Google Stadia

[Hammettf2b]

I wonder how they handled the latency issues. Might have to check this out. Looks like we will know everything on March 19th.

Google is reportedly launching a 'Netflix for games' that could turn the industry on its head

Click to read more...

 

[John Price]

A very intriguing concept for sure. I know that they were giving out AC: Odyssey for free on Project Steam, which was basically them playing a high-end video game in your browser.

All the hardware is stored remotely so all you need is a screen and internet, and you can play high end games. This could revolutionize gaming as we know it.

Very interested to see how this goes.

 

[Hammettf2b]

A very intriguing concept for sure. I know that they were giving out AC: Odyssey for free on Project Steam, which was basically them playing a high-end video game in your browser.

All the hardware is stored remotely so all you need is a screen and internet, and you can play high end games. This could revolutionize gaming as we know it.

Very interested to see how this goes.

Any idea if there were latency issues in Project Steam?

 

[John Price]

Any idea if there were latency issues in Project Steam?

Seems like reviews are kind of mixed on latency, I want to see if they can resolve that

 

[KingBran]

Xbox is also working on a streaming service. The rumor is it will be on Switch too. Thats why Xbox is putting Xbox Live on switch.

Could you imagine all Xbox games being playable on Switch?

They are at least going to put game-pass on their streaming service so free games constantly rotated to play anywhere with an internet connection. Would be huge.

 

[Osprey]

It sounds just like that very promising Shadow service that was previewed a few months ago:



That startup could be toast with Google now getting into the game. That said, it sounds like Google's service requires a controller and may stay that way, so that'll turn away legions of PC gamers.

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

Reminds me of that OnLive console that would stream games, from like 10 years ago. The technology wasn't good enough back then, but I think it's doable now.

 

[SniperHF]

The main problem I see with these ideas in comparison to Netflix is, Netflix did a lot of damage and what will eventually be a knockout blow to the cable (previously DVD rentals too) industries because the price structure was garbage and people had been clamoring for something else for a decade.

Music streaming similar.

Where's the demand in the gaming sector?

 

[Commander Clueless]

The main problem I see with these ideas in comparison to Netflix is, Netflix did a lot of damage and what will eventually be a knockout blow to the cable (previously DVD rentals too) industries because the price structure was garbage and people had been clamoring for something else for a decade.

Music streaming similar.

Where's the demand in the gaming sector?

I think there is a parallel in expensive gaming hardware, particularly in the high end PC sector.

However, you are still correct. That demand isn't nearly as large, but it could grow if the price is right. I think it will be very slow at first.


My concern is what compromises will be made in latency and responsiveness.

I haven't had much experience personally, but from what I've seen there still needs to be improvements in that area.

 

[Osprey]

The main problem I see with these ideas in comparison to Netflix is, Netflix did a lot of damage and what will eventually be a knockout blow to the cable (previously DVD rentals too) industries because the price structure was garbage and people had been clamoring for something else for a decade.

Music streaming similar.

Where's the demand in the gaming sector?

There was little demand for Netflix streaming when it was new. The catalog was awful, I believe that you had to pay extra for it, and people didn't really want to watch on their computer. That changed as the catalog improved and smart TVs came out. Now, it's easier to watch Netflix than it is to watch a DVD and even the people who originally thought "nah, I prefer getting a physical disc in the mail" can't live without Netflix streaming. There doesn't always have to be a demand for the supply to be successful. Sometimes, the supply gradually produces the demand. Like Netflix streaming, people may not appreciate and demand game streaming until it's available and good and people have tried it.

 

[RandV]

Something like this will come out eventually but I feel it will be less like a Netflix and more like just another option.

What you get with Netflix is you pay a small monthly subscription ($10-15?) and you get access to their entire library. I don't think google could generate enough revenue to both provide the hardware and bandwidth and pay game devs enough to cover the loss of a straight purchase. It would work just fine for titles that have an in game economy like Fortnight, but not a game like Cyberpunk that's going to cost $60 and sell 10+ million.

