Originally Posted by Sonny Corinthos (Post 13560145)

We don't have much longer to wait. Google is holding a press conference on June 6th. It will be interesting if they give us all of the details about it.

https://www.gameinformer.com/2019/06...vent-on-june-6

Originally Posted by Sonny Corinthos (Post 13561495)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdUshWn8uM0

What are your thoughts on this? Depending on what Microsoft has to say on Sunday, I am very tempted to dive in. Google's spotty track record concerns me the most.

Originally Posted by spainlinx0 (Post 13561678)

I have zero interest in this, and I don't even understand the target market? You need to pay $10 a month just in order to buy games, and if you don't have an internet connection you have zero access to those games. I guess this is for people who own a 4K TV, but don't want to buy a PS Pro or an Xbox One X?

If I wait for the non-subscription version, I still have to pay full price for games, but now I don't get surround sound, and I'm limited to 1080P. The video downgrade I get, but no surround sound? That seems ridiculous to me. I just don't see the benefit of getting this over a PS4 or XB1, especially when you're paying $130 to be an early adopter. Chromecasts are OK, but the one I currently use is spotty, and I actually prefer Firesticks. Xbox offers GamePass and Sony offers Playstation Now which both seem to be better value propositions, and I have the option to play offline as well.

Now, we're also ignoring the fact that some people have data caps, and what is 1080P (or 4K) gaming going to do to those caps?

This is all ignoring the fact that Google has zero corporate vision, and will cancel this within 3 years, and then where will all those games you spent money on be?

Originally Posted by RichC2 (Post 13561727)

It's $10/month for Stadia Pro which is the game streaming library service (ie: Playstation Now and Xbox Gamepass). It costs nothing if you purchase the games outright.

At 10mbps (720p @ 60 fps), that'd be about 4.5gb/hour for gaming, which is about double what an hour of streaming Netflix at 1080p is. Caps suck, not sure if the industry will shift on that. Latency is what I'm curious about. It will probably be available on Firesticks as well in the not too distant future. I'm more interested in using it in Chrome windows on laptops.

It will be interesting if Google ends up launching a Play Store for PC that lets you download your digital copy like Steam as well as play them on the platform. I'm cool with the idea of being able to jump into a game of something I own while traveling, though it didn't work so great on some earlier streaming platforms.

Curious to see how it works out, not sure how it will ever be the least bit profitable for them.

Originally Posted by spainlinx0 (Post 13561762)

I don't know where you're getting this. From everything I can see, you need to be subscribed to the Pro Service in order to stream in 4K and in 5.1 surround, even with purchased titles.

Originally Posted by Michael Corvin (Post 13521551)

I had this debate with some friends. Currently to game all you need is three things; a console, a game and a tv.

With streaming you need the above three in addition to amazing and reliable internet, you need the console manufacturer to have reliable servers(and/or not overloaded servers) and service on their end, and for them to not go out of business or you're entire catalog disappears and you have a fancy paperweight. Also I have my doubts this will win over any hardcore/competitive gamer. You're talking about a segment of gamers that use wired controllers to avoid input lag. They will never buy into a platform that revolves around "cheating" latency issues (as the google guy puts it in one of the videos). With the push to 4k & 60fps, how can a company pull this off on such a massive scale to support 20s of millions of gamers? Sounds like a pie-in-the-sky pipe dream to me. It will be the future of gaming at some point, but I think we're still at least a decade plus away from this being remotely practical.

As for the Stadia itself, Sony & MS fans are all-in in those ecosystems. Who's jumping ship to a fourth and unproven console manufacturer to a gaming service that is also unproven? For a casual gamer (think Nintendo crowd or the yearly Madden buyer) and average non-AAA games, this has potential.

K&A is right though. Why would someone willingly limit thier options? If you buy a streaming only console you are married to the game prices dictated by that company. A regular console benefits from a competitive market from not only retailers (sales, clearance, used games, etc.) but from manufacturers wanting to get the most sales. Also in 10-15 years when this console/service is dead how do you play those games? Servers are shut down and you're fucked. On the flipside I can pick up an old Gamecube and some games and be playing within an hour. No service needed. The benefits of a traditional console far outweigh the novelty of cloud based gaming.

I guess all this makes me old. :lol:

I think the Stadia will go over about as well as OnLive. In other words... D.O.A.

Originally Posted by spainlinx0 (Post 13561678)

I have zero interest in this, and I don't even understand the target market? You need to pay $10 a month just in order to buy games, and if you don't have an internet connection you have zero access to those games. I guess this is for people who own a 4K TV, but don't want to buy a PS Pro or an Xbox One X?

