The Verge - The world is waiting for Google Stadia to flop

[SamFisher777]

I think the thing a lot of people are overlooking is how the important the integration with YouTube will be. Considering the infrastructure of Stadia and YouTube, it's not hard to imagine how normal it will be to click a link in YouTube and immediately begin playing a AAA game. That's 1 maybe 2 years out. That will be a huge advantage for Stadia, especially in the F2P market. I have to imagine the future dev projects they are working on will be low barrier to entry F2P titles. That core technology exists today, it works well enough, and will be inescapable to many who watch games on YouTube. Integration within Google Ads will also ramp up too and those are everywhere. I imagine, it'll be hard to judge Stadia as a success or failure until that rolls out. I imagine integration at E3 will be quite large in the next few years too.

 

[defaltoption]

That's nice but he's talking about features not games

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but what im saying is you can forgive the lack of features, you cant forgive it for google because they aren't giving you anything for it. You can play Breakpoint on a pc, you can play Luigis Mansion 3 elsewhere

 

[ImaLawy3r]

I'm gonna disagree and heavily go against the idea that consumers should just shut up and let the future be dictated by companies who care about their own profit first and everything else second.

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I agree with you on that point. But, the poster isn't wrong. Era and forum participants are a niche crowd. If it's anything I've learned most of the time niche crowds when it concerns technology are just a bunch of naysayers and can't wrap their minds about why things could work or will work. Always bet against the niche.

 

[Swift_Gamer]

I agree and I hope it does. I don't want Google to dominate every market it enters.

 

[ANDS]

Gamepass Streaming
Streaming game rentals

Paying ownership prices for content you can't own, and that being the only option is not an attractive model

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How much do you think a streaming service would cost for new games at launch?

I'm just trying to understand, for the folks who 130 bucks and game purchases is a bad deal for those who don't want to buy in to the high end PC gaming loop and would like to play their games anywhere they can Chrome.

 

[BlueManifest]

but what im saying is you can forgive the lack of features, you cant forgive it for google because they aren't giving you anything for it

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We aren't talking about games though

 

[Mr_DyZ]

xCloud will have a much more difficult time of penetrating the market if Stadia bombs. That's standard economic behavior.

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Maybe I don't know a lot about xCloud, but if it's an additional perk added to gold subscriptions (or the 'ultimate' gold package), I don't think that would be true at all. As a standalone product, sure. I'm not sure what the plans for it are, but Microsoft typically bundles things. If it were offered with something else, I think it'll be a huge success.

 

[DarthBuzzard]

I'm gonna disagree and heavily go against the idea that consumers should just shut up and let the future be dictated by companies who care about their own profit first and everything else second.

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It's not shut up full-stop. It's shut up more often. In other words, speak out when there are REALLY damaging things going on in the industry, but otherwise let innovation happen and stop saying nothing new is happening in gaming when you are against new things in the first place. (Speaking to a general audience, not to you)

 

[Blizzcut]

I think the article is spot on. If Google can't make this work with the warchest they have on hand it'll set a bad precedent for cloud gaming moving forward. Full stop.

 

[OGlol]

Are there people who actually want this to fail?

 

[Mr_DyZ]

Nintendo makes arguably the best games of all time, Google is letting you play Ghost recon breakpoint in 1080p on your phone with a usb cable connected to a controller, they arent comparable though yes Nintendo sucks at adding features as well, hardware was never their strong point. Neither are services for that matter.

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Thankfully you said arguably because i'd disagree.

 

[closer]

my only concern w/ stadia is environmental impact but I'm excited at the prospect of ppl being able to play games and not having to shell for hardware

 

[Eumi]

I agree with you on that point. But, the poster isn't wrong. Era and forum participants are a niche crowd. If it's anything I've learned most of the time niche crowds when it concerns technology are just a bunch of naysayers and can't wrap their minds about why things could work or will work. Always bet against the niche.

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I don't care about how well stadia works, I care about it's impact on game ownership and preservation.

I assume it probably will work, eventually. But they aren't making it to make our lives better. They're making it so they can make money. "Working" is when it does that.

 

[DarthBuzzard]

People have legitimate concerns about Stadia and to just handwave those concerns away as people being "luddites" Is not only insulting. It's lazy rhetoric that shows that you don't actually want to engage with the conversation that is happening.

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I'm sorry, but there's a fundamental difference between concerns and "Stadia needs to die".

If anyone has a concern, they should want that to be rectified through improvements or proof on Stadia's part, not just utterly deleted because Stadia needs to die. You can speak of insulting and lazy, and that's exactly what that mindset falls into. My mindset is the opposite; it's thoughtful, open-minded, and willingness for concerns to have a non-zero chance to be fixed.

