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24

Console War, p70

November 22, 2019 by Tim

I am not jumping aboard the Stadia experiment just yet, but I’ve been watching the launch with intense curiosity, and I think thus far it has met all of my expectations. Not hard, I imagine, since I expected very little.

As I suspected, thus far it either works really well, or it’s garbage, depending in large part on an internet infrastructure that Google has no control over. I’m not necessarily counting the system out just yet, but it certainly has a long way to go before it could be considered a threat on the same level as an actual console. The dull launch library does the whole affair no favors, either.

We’ll have to wait and see how it all evolves, but at this point it feels like the Stadia launched not with a bang, but with a whimper.


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Scortch
Scortch
4 years ago

Wow I was just wondering yesterday what the stadia were going to be like in the console war. Now I know. But agreed, this far I am not impressed.

foducool
foducool
4 years ago
Reply to  Scortch

I think it’s a good concept but the world doesn’t have the infrastructure to implement it yet
(I’d say it’s a few decades too early)

The Legacy
The Legacy
4 years ago
Reply to  foducool

This exactly.

Him.
Him.
4 years ago
Reply to  foducool

Given the progress of quantum computing, I’d say that it would be perfectly viable mid 2020s if that begins to lift off. However, right now? Meh.

Zezz
Zezz
4 years ago
Reply to  Him.

Not.

zezz
zezz
4 years ago
Reply to  foducool

Nope. It’s still impressive

ShonaSoF
ShonaSoF
4 years ago

Very clever! Being in an area with very slow internet I had no interest in Stadia. I expect that it’s not going to get anywhere outside of the well serviced urban areas.

MacLeod
MacLeod
4 years ago
Reply to  ShonaSoF

Even a lot of Urban areas have a limit on how much speed they can have. There are very very few places I can see this actually being useable, but even then, its not like you could take it to your friends house that lives in another part of the town.

I sell Internet for a living, America has some 1 gig up 1 gig down in some areas, and then right next to them you’ve got 1.5 mbps to 20 mbps =/

Gwydion_Wolf
Gwydion_Wolf
4 years ago
Reply to  MacLeod

Thats because the ISP’s are a monopoly in all but name. Due to the fact that they do NOT compete. They literally will not go into each others ‘areas’. Want Cable Internet? welp, you have 1 choice and only one choice. DSL? Same deal. Satellite?.. Well there you have options, but Satellite internet is about as reliable as satellite TV. I still remember back when a ISP down in Texas i think? tried to file a cease and desist suite against a town that was creating its ‘own’ internet service, based on Fiber, and were only charging the residents 20$… Read more »

Sian
Sian
4 years ago
Reply to  MacLeod

Eh, for what it’s worth, I seem to recall reading that America, by some distance, have the worst Internet on average among the western world … Sure it’s among the best in areas such as silicon Valley or the like, but as soon as you get out of the big hubs, it’s off a cliff … Much more aggressively than they are in most of Europe (which granted is more uniformly urbanised)

Him.
Him.
4 years ago
Reply to  Sian

The US is also a lot bigger, and has a lot more sparsely spread out urban areas. If you go into the open country and the next big town is 30 minutes over instead of, say, 2 hours, then there’s a much higher chance of overlap. That said the US is really bad about internet in general, and the “great internet in this chair while I hold this pineapple” jokes are sadly fairly true.

Zezz
Zezz
4 years ago
Reply to  ShonaSoF

Yes it will dude. Stfu. It’s going to get everywhere outside of the well serviced urban areas. And those areas aren’t well serviced

Eldest Gruff
Eldest Gruff
4 years ago

Considering that some of that has to do with Microsoft upstaging them completely a few days before launch, and yeah. Not quite DOA, but they’ve got a big hill to climb.

Doc Mesa
Doc Mesa
4 years ago

As someone on a (heavily) capped data plan *and* a crappy signal area, this is a nope on so many levels.

foducool
foducool
4 years ago

they’ll get bored and bury themselves up soon, right next to google glass’ tomb

no thanks nintendo
no thanks nintendo
4 years ago

Stadia launched with a bang – the bang of shooting themselves in the foot. Anyone who remembers past streaming services expected the same level of uselessness from Stadia, and on day one they proved every realist correct. On top of that, they have the fiascoes of their irreparable controller and being unable to deliver activation codes in a timely manner to the few customers they did have.