If I wait for the non-subscription version, I still have to pay full price for games, but now I don't get surround sound, and I'm limited to 1080P. The video downgrade I get, but no surround sound? That seems ridiculous to me. I just don't see the benefit of getting this over a PS4 or XB1, especially when you're paying $130 to be an early adopter. Chromecasts are OK, but the one I currently use is spotty, and I actually prefer Firesticks. Xbox offers GamePass and Sony offers Playstation Now which both seem to be better value propositions, and I have the option to play offline as well.

Now, we're also ignoring the fact that some people have data caps, and what is 1080P (or 4K) gaming going to do to those caps?

This is all ignoring the fact that Google has zero corporate vision, and will cancel this within 3 years, and then where will all those games you spent money on be?

Originally Posted by Ars Article (Post 13598972)

As Google barrels forward toward streaming gaming with Monday's planned launch of Stadia, the company is talking about the many promised features that won't be available to Founder and Premier pre-order purchasers on day one.

In a wide-ranging Reddit AMA Wednesday, Google employees said that missing features will "start popping up as soon as one week after launch." Director of Product Andrey Doronichev defended this by saying that Google products "always start with nailing the key user-journey and then proceed with releasing extra features. YouTube started with 'watch video.' For Stadia it’s 'Play the Game on your biggest screen.'"

Game platforms often launch with limited feature sets that get expanded via firmware updates over multiple years. That said, the list of promised features that won't be ready when Stadia launches next week is surprising in its breadth and variety.

Here's a brief rundown of the limitations early adopters will face on day one:

• "On day 1, PC Chrome gameplay won't support 4K, HDR, or 5.1 Surround Sound." Those features will be added in 2020 for PC players.
• Stream Connect, which allows one player's Stadia viewpoint to be integrated with another player's stream, will not be available in any launch games. The first game to use it is expected to launch by the end of the year.
• State Share (which lets users share save files via links) and Crowd Play (which allows for quick jump-in multiplayer through a YouTube stream) won't be integrated into games until next year.
• At launch, Google Assistant integration will be limited to the ability to turn on the TV and start a game. Soon after launch, the Assistant button on the Stadia controller will work on Chromecast's Stadia homescreen. Assistant support on PCs and phones and during gameplay will come sometime after that.
• Family Sharing (which lets you buy a game once and share it with accounts held by family members) "is not supported on day one, so you’ll have to buy games for your child’s account." The feature is planned for addition "early next year."
• There is no Stadia UI for Achievements or Achievement notifications on day one. But if you happen to perform an in-game feat that would earn a specific Achievement, it will show up when the feature is rolled out "shortly after launch."
• Chromecast Ultra units included in the Founders/Premiere bundles are the only ones that will work with Stadia on day one. Other Chromecast Ultra units will be able to play Stadia games after an over-the-air update "soon after launch."
• The "Buddy Pass" that lets early adopters offer a free three-month Stadia trial to a friend will be sent "about two weeks after you receive your bundle, barring some unknown unknowns popping up."
• Currently, "the phone is needed for initial setup and buying games." Buying games through a Chromecast Ultra or the Web is not supported, and the AMA gave no indication if or when it would be added.
• As previously discussed, mobile support will be limited to Google Pixel phones and ChromeOS tablets at launch. A timeline for general iOS and Android support is still to be determined, but Pixel will likely be the only mobile support "this year," according to the AMA. Google says it "want[s] Stadia to run on every screen eventually."
• As previously discussed, the Stadia Controller's wireless functions will only work with Chromecast Ultra at launch. To use that controller with a phone or tablet, you'll need to plug it in with a USB-C cable. Generic USB controllers will also work with Stadia on PC or phones, but not on Chromecast.
• As previously discussed, only 12 titles will be available for purchase on Stadia at launch, with 14 more promised by the end of the year. A handful of other previously announced "launch window" titles on Stadia are planned for early 2020.
• Some other interesting tidbits from the Stadia AMA:
  
• At the highest visual quality, the Stadia app warns that "data usage might reach 20 GB/hr." That's above some previous estimates that expected 15.75 GB/hr for a 4K HDr signal with 5.1 surround sound. Limiting the stream to 720p stereo quality via the app caps data usage at 4.5 GB/hr.
• "You should expect regular games" as freebies with your $10/month Stadia Pro subscription, but Google can't commit to a solid schedule for their availability yet (beyond Destiny 2 at launch). Similar services from Sony and Microsoft offer multiple free games per month.
• A personal Stadia stream will continue to run for ten minutes after you shut down on one screen, allowing you time to switch to another device and pick up where you left off.
• Stadia will use letterboxing to fit the game image on screens that are not set to the standard 1080p or 4K aspect ratios.
• Google and PowerSupport have developed a Stadia controller grip, called the Claw, which holds a Stadia phone "centered and 'floating' over the controller," unlike generic phone/controller grips. It won't be included in pre-order bundles but will be available for purchase in the GStore "in the coming weeks."