The lazy way out is "Har har, forget my concerns. Just kill the service already"

 

[defaltoption]

We aren't talking about games though

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Dude... what im saying is that you cant say that Nintendo lacking features is the equivalent of Google Stadia lacking features because one offers games you cant get elsewhere the other is competing with stuff we already have.

Thankfully you said arguably because i'd disagree.

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Me to personally but clearly they are beloved in the industry

 

[T002 Tyrant]

I hope that its a great success and rings in the new paradigm shift alongside XCloud and PSNow. Traditional consoles just need to die, please.

The Switch to me seems just about the only hardware console exception to that rule - it seems to be bringing what I want from Streaming (convenience of playing anywhere and lower electricity bill), but with the bonus of actually providing a hardware solution so I don't need a stable connection outdoors.

So for me, that seems the only hardware solution that actually beats the streaming experience in terms of convenience. If I want the best graphics, and competitive online multiplayer and all the advantages PC gaming (price-wise) bring I'd play PC pretty much exclusively. The only hold Playstation and Xbox have are exclusives, and as soon as they come to a set-top-box near me I can throw those old chunks of electric guzzling boxes behind me.

 

[BlueManifest]

Dude... what im saying is that you cant say that Nintendo lacking features is the equivalent of Google Stadia lacking features because

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I'm not even sure what you consider basic features to even talk to you about it

 

[Tmespe]

Are there people who actually want this to fail?

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90% of users on here.

 

[Illusion]

We aren't waiting for it to flop. That's implying we are paying attention to it.

 

[Kinggroin]

They're wrong.

No one is waiting for Google Stadia, period.

 

[defaltoption]

I hope that its a great success and rings in the new paradigm shift alongside XCloud and PSNow. Traditional consoles just need to die, please.

The Switch to me seems just about the only hardware console exception to that rule - it seems to be bringing what I want from Streaming (convenience of playing anywhere and lower electricity bill), but with the bonus of actually providing a hardware solution so I don't need a stable connection outdoors.

So for me, that seems the only hardware solution that actually beats the streaming experience in terms of convenience. If I want the best graphics, and competitive online multiplayer and all the advantages PC gaming (price-wise) bring I'd play PC pretty much exclusively. The only hold Playstation and Xbox have are exclusives, and as soon as they come to a set-top-box near me I can throw those old chunks of electric guzzling boxes behind me.

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Why does one need to die for the other to live... what a cruel world

 

[Eumi]

It's not shut up full-stop. It's shut up more often. In other words, speak out when there are REALLY damaging things going on in the industry, but otherwise let innovation happen and stop saying nothing new is happening in gaming when you are against new things in the first place. (Speaking to a general audience, not to you)

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And what if I think the implications of game streaming are really damaging?

Who gets to decide what is and isn't really damaging? You?

 

[Meatwad]

I'm sorry, but there's a fundamental difference between concerns and "Stadia needs to die".

If anyone has a concern, they should want that to be rectified through improvements or proof on Stadia's part, not just utterly deleted because Stadia needs to die. You can speak of insulting and lazy, and that's exactly what that mindset falls into. My mindset is the opposite; it's thoughtful, open-minded, and willingness for concerns to have a non-zero chance to be fixed.

The lazy way out is "Har har, forget my concerns. Just kill the service already"

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Who said Stadia "Needs to die"? Who are you talking to?

 

[LavaBadger]

Many on this forum are certainly eager to see it flop.

For the rest of the world, I doubt they are even aware of Stadia, and frankly, that's on Google. They haven't made a compelling case for this being a big exciting thing. In theory, I like the idea a lot, but between the internet hurdles and a lack of an ability to try it myself before committing to it means I'll stand by the side and wait. Pair that with a poor market model, the absence of meaningful exclusives, and the lack of marketing, and the only folks who are going to be excited for this right now are those with great internet connection and those who are eager first adopters.

This isn't the be-all-end-all for streaming. Its basically a public beta test.

 

[spam musubi]

We aren't waiting for it to flop. That's implying we are paying attention to it.

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And yet you're posting in this thread

 

[Cloud-Strife]

I don't want it to do good. My internet provider is not the best so there is nothing I can do to enjoy it.

I rather have a classic console on my living room and use it any time I want.

If your internet is having problems Stadia won't work at all. That's not really reliable if you ask me.

 

[ImaLawy3r]

I don't care about how well stadia works, I care about it's impact on game ownership and preservation.

I assume it probably will work, eventually. But they aren't making it to make our lives better. They're making it so they can make money. "Working" is when it does that.