There are a number of ways you can spin the pieces to try and make it work more like Netflix, but considering in game purchases are such a big part of the industry now there'd have to be a way to accommodate in service purchases in which case they may as well make it more like Steam where you pay their service to have the hardware but still have to buy the games you want to play. Either that or it's like a Netflix service where everything is available but the library is limited, and the type hardware restrictive games you'd want a service like this for (ex: Cyberpunk) probably aren't going to be on it.

Either way it can still be a quality service, I just doubt it's going to be have the same type of impact on games that Netflix did for TV.

 

[CBJx614]

So gamefly ?

 

[PK Cronin]

A service similar to Netflix for games would be great for trying new games, but terrible for people who love particular games. Games are unlike movies because people will play games for years and year, sinking tons of hours into them, when most movies aren't watched religiously. Gamers wouldn't rely solely on a system that rotates out titles after a period of time.

That said, I didn't click the link so I'm just speculating based off the way current streaming services work.

 

[x Tame Impala]

So gamefly ?

That’s how I read this as well. A deep catalogue of games for all systems available to all for a monthly subscription. So I could play Switch, PS4, and Xbox games at my leisure.

That’d be sweet

 

[Shareefruck]

I can get behind the rationale of digital downloads but I still can't get behind the rationale of streaming services replacing stored ownership, whether we're talking about videogames, movies, music, or anything else. It's useful for sampling new things, but sucks for actually owning a copy of things that turn out to be worthwhile. And the latter is a million times more valuable and high priority than the former, IMO.

Netflix is kind of crap anyways, unless you have nothing on your mind and just want to aimlessly browse through a sea of random movies of arbitrary and mostly limited quality.

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

I can get behind the rationale of digital downloads but I still can't get behind the rationale of streaming services replacing stored ownership, whether we're talking about videogames, movies, music, or anything else. It's useful for sampling new things, but sucks for actually owning a copy of things that turn out to be worthwhile. And the latter is a million times more valuable and high priority than the former, IMO.

Netflix is kind of crap anyways, unless you have nothing on your mind and just want to aimlessly browse through a sea of random movies of arbitrary and mostly limited quality.

Owning physical copies has its downsides as well, though. Not only do they take up a lot of physical space, but the technology becomes quickly outdated (VHS > DVD > Bluray > 4k, etc.). Hell, my Macbook doesn't even have a disk reader so I couldn't even play a physical DVD off it if I wanted to.

 

[Shareefruck]

Owning physical copies has its downsides as well, though. Not only do they take up a lot of physical space, but the technology becomes quickly outdated (VHS > DVD > Bluray > 4k, etc.). Hell, my Macbook doesn't even have a disk reader so I couldn't even play a physical DVD off it if I wanted to.

I was referring to any form of ownership including digital, not necessarily physical.

Although I do feel that there's a charm to physical media that's lost as well, despite other inconveniences.

 

[Osprey]

I can get behind the rationale of digital downloads but I still can't get behind the rationale of streaming services replacing stored ownership, whether we're talking about videogames, movies, music, or anything else. It's useful for sampling new things, but sucks for actually owning a copy of things that turn out to be worthwhile. And the latter is a million times more valuable and high priority than the former, IMO.

VHS and DVD rentals didn't replace ownership. They supplemented it. This really wouldn't be very different, I think. Like with movies, people would rent (or stream, in this case) and, if they like them and want to own them, buy them. That may not sound economical, but consider that you could play any game when it's brand new, saving yourself from paying MSRP, and then, in a few years, when you get the itch to play it again and own it, buy it for a fraction of that price, either new or used. You probably wouldn't save anything on the games that you ultimately want to own, but you'd save by not buying, but still getting to play through, all of the rest of the games that you don't like enough to want to own.

