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Google unveils Stadia cloud gaming service

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Re: Google unveils Stadia cloud gaming service

#431

Post by satysin »

dougmwne wrote: post #368
satysin wrote: post #264

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By directly connecting the controller to the service via WiFi it removes any potential issues with the device having to act as a proxy for the controller input. For their dedicated Stadia set top box it isn't a big deal (as they will control the hardware) but when used with phones, third party STBs and such it can be problematic. Google will have no control over the WiFi hardware in all these devices and many cheaper…

Yes, I was thinking along the same lines. It seems like the combined latency of bluetooth, passing that input through the OS, browser, then out to wifi could be considerable, especially if the machine's wifi and bluetooth chips are not optimized for low latency. Since Google makes the hardware of the controller, they can use all the lowest latency chips and drivers possible. I'd be very interested to see some latency…

Yes 5G is what is on my mind also although that comes with different problems such as network access.

How about a controller with an RJ-45 so I can plug directly into my router :)

Re: Google unveils Stadia cloud gaming service

#432

Post by kevingadd »

ehsankia wrote: post #211
ubercore wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not so sure. To play devil's advocate, this may make games cheaper even without ads. Developers want to not worry about disparate hardware, Google wants you in their ecosystem. Buying google devices, using google services, etc. Content creators want this for better interaction with fans.

I don't understand the arguments being made above. Pay-per-hour would lead to shorter, more thoughtful games, rather than long grindy ones. Similarly, monthly subscription where you get access to a list of games actually helps indie games. Being able to jump into an indie game you already own within seconds, compared to having to buy and install a small game you've never heard of before.

Shorter games don't happen. We saw this with Steam when they added a no-questions-asked refund policy for short games. Devs get absolutely punished by making short games now so we're going to see them get longer, and the same will hold if Stadia pays by the hour. If Stadia pays a fixed amount per game we will probably see a proliferation of short games designed to bait people into playing.

Re: Google unveils Stadia cloud gaming service

#433

Post by rifung »

holoduke wrote: post #219

The reason why these kind of initiatives fail is because they do not solve a real problem or issue. The average Joe doesn't need another subscription just to play some games. Having a console where you buy games is more than enough. I also silently hope that Google will fail hard with this one. Since they are the worst publisher on earth with absolutely no compassion towards its developers relationships.

I work at Google on a different project. Opinions are my own.

> The reason why these kind of initiatives fail is because they do not solve a real problem or issue

> Having a console where you buy games is more than enough.

I think that's the problem though. This opens up "real" gaming to a much wider audience. Even though games are mainstream now, most people are not willing to spend big money on gaming PCs or consoles.

If this technology works, they won't have to.

Re: Google unveils Stadia cloud gaming service

#434

Post by ulkesh »

eanzenberg wrote: post #394
zarriak wrote: post #229

I really don't understand why people here aren't talking about the real underlying principle of this service. Google has captured the education and cheap laptop space with chromebooks. This is the logical extension of that software. Sure they will eventually combine chromeos and android but this is one more step in the direction of everything happening inside of your web browser. The entire reason this is happening i…

What you smoking foo? >>The entire reason this is happening is because Google has successfully captured what once was the holy grail of markets, education, and is doing things like this to keep people on chromebooks. Care to share how this tidbit is true? >>The most important thing to realize is that they are focusing on gamers as a trial, the people who are price sensitive and who have to move first off of Windows 7…

> What gamers are still on Win7? Most are already on 10.

Care to share how this tidbit is true?

Sorry to use your words against you, but I'm not so certain. I'd like to see real statistics from a few sources. I agree that Windows 7 is surely phasing out, but anecdotally (which is where most conjecture like yours and mine come from), I know a number of people who specifically stayed on Windows 7 for two reasons: 1) Compatibility with games; and 2) No telemetry (or at least it's considerably minimal compared to Windows 10).