Stadia has already completely destroyed its reputation. The only question left is how long before it finds itself in the Google Graveyard.

Stadia Does Work
Stadia Does Work
4 years ago

Except it actually works very well. Yes they messed up giving the codes out to founders but the service itself is amazing. My only gripe now that the codes are going out is the lack of games but lets be honest, no system launches with a ton of games.

Stadia Does Work
Stadia Does Work
4 years ago
Reply to  Tim

You can also not just claim that it is useless. I have played in my office at work with a 25mb connection and multiple others using the net at the same time. Yes a lot of people do not have gigabit but that is not required to run it. Do not believe all the negative reviews you see. If you look at past articles from them (Looking at you Wired) they wanted it to fail.

Stadia Does Work
Stadia Does Work
4 years ago
Reply to  Tim

I just hope people give it a chance. The data usage is going to be an issue for most though. I am lucky enough to have no cap but I know that is not true for most.

You definitely do not need 50-100Mb connections to get it to work like a lot of people are claiming.

Kaitensatsuma
Kaitensatsuma
4 years ago

So….
What you’re actually saying is…
That it’s completely useless *for most people*

That’s what I’m hearing.
“You literally need a higher end connection usually reserved for businesses and no data cap, but after that it’s fine”

By the way, this is in *no way* a new problem with streaming games. It’s been a problem ever since OnLive

Stadia Does Work
Stadia Does Work
4 years ago
Reply to  Kaitensatsuma

In what world is 25Mb down a high end connection? Realistically if you are a gamer you must have a least a decent data cap? Downloading games and updates uses quite a bit of data. A huge amount of people stream ALL of their digital media. No one is claiming that Disney+ is DOA. Also the United States =/= everyone. A lot of the developed world has high data caps or none altogether. I live in Canada which has pretty bad internet packages comparatively and I am paying $65/Month for 300 Down and no cap. It is clear you hate… Read more »

Blato
Blato
4 years ago

Weill, I can tell you that Croatia is far from having it, a good deal of the population has a 20 down speed, you only get faster in the most urban areas, move just a kilometer away and the speed drastically drops. True, theres no cap (on line connection only), but 25 down speed is only for urban areas here

Kaitensatsuma
Kaitensatsuma
4 years ago

“In what world”

In our world. Even in the United States

In our shitty, shitty, world where high speed connections without data caps are mostly around urban areas and most suburban or rural areas get the wonderful tenderness of Time Warner or Comcast Satellite dodginess and data caps up the bum.

And seriously, guy, playing video games from his work office, what leg are you even standing on here?

a different Tim
a different Tim
4 years ago

Until last year, my best option was a 3Mb down, 1.5Mb up connection… 25Mb looks great compared to that.

Stadia Does Work
Stadia Does Work
4 years ago

I am not sure why you are all attacking me. Like it or not most people live in Urban areas. Rural internet sucks, but it sucks for everything not just streaming games. That is a problem with IPS’s not Stadia.

Hunter
Hunter
4 years ago

I will not attack you, but I will not now or ever try Stadia.

Finn Mac Cool
Finn Mac Cool
4 years ago

Just as a guess, part of the reason people are attacking you is that you come across as a shill for Google here. Your screen name is Stadia Does Work, and you are making claims that seem strange to most. Like, you are playing a Google Stadia at work – since few people get to play video games at the office, it sounds like your office is at Google.
You do you, but you have to get that the way you are posting is bringing this down on you.

Phil
Phil
4 years ago
Reply to  Finn Mac Cool

Playing stadia at work probably isnt hard. Its through a browser afaik. Being allowed is a different story but if its your break or whatever, why not.

Rex Vivat
Rex Vivat
4 years ago

Oh, look, another first-worlder that thinks most of the world is like his neighborhood. No, not everyone in the world has access to good quality connections. Hell, as far as I can tell, not everyone in the first world does either. It’s not even a question of money, there just isn’t any infrastructure in place for it.
Also, “pretty bad internet packages” and “$65/Month for 300 Down and no cap” in the same sentence, how precious.

