've got pre-installed of Animal Crossing on Switch all I don't technically own either, that me having Borderlands 3 on Stadia (I bought in a sale) is no different.

The difference comes with physical, that I pointed out with Kingdom Hearts which is RRP on XBL like it is on PSN, but you can get for way cheaper on PS4 disc that you could resell etc but that's not a option on Xbox One it's or nothing and it's not more or less than it's PSN counter part.

That if Kingdom Hearts come to Stadia, I would expect it to be same price as what it is on PSN, XBL not what it costs for a PS4 disc of Amazon.

Bit of a false equivalency though. Sure, Stadia is digital only but the other platforms aren't, and the moment you take that into account the Stadia is the most "taxed" platform by far: no mods, no portability, no ownership.

The Stadia isn't competing against any individual digital store front, it's competing against the highstreet too. You can't make like-for-like comparisons to other digital store fronts when they're an option as opposed to the only option. Unless Stadia has terrific discounts, its sunk cost will always suck compared to the Switch... unless you only buy digital Switch games. But like OR says, you can take your digital Switch games on the go without worrying about the internet connection. At least PC digital stores often have active modding communities and constant sales. The Stadia gives you the idea of playing at a high-end PC calibre, without any of the things that really make that platform great - such as modding, so even comparing it to Steam isn't particularly fair.

Stadia is a tad portable if you have internet and don't trains etc have that now??

Sure it's not like for like, why I used Kingdom Hearts for example as I thought it looked expensive on Xbox as saw what it cost on Amazon etc till it was pointed out that it's the same price on PSN etc and why I also mentioned DOOM

That I can only see games going forward on Stadia being RRP like with those two examples and not being cheaper to other digital store fronts regardless of physical price

A bit of topic but how much longer will we have physical games? Digital rises every year and the Xbox One SAD was the best selling system this past holiday.

I'm not saying tomorrow or even next year but I do think and I've been saying since about 2013 when I predicted almost Xbox everything is doing that digital only or least the prime method (like films and music) over physical.

I don’t know what trains you’ve been getting but you can barely play a YouTube video on most train WiFi, don’t see them going in for game streaming...

I've not been on train since the meet up and that was like the second time I've been on one that doesn't look like Thomas.

Anyway just has from PAX a 2hr look at Baldur's Gate 3 which is looking good.

Looks like the writing's on the wall... is what I'd say if it hadn't been on the wall since launch basically.

It be interesting to see what happens as Stadia since about November has had positive press as it was somewhere you could play Cyberpunk fine without needing a Gaming PC for instance.

Then they turn that positive press into this today. Thing's I can take away is the two studios have done nothing & shown nothing that it's not losing anything in that sense.

Now will be it as the statement says invest which could be like Microsoft for instance in signing indie deals or buy a studio or they do nothing and hope likes of Ubisoft continues to bring stuff to Stadia in a more Play Store type deal.

As the tech does work, why they're looking at doing deals like maybe we see EA Play 2.0 and you can stream games to your phone with Stadia being the infrastructure used.

This also makes me interested in what Amazon will do with Luna, as Amazon doesn't have many studios meaning in terms of 1st party in a similar boat, but will they now go out and strike deals to make it THE streaming service?

My guess would be that Amazon/Google repackage their streaming technology for something completely unrelated to games.

Streaming games to your phone will never take off. You either use the touchscreen, which is horrible, or attach weird looking peripheral, and you lose your game the moment you go under a tunnel. Who wants that when you can buy a Switch?

Also, how many people who want to play games don't already own hardware designed to play games? How many people would prefer to be locked into Google's ecosystem rather than Microsoft's or Sony's? And how many people who want cutting edge PC visuals want them at the mercy of their bandwidth?

For me the answers to the above are in the fact that Google ain't making no games.

Although to be honest I fear it's about to get uglier than that.

Terraria, that super popular game with the kids, has been pulled from Stadia before launch, even though the port has been completed. Why? Because Google locked the developer out of all their accounts. Why? Because Google.

FM21 isn't on Stadia either, and that's less than a year after Sports Interactive were giving it the big one about how awesome cloud computing was for running huge leagues and in a year that SI were bragging about releasing FM21 on the most platforms ever, suggesting a pretty clear market repudiation of the ecosystem.

Amazon have since said they'll continue to invest in first party.

I don't think your wrong or right, Google now saying about selling off tech as a system others can use that I wouldn't be surprised to see Uplay Streaming or EA Play Streaming in same we have especially in the USA all these streaming apps for TV/Film.

Don't think it's any time soon we see loads of them, just also how likes of Spencer has talked about MS buying Bethesda it's more of having the content on that service.

Personally I do see it in simlair way to Spencer and even Sony why partnership with MS on Azure as cloud/streaming will be a way we play games but like 2040, not now think that's the issue a lot thinking in the moment and I can use a Switch etc

It's about the long game, not the here and now, that could be Google's issue.

Muss wrote:

Terraria, that super popular game with the kids, has been pulled from Stadia before launch, even though the port has been completed. Why? Because Google locked the developer out of all their accounts. Why? Because Google.

Incidentally the same reason why this was always likely to fail.

I just got a free 1-month trial of Stadia Pro. I was excited about it because I can play Resident Evil 7 for free. But the audio and controls were really laggy when I tried it, even though my internet connection is decent. I've lowered the resolution setting to 720p and I'll try it again later, but disappointing so far.

Interesting as Stadia still the best cloud experience I've had and have played through whole games perfectly fine.

Disappointing if you have issues with Cloud in general as few games coming to Switch and something Xbox very behind.

I tried this again today and although the sound was strangely out of sync again, it controlled really well.