 

[Shareefruck]

VHS and DVD rentals didn't replace ownership. They supplemented it. This really wouldn't be very different, I think. Like with movies, people would rent (or stream, in this case) and, if they like them and want to own them, buy them. That may not sound economical, but consider that you could play any game when it's brand new, saving yourself from paying MSRP, and then, in a few years, when you get the itch to play it again and own it, buy it for a fraction of that price, either new or used. You probably wouldn't save anything on the games that you ultimately want to own, but you'd save by not buying, but still getting to play through, all of the rest of the games that you don't like enough to want to own.

I mean, I sure HOPE that continues to be the case, but it sure feels like people are gradually moving away from that, and adopting more and more of a "why buy/own things when you can watch them once/whenever you notice them?" attitude. I don't think it's a guarantee that just because it used to be one way, it will continue to be that.

In music, for example, digital downloads have fallen off while streaming has surged upward.

 

[Osprey]

I mean, I sure HOPE that continues to be the case, but it sure feels like people are gradually moving away from that, and adopting more and more of a "why buy/own things when you can watch them once/whenever you notice them?" attitude. I don't think it's a guarantee that just because it used to be one way, it will continue to be that.

In music, for example, digital downloads have fallen off while streaming has surged upward.

Yeah, people are moving away from ownership, but ownership hasn't gone away with movies or music yet. Even if DVDs/BluRays and CDs disappear and they go completely digital, there will probably always be ways to buy movies and music. After all, why wouldn't publishers sell them to people who want to buy them, even if it's a minority? They're still selling records (16.7M sales in 2018) because they can make money on the record enthusiasts, even as niche as they are. It's even more profitable to sell digital copies of movies, music and games because there's nothing to manufacture or stock.

 

[Shareefruck]

Yeah, people are moving away from ownership, but ownership hasn't gone away with movies or music yet. Even if DVDs/BluRays and CDs disappear and they go completely digital, there will probably always be ways to buy movies and music. After all, why wouldn't publishers sell them to people who want to buy them, even if it's a minority? They're still selling records (16.7M sales in 2018) because they can make money on the record enthusiasts, even as niche as they are. It's even more profitable to sell digital copies of movies, music and games because there's nothing to manufacture or stock.

Absolutely, they won't go away completely, but it still sucks, because it becoming a completely niche market will severely limit what's available to own/affordability, as is currently the case with Vinyl. You'll only be able to buy certain games, movies, or albums, and at a premium. It also just plain sucks that people's perceptions are moving that way in principle, even ignoring the more practical/immediate effect on my own interests.

That said, it's somewhat reassuring that Vinyl is having a bit of a resurgence.

 

[blue425]

I had this in 1994. It was called The Sega Channel.

 

[KarlssonsGroin]

Xbox is also working on a streaming service. The rumor is it will be on Switch too. Thats why Xbox is putting Xbox Live on switch.

Could you imagine all Xbox games being playable on Switch?

They are at least going to put game-pass on their streaming service so free games constantly rotated to play anywhere with an internet connection. Would be huge.

xbox already has its streaming service on xbox, called GamePass.

Its only 10 bucks a month, but the catalogue is VERY underwhelming. to the point where $10 is too much. theres nothing in there i want to play that i dont already own.

In my mind, they need 2 games in there each year id otherwise buy to make it worth my while. they dont have that yet

 

[KingBran]

xbox already has its streaming service on xbox, called GamePass.

Its only 10 bucks a month, but the catalogue is VERY underwhelming. to the point where $10 is too much. theres nothing in there i want to play that i dont already own.

In my mind, they need 2 games in there each year id otherwise buy to make it worth my while. they dont have that yet

No offense but you obviously don't know about Game Pass. Game Pass is not a streaming service. Its a library of games that is available to anyone who pays the fee. And theres brand new games as well as some older games and its a good selection. Maybe not worth it for you but worth it to a lot of people. It gets a lot of praise all the time.

 

[aleshemsky83]

Gamepass is very good but like mentioned you need the proper hardware. The idea of streaming is to play on low powered hardware like apple tv or smart TVs or laptops.

There's potential, but even steam in home streaming is fully of blocky compression artifacts (at least for effects heavy ganes) I really really doubt that Google's streaming is going to be free of that.