Stadia Does Work
Stadia Does Work
4 years ago
Reply to  Rex Vivat

Wow. You guys sure are angry at me about something that does not affect you at all. I am sorry it works for me and this offends you. I also apologize for being born in Canada and being a “first-worlder.”

Kaitensatsuma
Kaitensatsuma
4 years ago

I mean, you were curious why people were “Attacking” you, right? It’s because you’re talking out your ass without considering what is coming out of it. Just like, really putting your foot into it and then grinding it in there. Yes, for a fair amount of average gamers Stadia and other Streaming Gaming services are practically useless, either due to input lag, data caps, connectivity consistency or just availability of internet in the first place. Streaming Gaming is not a consumer friendly future of the industry either, I mean Wow! Now not only do I not own my games, I… Read more »

Stadia Does Work
Stadia Does Work
4 years ago
Reply to  Kaitensatsuma

Kaitensatsuma, I assume you game on PC, Xbox or PS. I am also going to assume that you own physical copies of all games that you play otherwise you are in the same boat of not “owning” the game. Hell a good portion of games REQUIRE an online connection to play with a disc or not. Weather it be to download updates or play online or just for DRM. I mean what do you think happens if Steam/Xbox/PS shut down their services. I know it is unlikely, but it is not impossible. What happens to those games. How about Xbox… Read more »

wkz
wkz
4 years ago

You’re seriously committed to digging a grave for yourself, don’t you? The internet is really THAT BAD in places. REALLY BAD, in PLENTY of places. And Stadia just doesn’t work in those places (and really not helped by Stadia’s high requirement for entry). Plus, we’re talking only about the United States here. The Internet is better some places, but a whole lot WORSE in plenty of other places. It might do you good to leave your pocket city for a vacation, to go out into the world for a bit. (Even if you’re only visiting the united states pocket world,)… Read more »

Guest
Guest
4 years ago

I live in Canada as well in southern Ontario and judging by your package you must live in Toronto or another big city. That being said we just got fiber in my town so our prices just got a whole lot better. The closest we have to your package would be 250 down for $112. Previously it was more like 20 down for $70. Regardless of internet connection though I just don’t see anything valuable in what Stadia has to offer for me personally.

Sanquin
Sanquin
4 years ago

I hate Stadia, and not for the connection issues that could arise. I hate it because it’s an attempt to completely remove all ownership you have of your game. With Stadia you can’t even have the game on your PC or other device any more. All you’re doing is renting time to play the game, by paying full price for it. Don’t have internet right now? Too bad, can’t play. Service is down? Too bad, can’t play. Google decided to remove a game? Too bad, can’t play. Your account got banned? Too bad, all the games you paid full price… Read more »

David Gibson
David Gibson
4 years ago
Reply to  Sanquin

Welcome to 2013.
How many games on consoles are unsuable without a lengthy download or require PS Plus or XBox Live to really use? Not all… but a lot.

And, c’mon, when was the last time you bought a CD? A complete season or series of a TV show?
This is the era we live in.

Doc
Doc
4 years ago
Reply to  David Gibson

Eh, I get what you’re saying, but for now we can elect to avoid “license renting” type games if we want. Yeah, it’s true that a service like Steam can screw your collection over if they want, but a good number of games can be fully downloaded and run without needing internet or Steam at all. Some consoles can be bricked remotely, and many services require an online check-in to function, but I don’t think we’re quite at “you own nothing” levels, at least not yet (unless you like Blizzard games – Diablo 3 anyone?) Hah, but I agree wholly… Read more »

Name*
Name*
3 years ago
Reply to  Doc

May I present a solution, Gottfried’s Omni-opening Grimoire?

Devil-Arcana
Devil-Arcana
4 years ago

I want Stadia to succeed, but I know that no one has the sort of internet access that is viable for their vision. I want options for gaming JUST BECAUSE it is new competition in keeping our gaming habit costs in check. If they succeed, we could potentially play games that are beyond rare, were they added to their library. I normally advocate for emulation, but I like options…

GeorgeV
GeorgeV
4 years ago
Reply to  Devil-Arcana

How does it keep costs in check? The games still cost the same to get, only now you also pay a hefty subscription free just to have the chance to buy and play them, as if there’s a ticket booth in front of game store. The only sort-of savings would be in the hardware, but that’s offset by the immense internet requirements.

