Google Stadia repeats – against the tide

introduction

In the mid-2000s, Blu-ray felt like the future of the media. Blu-ray videos looked incredible and offered cleaner picture and sound quality than previous media formats. “Sure,” we thought, “the technology that comes after Blu-ray will look even more impressive!” But then something strange happened. As streaming services like Netflix were on the rise, more and more of us were giving up physical media in favor of the cloud. Streaming did not offer the same fidelity as Blu-ray – or sometimes even DVD – but it was good enough. More important, it was practical. The desire to look at something surpassed our desire for picture quality.

Now, in 2019, streaming services have come a long way, and Tech-Goliath Google believes it has found out how to use the Netflix gaming industry. The technology is surprisingly functional, but its ability to boost the industry largely depends on its ability to execute on its grand plan. Unfortunately, Stadia’s current design lacks several important pillars.

Playing in stadiums

Playing in stadiums

Stadia’s concept still sounds a bit like science fiction: Earlier this year, Google sold a vision of players using Wi-Fi-enabled controllers to communicate with a variety of supercomputers in the cloud, the most advanced to users Streaming game software has allowed decades of laptops and mobile phones. Google’s system worked well at trade shows, but these were highly controlled environments. How does the service work now, after we tested it in the wild? Surprisingly good . if you have a stable internet connection.

Overall, Stadia performs better than I expected. The high-speed Internet in the Game Informer offices regularly reaches a download / upload speed of 280 Mbps, so I rarely noticed a hiccup while playing at work. Mortal Kombat 11 on a sturdy stadia link gets up in seconds and responds about as fast as its counterparts on the console. I had no problem dialing combos and fatalities, even though my inputs had to travel miles of infrastructure to rip off Google servers.

Unfortunately, the experience decreases rapidly as the internet speed decreases. At a nearby café where I recorded download speeds of 38 Mbps, I noticed a few frame jumps every few minutes. At home, where my speed regularly drops to 20 Mbps, there were visual artifacts and regular image stuttering. With these slower Internet speeds, I did not feel competitive in Destiny 2’s PvP modes, but I managed a hit without any problem. Everyone’s tolerance for this type of experience varies, but my frustration over the occasional hiccup was mitigated by the revelation that I could play Destiny 2 in public on my phone (more information can be found in the Controller sidebar).

Stadia’s service failed me only once due to a bad signal, but an instance of my game was saved, and I had five minutes to get back online and continue where I left off. I wish Google would extend this grace period and allow users to create their own memory states (a feature called State Share, which is still in progress), but I’ve never lost any progress in a game, and my experience has been stable in all areas enough board that I did not live in the fear of not being able to access my games.

The Google service is not a unified streaming solution and you should carefully measure your Internet speed before choosing the platform. Many will find Stadia’s occasional stuttering unbearable, while others feel it’s good enough. Personally, I can not imagine swapping one of my game consoles for a Stadia stream soon.

What about this controller?

A pure online streaming service seems to be a bold reorientation for the gaming industry, but Google is not interested in reinventing the controller. The Stadia controller intelligently approaches modern controller design. The pad itself has a good weight and feels thanks to its ergonomic shell and symmetrical analog sticks like the PS4 controller. The buttons produce a satisfying click and feel stable, and I have about seven hours of use with a single charge. Of course, Google has the equivalent of the Start, Options, and Home buttons. However, Google added a screenshot and a virtual assistant button to the mix. This creates a clutter of buttons in the middle of the controller. I kept pushing the screen capture button when I wanted to pause a game, which was frustrating.

At startup, the controller will not work wirelessly with any device other than the Chromecast. This means that you need to connect your device with a USB-C cable to a controller to play on a laptop or phone, which I found awkward. In fact, I was a little embarrassed to get all the gimmicks out of playing at Starbucks.

Also, I could not connect the Stadia controller to a Wi-Fi network that has a web browser login. This means that you may not be able to use Google’s controllers wirelessly in environments, such as hotels, where a secondary logon screen is required. The Stadia controller is good physical hardware, but these technical issues need to be resolved as soon as possible.

