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Google unveils Stadia cloud gaming service

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Re: Google unveils Stadia cloud gaming service

#501

Post by alexandre_m »

root_axis wrote: post #488
pergadad wrote: post #329

Earlier quoted context omitted.

$400 for a current console and $60 or so for a recent game. Assuming you buy the next gen after 3 years or so there's quite a budget invested in the gamer's part - a streaming service at maybe $20/month that gives you access to recent titles doesn't look that bad in comparison.

Even with a very conservative 3 year lifespan of a console (5 years is closer to reality) 20 dollars a month over 3 years is 700+ dollars and at the end of the day you don't own anything. It seems like a pretty bad deal overall.

Video games and consoles don't have much lasting value, so it's not a good investment (except for some collectors).

If you mean to keep a copy and be able to play it again anytime in the future, then yes I'm with you. However, most of the games are either thrash or doesn't offer much replay value, which means that once you're done with it that will stack up somewhere and collects dust.

One point though is you can trade games that you own, which has some appeal.

People used to bring the same argument for music streaming vs buying a CD or digital copy. See where that brought us.

Convenience wins most of the time.

Re: Google unveils Stadia cloud gaming service

#502

Post by shpx »

mercer wrote: post #397
fixermark wrote: post #384

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What would stop someone from building a Stadia competitor as a Native Client app?

Google's infrastructure, as well as Chrome, Google Accounts and Youtube. Budget too, I suppose. I mean, this doesn't stop competitors, but it's quite the moat to climb.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_gaming#Cloud_gaming_serv...)

Re: Google unveils Stadia cloud gaming service

#503

Post by vasili111 »

jedieaston wrote: post #386
badpun wrote: post #366

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Since not everybody is playing at the same time, a single GPU will service multiple players (each of whom would require a console).

On the other hand, everyone on the east coast (therefore using east coast edge nodes) will be playing from 8-11 EST when the new Wolfenstein game comes out, so how is stuff rationed? Do you make people queue until there is a node close enough to them available? Do you sell the spare GPUs to people in GCP to use for their compute on off times to make up the cash? Do you make it $40 per month?

Google can have GPU count near player count but when there is no big demand they can be used for other types of computations.

Re: Google unveils Stadia cloud gaming service

#504

Post by kensai »

A more philosophical question. If they manage it with a hard, computationally and bandwidth intensive problem like games, does this mean that this kind of computing is coming for good for every kind of activity?

Is this is the last time we need to upgrade to an expensive graphics card?

Re: Google unveils Stadia cloud gaming service

#505

Post by codexon »

on_and_off wrote: post #279
markdog12 wrote: post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Lag was still a rare thing during my experience Anything more specific than that, i.e. lag would occur every 10 mins on avg?

fwiw No lag at all on my end. I am in the USA, so I have a solid but not amazing connection. I should note that I have only played for half an hour because AssCreed was extremely boring. The tech itself was very solid in my experience. I tried to catch some streaming artifacts, like parts of the screen not updating or a visible lag, but I could not see anything. In a blind test, I doubt I would have been able to diff…

The artifacts were very visible to me when rotating the camera quickly or during fast movement. If the camera isn't moving very much I think it is easier to get a high quality picture at a standard bit rate.

Re: Google unveils Stadia cloud gaming service

#506

Post by meruru »

codegoblins wrote: post #483
meruru wrote: post #281

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Between this and Valve's push for gaming on Linux, another of Linux' Achilles heels is solved. What else is missing before the Linux desktop is adequate for pretty much everyone?

Linux for everyone will happen when I no longer need to explain what a "package manager" or "dependency" is to my retired mother. So, never, basically.

You don't have to explain those things. Everyone already understands the concept of "App Stores" from using Android or iOS.

Re: Google unveils Stadia cloud gaming service

#507

Post by Scramblejams »

vvanders wrote: post #396
Scramblejams wrote: post #272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree that it will all hinge on what kinds of latencies we see. If Google can produce the same kinds of latencies it does to 8.8.8.8, it's definitely got a shot. Mobile's an even bigger challenge, but I've seen wire-competitive latencies from 5G, so I think there's hope there too. This does, however, leave VR high and dry. Wonder if they have any ideas about that angle.

Getting a consistent latency to their edge servers is going to be tricky. Wifi for instance is completely out. All it takes is someone turning on the wrong blender/micowave/power adapter and just the smallest bit of RF pollution will put you into unusable territory. Gets harder as your population density rises. You can already see this with in-house streaming today. I can stream Netflix but my local LAN XBOne streami…

I'm seeing anecdotes elsewhere in this thread that wifi worked very well for some testers.

Will it be a worse experience than a 2080 Ti on your desktop? Sure. But will Stadia be good enough to win over the expense and hassle of the alternative? Maybe!

Regarding your last point, I'm not sure Id would stake their reputation on delivering a game that is going to be "laughable" on Stadia. They might know something we don't.

We'll see how it works out.

Re: Google unveils Stadia cloud gaming service

#509

Post by nsfmc »

beefsack wrote: post #468
nsfmc wrote: post #455

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i tried this and found it to be pretty satisfying. i played entirely on a macbook while traveling during my winter vacation. It worked surprisingly well even with mixed wifi, i would compare it to the experience you get from using PS4 Remote Play or Steam Link over ethernet. The only time i found it lagging was similar to the times when both of the above lag: during particularly complex visual scenes (i.e. you're cir…

> Steam Link over ethernet Note that even Steam Link over Ethernet is too laggy to play KB/M FPS at any serious level - the input lag makes FPS almost unplayable. I can see the growth of services like these, especially with more gamers being unable to access dedicated hardware, but there will always be a niche for dedicated hardware. The only way I think they could solve that problem with streaming is using some sort…

i perhaps have diminished standards, but i found steam link over ethernet to be totally serviceable for playing through most of hyper light drifter on a controller. the input lag was fairly minimal and the computer was already quite long in the tooth, but to your point, i wasn't getting 60fps, that's for sure (probably realistically it was a firm 30fps).

i don't doubt that consoles will remain useful, but i think that services like this will satisfy a pretty legit niche for a vast swath of games that aren't really dependent on low latency input (i.e. puzzle/turn based/rpg/simulators/board game conversions) and that are often 'discovered' by people finding letsplays on youtube.

for some variety of mmorpgs, i can imagine devs being excited about the reduced surface area for cheating/exploits. for somebody like me that uses a mac, i'm looking forward to playing a version of Civ that doesn't cause my laptop to sound like it's about ready to take flight. i don't think the idea is meant to replace consoles, though more, it seems like a way to grease the wheels of commerce and get people playing (and buying) games that they've been traditionally priced out of because of the not-insignificant startup cost of building and maintaining a gaming pc/console.

Re: Google unveils Stadia cloud gaming service

#510

Post by mav3rick »

013a wrote: post #496
mav3rick wrote: post #418

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is such a parochial and short-sighted view. Let's block new technology because "game studios will die". Businesses need to adapt. And if people still like games that don't rely on microtransactions or multiplayer, studios will make them. There is a place for both. Also, to point 7. guess what billions of people can't afford a console or an expensive PC rig. Yet, in developing countries data is already very cheap…

Do you really think data is delivered to people in those countries in any sort of latency that would make a service like this remotely enjoyable to use? A massive number of people in the US don't even have internet that could support something like Stadia, let alone developing countries. By comparison, shipping "edge devices" (aka, uh, COMPUTERS) running an 845 Snapdragon or Tegra (like the Switch) is cheap and getti…

You clearly have never lived in a developing country to know how many families will balk at spending $200 on a gaming console. Accept your ignorance.
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