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There are no companies that care about what you care about. Just remember that. MS, Sony, and Steam are all happy that most gamers are going digital rather than physical - because at the end of the day those defacto licenses. Sure you can say you "own" the game. But you own a digital copy of something. If all of these game stores/platforms went under the mass majority of people in the past generation who bought digital games would be shit out of luck, absent any legislation demanding that digital games remain playable without the platform. The idea of game preservation is a noble one, but it needs to move into the modern age with legislation ensuring it survivability. Game preservation should work and evolve with technology, not be in a place where it may hinder it's growth.

 

[defaltoption]

I'm not even sure what you consider basic features to even talk to you about it

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That post was posted unfinished lol my bad, they are missing things like using a controller wirelessly, family sharing, achievements, 4k on a lot of hardware. They are competing with consoles and pcs that can do all of that. Why would someone choose them over the other options? It isn't the games, maybe price but games are still $60 and you need to be able to pay for the internet bandwidth to be able to hit the best quality and pay for the higher tier stadia to get the best quality. The service isn't compelling. Plus if it does shut down your games are gone and google doesnt have a good track record.

 

[AtomicShroom]

exactly
microsoft isnt planning to a launch a new product/platform out of xcloud the way google is with stadia

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Not right now, but you can bet your ass it will happen sooner or later. You can bet that at some point MS will start making xCloud-exclusive games that harness the Infinite Power of The Cloud™. Their ultimate goal will be to get everyone to make the transition.

 

[rochellepaws]

Core gamers have decided it doesn't offer them anything and therefore it will fail while completely ignoring what it offers the mass market: the ability to play new games without expensive hardware they may not otherwise buy.

Price is king in the wider market and I think it'll be very successful on its full launch, especially after expensive next gen consoles launch. People only need to imagine the scenario of a parent on a tight budget with a kid who wants the latest AAA game but doesn't have the hardware to play it, to understand the appeal.

 

[Sagroth]

I'm not sure it's accurate to say I want Stadia to fail, but I haven't had any interest from day one, and everything from Google since on the product has reinforced that opinion.

And I certainly don't have enough knowledge about market conditions and broadband availability to say definitively that I know if it will fail. I just know that as it stands it's not for me, and I'm not going to mourn it if it does fail.

 

[Meatwad]

How much do you think a streaming service would cost for new games at launch?

I'm just trying to understand, for the folks who 130 bucks and game purchases is a bad deal for those who don't want to buy in to the high end PC gaming loop and would like to play their games anywhere they can Chrome.

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$130 per year would be a fair price. I do think it's fine if Stadia did keep the current purchase model for new games, but they need to pair it with other models to attract more consumers. Ideally, Stadia's offerings would look like this

Game Purchases: Newest games day 1 full price
GamePass: All you can play streaming sub with older games and Stadia exclusives
Game Rentals: Limited-Time streaming passes, so you can try out games you're interested in.

This would cover all of the bases and be an amazing service

 

[criteriondog]

Dude... what im saying is that you cant say that Nintendo lacking features is the equivalent of Google Stadia lacking features because one offers games you cant get elsewhere the other is competing with stuff we already have.

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He really reaches with his Stadia posts with one sentence responses most of the time. It's the only place he can play Red Dead 2 for cheap. I get it, you're excited. But, nothing else about Stadia will convince him of it's shortcomings and lackluster launch.

 

[gozu]

I play Fighting games and other twitch genres online.

As things are today, i already have lag spikes due to my wired internet connection because there are several hops between me and my opponent(s) that are not dedicated to me (the way a copper phone line between me and my interlocutor is dedicated to us and us alone) so my packets will sometime wait in line for too long or be dropped.

If I use stadia, those lag problems will be multiplied by 10, simply by virtue of the many, many orders of magnitude difference between the size of inputs and the size of full motion video + audio.

Now why would I want that?

For single player, turn-based games or non-twitch reflex games, however, Stadia should be fine.

 

[OldDirtyGamer]

If it works good I'm all for streaming , but I dont think it will . I'd be happy to be proven wrong .

The game lineup for stadia is way to weak for anyone to care about it for more than a test to see if it works .

Xcloud worked surprisingly well on my phone but I'm not interested in that, just big screen gaming .

 

[Fortinbras]

90% of users on here.

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I'll happily support game streaming but I will never support Google. I have no problems admitting that.

 

[LavaBadger]

I don't want it to do good. My internet provider is not the best so there is nothing I can do to enjoy it.

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If I can't have thing, then no one should have thing.

 

[carlosrox]

It seems like the article points out the idea of this being a soft launch, with the launch of the free tier being the hard relaunch. I think this strategy is probably what they'll go for.

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I keep seeing this sentiment but why would things work out this way?

Has anything ever pulled off something like this?

From flop to success?

I'll happily support game streaming but I will never support Google. I have no problems admitting that.

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I'm more or less the same. I do NOT like Google.