Construction work in progress

Construction work in progress

Google’s streaming technology may be operational at prime time, but the service may not. Many of the more exciting features will either be available from 2020 or will not be available until 2020. For starters, Google Pixel Smartphones are the only phones that Stadia users can use to start streaming. Achievements can not be viewed at this time either. However, Google states that Stadia records your progress. Once enabled, users will receive credits for everything they’ve done since then.

Google Assistant is another exciting feature that will be updated. During the Stadia Unveiling event, Google said that users could speak to their Stadia controller at the push of a button and retrieve YouTube walkthroughs or other helpful advice for any game they play. This feature is missing at startup. Google indicates that the Google Assistant will be available shortly, but the wizard will only be available on the Stadia home screen, allowing only users to start games or turn on their TV.

The incomplete feature list of Stadia is so long that it is a bit embarrassing. What about Stream Connect, which Google Multiplayer supports by allowing Stadia users to create local couch co-op experiences across the split screen? Come later this year. What about Family Sharing, which lets you share games with other users in your family? Soon. What about Crowd Play, with which streamer can play with their viewers? Hopefully sometime next year. What about streaming over mobile networks? I’ll let you guess. If Stadia had all these features, it could be the next major leap in gaming, but as it is, the platform is just a basic streaming platform that offers less than a home console.

Stadium’s biggest problem is probably the lack of software. Stadia does not have many special experiences that bring long-time gamers to the platform. The system’s starting grid features some great games like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Rise of the Tomb Raider and Red Dead Redemption 2, but they are all over a year old and there is not a single Triple A Exclusive on the horizon. This is a big problem for Google. If the company wants to attract more people for service, it has to be a reason to be with Stadia. In other words, it takes more games.

A look into Google’s data center where Stadia can run

Start lineup

Starting grid for Google Stadia:

• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
• Attack on Titan: Final Battle 2
• Destiny 2: The Collection (available in Stadia Pro)
• Farming Simulator 2019
• Final Fantasy XV
• Football Manager 2020
• Grid 2019
• Gylt
• Just dance 2020
• Kine
• Metro Exodus
• Mortal Kombat 11
• NBA 2K20
• Anger 2
• Rise of the Tomb Raider
• Red Dead Redemption 2
• Samurai Shodown (available in Stadia Pro)
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider
• knocker
• Tomb Raider 2013
• Studies are increasing
• Wolfenstein: Jungblut

Reportedly released before the end of 2019:

• Border areas 3
• Darksiders Genesis
• Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2
• Ghost Recon: breakpoint

The quintessence

The quintessence: 6 out of 10

Stadia seems to be tailored to a different audience – the kind of playful curious person who only occasionally releases blockbusters and is unwilling to spend a few hundred dollars on a particular piece of game hardware. Next year, when Google launches the free version of the Stadia service, the platform could find that audience. On the other hand, Stadia’s service is currently not valuable enough to justify the price of $ 129.99 for early adopters. Anyone who wants to follow the industry’s trends is likely to be interested enough in this hobby to spend the extra money on a console that provides a lag-free experience.

Nevertheless, I want something like stadiums to be successful. The purchase of a game and the immediate start regardless of downloads or updates are liberating. If you have a stable Internet connection, streaming games from the cloud feels like magic. Strangely enough, Stadia filled me with excitement for a future with streaming games, but it left me less confident that Stadia would be the platform to move us forward.

Note to Editors: This review was conducted in a pre-release version. We may repeat this review if we play more games after the launch and if Google publishes console updates.

Understanding pricing

On the first day, consumers can purchase the Stadia Premiere Edition for $ 129, which includes three free months of Stadia Pro, a Google Chromecast Ultra, and a Stadia Controller. Stadia Pro is Google’s subscription service, which costs $ 9.99 a month and gives players access to the highest quality streams (4K / 60 fps / HDR / 5.1 sound) as well as exclusive discounts on game purchases (TBA). By the beginning of next year everyone will be able to stream games for free via Stadia. However, the streaming quality is throttled to 1080p / 60fps with stereo sound. No matter how you approach the service, games still have to be purchased à la carte.