Re: Google unveils Stadia cloud gaming service

#435

Post by rifung »

bitxbit wrote: post #374
pier25 wrote: post #233

Sounds great on paper but I'm skeptical. Not only you will need a really good internet connection and wifi, but also being close to a Stadia data center. The best possible case scenario will probably be a latency of around 50 ms, but I'm guessing the average will be closer to 100 ms which is too much for many types of games (specially competitive games the streamers play). Heck, even streaming in your local network i…

Agreed. Enthusiast gamers fret/obsess over a small difference in FPS, refresh rate and lag especially when it comes to competitive gaming. Until Google can deliver a service that is indistinguishable, it’s DOA in my view.

> Agreed. Enthusiast gamers fret/obsess over a small difference in FPS, refresh rate and lag especially when it comes to competitive gaming. Until Google can deliver a service that is indistinguishable, it’s DOA in my view.

I work for Google, opinions are my own.

I agree but I don't consider this service to be for hardcore enthusiasts. The enthusiasts will continue to buy their powerful gaming machines because they really care about having the best experience.

I think this is great for someone like me, who likes video games, but doesn't want to spend that much money on a computer. Before I would not be able to play the latest titles because my computer is 6 years old, but this would make it so I could.

There are probably tons of kids out there whose parents would scoff at the idea of giving them a $1000+ computer but now would be able to play the latest games with this technology.

All that assuming it works, of course, which is no guarantee.

Re: Google unveils Stadia cloud gaming service

#436

Post by bobsil1 »

dymk wrote: post #387
petra wrote: post #228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It does solve some problems for game developers, like with style transfer. And gamers go where the content is.

Style transfer is something game developers want? Do popular games typically run style-transfer ML models today?

Feels like a gimmick.

Re: Google unveils Stadia cloud gaming service

#437

Post by ulkesh »

codexon wrote: post #430

I participated in the beta. Everything was great except the graphics became super grainy and pixelated when you rotated the camera or during high motion scenes. My download speed is 50 mbits and I had about 5 ping to the google servers. I don't think US internet infrastructure is ready for this unless you live downtown with 100+ mbit speeds.

> I don't think US internet infrastructure is ready for this.

This is a very fair point and should be emphasized. It's not only the infrastructure, but the lack of Net Neutrality, the monopolies of many areas to a single ISP, and data caps -- they're all hurdles in the US.

Re: Google unveils Stadia cloud gaming service

#438

Post by iknowstuff »

stcredzero wrote: post #401
eanzenberg wrote: post #394

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What you smoking foo? >>The entire reason this is happening is because Google has successfully captured what once was the holy grail of markets, education, and is doing things like this to keep people on chromebooks. Care to share how this tidbit is true? >>The most important thing to realize is that they are focusing on gamers as a trial, the people who are price sensitive and who have to move first off of Windows 7…

> doing things like this to keep people on chromebooks. Care to share how this tidbit is true? Lots of filthy casuals just care that they can game. If they can, somehow, why shouldn't they buy the Chromebook? Hell, if that's what they had in school, they might have grown up to like precisely the genres of games that are easy to design around the lag. Most legit gamers care about input lag The majority of people don't…

> ping google.com

Pinging google.com [172.217.5.110] with 32 bytes of data: Reply from 172.217.5.110: bytes=32 time=6ms TTL=50 Reply from 172.217.5.110: bytes=32 time=8ms TTL=50 Reply from 172.217.5.110: bytes=32 time=9ms TTL=50 Reply from 172.217.5.110: bytes=32 time=10ms TTL=50

Ping statistics for google.com: Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss), Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds: Minimum = 6ms, Maximum = 10ms, Average = 8ms

https://imgur.com/a/eLWFUg3

I'm on GDC public WiFi.

Re: Google unveils Stadia cloud gaming service

#440

Post by themacguffinman »

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #57
kemonocode wrote: post #52

So, who wants to make a bet on how long this "experiment" will last? I'm thinking 2 years before Google gets tired of it and abandons it, and another year before it's taken behind the shed.

I thought it was particularly ironic that Google is launching it's own game studio five days after closing it's own VR movie studio: https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/google-spotlight-stori...

It's not ironic at all. VR movies were always experimental and it looks like they realized there isn't a substantial market there, video games on the other hand are a proven industry that they've just entered.
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