If anything I’d sooner want Stadia to fail precisely because it’s yet another way for game developers to milk customers for their games.

Kaitensatsuma
Kaitensatsuma
4 years ago

I mean, that’s the entire problem with “Steaming Gaming”
I expect the Higher Ups at PSNation are scratching their heads as to why their own NowGhost troops are also largely ineffective.

James Rye
James Rye
4 years ago

Yay, more Console War is always a good thing! So thanks a lot Stadia experiment. <3

Norbrook
Norbrook
4 years ago

Everything I’ve seen in the reviews is saying that you need s 50 to 100 Mb connection, and you’d better not have a data cap, since you’ll be using 10 to 20 gigabytes per hour. It’s another one of those “great idea!” moments where the people working at a tech company assume that everyone in the world has the sort of bandwidth and computer speeds they do in their office. Which in the real world is… not a lot.

David Gibson
David Gibson
4 years ago

Stadia probably how gaming will work in the future, especially as internet infrastructure slowly improves. (If not in the US, at least the rest of the world.) It’s usable now, and only going to get better.

Bulky and expensive consoles that become obsolete and can break? Gone. Discs you can damage or lose? Gone. The continual cycle of new hardware? Gone.

Instead, if you have a TV with an internet connection and a controller you can play.

(And it’s not like any console has ever had a fantastic list of titles available at launch.)

Urazz
Urazz
4 years ago
Reply to  David Gibson

I don’t think it’s really usable now. Most reviews mention the lag as a common problem so it’s going to need at least another decade I think. Right now, you pretty much need top of the line internet for it to be even somewhat feasible to use.

Cronogold
Cronogold
4 years ago

Now I’m having LMFAO flashbacks… Wiggle wiggle wiggle…

Loopback
Loopback
4 years ago

Check out Shadow.Tech
It is less console gaming and more a dedicated VM with strong gaming specs that you can log onto from your PC and play anything that you can install.

Richard
Richard
4 years ago

I dont understand all the hate, this seems like the first step in a concept that will be game changing in the future.

When this game streaming gets going and developers start working with streaming services we could see games with no system limits.

It’s just going to take one “netflix” to make this the standard. And anyone that believes differently is probably is still using the DVD postal rental service.

Phil
Phil
4 years ago
Reply to  Richard

people like to downvote stuff. I don’t know why. I can speculate that they are butthurt people who would have loved to use stadia but can’t. I don’t realy care about stadia, as soon as I heard about it in more details, it definitely sounded meh. The results just confirms that. It is definitely the future though, so I love the idea.

Agent Number 004
Agent Number 004
4 years ago

I ordered 4 Stadia controllers, 2 of them were Founder’s Editions. They came 2 days after their “day 1” launch. That said, you CAN play it on your phone, pause, then switch to a laptop, then pause and switch to your Chromecast. It’s neat. The quality isn’t quite what I think they promised, but I think that if this is the direction that gaming is headed, we’re all going to win. Except for PC gamers…

Urazz
Urazz
4 years ago

Don’t you mean Console Games are screwed because this will kill the console market. The PC market will be fine because people will still get computers for various other things than gaming.

Jetroid
Jetroid
4 years ago

The people that I think will benefit most from Stadia are people who travel a lot and can’t take a console with them. I hate to use the term ‘Digital Nomad’, but those are exactly the people this is best suited for. They seek out strong WiFi connections to do their jobs anyway so I’m not sure how much that would affect them.

Dan
Dan
4 years ago

Google is notorious for just deciding “nah we don’t want to do that anymore” and killing services which is another reason not to jump on Stadia

LukeSaysMoo
LukeSaysMoo
4 years ago

I bought Stadia purely because I don’t have a console and was intriguing. Was super easy to get going on my Pixel 4 & easy to get playing on my TV. I expect it will be easy to carry it to my living room, my bedroom, and anywhere else I want to play once Google gets around to updating Chromecast Ultra’s software. – I haven’t owned a console since the Super NES. I’m at a point where console gaming is something I’m looking to do, but it has to be able to support my ease of use; the Stadia is… Read more »

SmCaudata
SmCaudata
4 years ago

Stadia needs a subscription service like Microsoft or even EA/Origin access. Honestly, I think they were banking on EA access being available.