 

[Parenegade]

$130 per year would be a fair price. I do think it's fine if Stadia did keep the current purchase model for new games, but they need to pair it with other models to attract more consumers. Ideally, Stadia's offerings would look like this

Game Purchases: Newest games day 1 full price
GamePass: All you can play streaming sub with older games and Stadia exclusives
Game Rentals: Limited-Time streaming passes, so you can try out games you're interested in.

This would cover all of the bases and be an amazing service

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What are you expecting to get for 130 dollars a year?

 

[Deleted member 18379]

If Google want consumers trust they should have to earn it. People defending them are ridiculous, Google is getting a negative reception for a reason. They are failing to have enough available for everyone who preordered. They don't have any big exclusives to show off the unlimited power they like to talk about. They are lacking in ui, shipping without basic features and have an abysmal launch lineup of games that anyone interested enough in video games should already be able to play without Stadia.

People jumping in early are going to be sad in four years if this things tanks and takes their money with it. Meanwhile I can jump into Stadia whenever I damn well feel that Google isn't going up and abandon my gaming purchases. If Google can't handle commitment in the early days where they will likely experience financial loss, why would I want to trust them to maintain years worth of purchases if sales and use drops again for whatever new trend they want to chase. Let them struggle, don't give them the benefit of doubt, and if they rise like a phoenix over this wave of negativity, maybe we will have a good product that the company won't abandon.

 

[LQX]

I beta tested this thing and it was great. Google though sucks at marketing it. Even the damn name sucks. They really should be selling it as PC gaming without the need for $1,000 gaming PC or headache of configuring one. To me they don't seem to be selling the service at all though. Either-way, I cant wait see what reviewers and users alike experience it for the first time have to say. I think many will be surprised at how well it works and I think in the long term it will be successful because of how well it works.

 

[Meatwad]

What are you expecting to get for 130 dollars a year?

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Same thing I get from Gamepass Ultimate?

 

[wwm0nkey]

Xcloud seems like an add-on to the MS ecosystem than something separate

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Yup which is why it's better positioned than Stadia

 

[DarthBuzzard]

And what if I think the implications of game streaming are really damaging?

Who gets to decide what is and isn't really damaging? You?

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Options are not damaging. I can understand if it were forced across everyone and every game, but that's not what Stadia is trying to be.

 

[ImaLawy3r]

I think the article is spot on. If Google can't make this work with the warchest they have on hand it'll set a bad precedent for cloud gaming moving forward. Full stop.

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The article is okay. The article misses to elaborate on the point that the 2020 launch when it goes up against MS and Sony will be at full scale with YouTube integration and Ads.

 

[Komo]

LMAO how is this make or break? xCloud? GNow? Shadow? PSNOW? Come on verge please research. this is like the 20th make or break moment.

 

[BlueManifest]

[

That post was posted unfinished lol my bad, they are missing things like using a controller wirelessly, family sharing, achievements, 4k on a lot of hardware. They are competing with consoles and pcs that can do all of that. Why would someone choose them over the other options? It isn't the games, maybe price but games are still $60 and you need to be able to pay for the internet bandwidth to be able to hit the best quality and pay for the higher tier stadia to get the best quality. The service isn't compelling. Plus if it does shut down your games are gone and google doesnt have a good track record.

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you can use controller wirelessly on the chromecast

Achievements are there you just can't see the list of what you achieved until they update. Nintendo also doesn't have achievements

the 4k thing on multiple devices isn't a basic feature that's something only the cloud offers and didn't even exist until recently when googled announced it, they are the first to offer such a thing

family sharing isn't a basic feature either that's something new that has just came about in the last decade and they are adding it soon

I guess I should consider not having to buy hardware if i don't want to a basic feature now too, when are Sony and microsoft going to get this feature

 

[FlintSpace]

Google has deep pockets.
I maintain that they knew this wasn't going to be hot shit but they can manage it until cloud does becomes the mainstream. They have pushed the product in tech infancy and they will reap the benefit later on.

This is NOT the make our break moment for cloud gaming lol

 

[Deleted member 10737]

a streaming service where you have to buy the games is doomed to fail, no matter how good the quality or experience of streaming is.

 

[Eumi]

Options are not damaging. I can understand if it were forced across everyone and every game, but that's not what Stadia is trying to be.

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Stadia already has exclusive games and has plans to make more.

I would have no issues if these were options, if the games that are planned exclusive had either a non-streaming copy or reassurance that upon the loss of the servers it will be made available off streaming. But Google have done absolutely nothing to get me to think that.

 

[DarthBuzzard]

Who said Stadia "Needs to die"? Who are you talking to?

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Many Stadia videos on YouTube, reddit comment sections, twitter and so on. People want Stadia to die.

Example: