With Google’s Stadia showing a very promising and ambitious plan to bring gaming into the future and become the Netflix of Gaming, one has to wonder if this is really the direction that gaming needs to go?
I’m always in favor of pushing the envelope on what technology can do and naturally as a gamer, I want the latest and greatest tech to enjoy my games. However, now that the hype for Stadia has died down a bit, I started to ponder if Stadia is really for the everyone and whether or not this will stick. Remember how they made VR seem like the next evolution in gaming? I’m not saying it failed, quite the contrary actually. It’s still relevant and present in today’s gaming eco-system, just not on the front minds of the average gamer consumer. We see it more as a commodity, something we want but necessarily don’t need.
This streaming games thing seems to fall along those lines too. Let’s not forget that this isn’t the first time we’ve had streaming games marketed to us as the next step in gaming evolution. You guys remember Onlive? Nvidia Shield? Playstation Now? Yeah, we’ve been through this before.
Of course, what separates all these streaming services to Stadia (and quite possibly Apple’s game streaming service) is the powerhouses that’s backing it up. In Google’s case, they’re adding all these incentive to sell Stadia to us and make it seem more desirable. Plus, we can be sure that at least their servers can handle streaming games to millions of people.
The real deal-breaker here is the pricing for Stadia. You gotta keep in mind that most people already have streaming services that they’re already committed to paying. From Netflix & ISP to Playstation and other niche services, you’d have to be a sales magician to convince these people to add one more to their list. And most gamers already have a system that they can play their games on. Especially if their internet goes down.
Not mention mention that to even use these types of services, you’d need a really strong internet connection, something that not everyone has the privilege to access. Yeah, the future for these game streaming services is very uncertain for sure but for me, I still like the idea but I don’t think I’ll be using it as much, unless I’m out of town or at work.
Let me know your thoughts on this matter in the comments below.