I picked it up to try. Worst case I overpaid for a controller I can use with my phone and a Chromecast. Best case it means I can get out of the rat race trying to keep my PC up to spec.

Stadia Does Work
Stadia Does Work
4 years ago
Reply to  SmCaudata

I believe they said that EA access etc will be coming to Stadia. Google doesn’t want to admit it but this is really just early access/ paid beta.

SmCaudata
SmCaudata
4 years ago

They had said that and hinted at Fallen Order being part of launch. I read a rumor that EA wants to do their own cloud service and this the reason for it not being included. Someone said the EA logo isnt in promotional info any longer… I didn’t investigate the validity of any of this.

RoBOticRebel
RoBOticRebel
4 years ago

I need to try it just for shits and giggles

Maybe it’s not that terrible afterall

The Legacy
The Legacy
4 years ago

The launch of the Stadia went exactly as I expected. I recently moved to another city, and I had set up my computer back at my old residence, with a gigabit connection, configured with Hamachi and Steam Streaming. At my new residence, with a 20MB/s in a major city centre, I was getting a half-second delay in my inputs. And we’re not talking very far either… about 200 miles away. Imagine people who are thousands of miles away? The point is, the console is doomed to fail, because global network technology is about 30 years away from allowing this sort… Read more »

Gwydion_Wolf
Gwydion_Wolf
4 years ago

It was a good idea, but the biggest complaint i have seen sofar, is that there are no games ‘included’ in your Subscription. You not only have to pay a monthly/yearly cost to ‘use’ stadia, but you also have to pay full-price for the games you wish to have on it.

Braeden
Braeden
4 years ago

I have never owned a console, despite thoroughly enjoying CAD comics for the last 15+ years. I used to own a PC that I built when I was a teen, but it has long been sold, and I haven’t had any sort of video game system in over 10 years since I sold my PC. I would really love to build another PC, but I can’t afford it yet. Stadia came up, and I decided to preorder it. I was very skeptical, but thought that worst case, having the chrome cast ultra would be cool anyway, and best case I… Read more »

leduk
leduk
4 years ago

I like the idea but my connection does not… sweet countryside

Dizzy D.
Dizzy D.
4 years ago

I played through the inFamous series on the PS4 by streaming it via their online service. The graphics had random drops, and it crashed more times than I can count. And I’ve got a decent internet connection. So I’m skeptical that ‘streaming games’ as a whole will work as a selling point, particularly if they’re insisting the games would be 4K and 60 FPS. I can’t imagine a connection strong enough to maintain that, with no major issues, for an entire game’s duration.

Urazz
Urazz
4 years ago

Yeah, this is something too early for our current technology I think. Maybe in another decade or two because with current technology it seems like the stars need to align perfectly for it to work well.

MacLeod
MacLeod
4 years ago

I Sell internet for a living, I have a good grasp of what internet is like for at least 39 states in the Union. I just..don’t understand..how they thought this crap was going to work. Tons of people are stuck with 3mbps or 10 mbps. Most have heavy data caps, Most are cable that SAY you can get 150 or so but once you divide it among actual results its usually much much lower. 150/10 houses means an unstable 15 if you are lucky.. I just.. don’t understand..how they thought this was going to work. Let alone when you need… Read more »

Mattias Horn
Mattias Horn
4 years ago

Can’t wait for the new consoles to join the fight next year.

andyc
andyc
4 years ago

Erm….if the internet infrastructure continues to be rubbish, will Google enter/re-enter the ISP market? (I think they did a bit of Google Fiber).

Phil
Phil
4 years ago
Reply to  andyc

Imo they should have focused on that first. Convert people to their network, making sure they have good speed, then launch stadia. Maybe they have problems expending their internet or just stopped. I don’t know.

Seenmario66
Seenmario66
4 years ago

Good.
Now I wonder what emulators like dolphin are.

Liam Price
Liam Price
4 years ago

I just realized.
The Series X has been announced and Tim STILL hasn’t debuted Console Wars Xbox One X.

Zezz
Zezz
4 years ago

Hey, the Nintendo Switch outsold the Xbox One. That should be a good one for the console war comic