4 ms·

I agree, if they had launched a subscription service to a large catalog of games that would have been really something -- like how Netflix created an alternativ

I agree, if they had launched a subscription service to a large catalog of games that would have been really something -- like how Netflix created an alternative to the buy/rent single titles model. I suspect they didn't have enough clout with development studios to create that pricing structure. As an example, Assassin's Creed: Odyssey is $59.99 on Stadia ($39.99 with subscription for 4K). On Steam it's currently $59.99 too, but at 4K without the extra subscription. Game distribution is a hyper-competitive market right now, with Epic Games in particular giving away high quality games for free every week on their Steam competitor and paying developers up front to get timed exclusives. I think Google's going to have to re-visit its pricing and customer acquisition model on this one.

closetohome 7y ago
It's entirely possible this is just a licensing thing. The early days of legal movie and music downloads were an expensive mess too. I'd expect after a few years of game streaming competition someone will try to undercut the market with a Netflix model.
- a_f 7y ago
  Microsoft is curenlty alpha testing its xcloud service by the looks of it, which encompasses exactly that. There is also the Nvidia streaming service too.
comex 7y ago
> On Steam it's currently $59.99 too, but at 4K without the extra subscription. But with a requirement for a $400-$1300 graphics card, depending on the FPS and quality you want. And no hope of running it at 4K on most laptops.
- mcphage 7y ago
  > And no hope of running it at 4K on most laptops. Most laptops also don't have 4K screens, so it's a moot point.
lokedhs 7y ago
Perhaps. But I just decided to look at Google Play Movies for the first time in years, and to watching some Avengers movie on there is 18 SGD (approx. 12 EUR). For one movie. I'm not saying their Games strategy will mirror the one taken for Movies, but I'd advice waiting to see what will happen.

closetohome 7y ago

It's entirely possible this is just a licensing thing. The early days of legal movie and music downloads were an expensive mess too. I'd expect after a few years of game streaming competition someone will try to undercut the market with a Netflix model.

a_f 7y ago
Microsoft is curenlty alpha testing its xcloud service by the looks of it, which encompasses exactly that. There is also the Nvidia streaming service too.

comex 7y ago

> On Steam it's currently $59.99 too, but at 4K without the extra subscription. But with a requirement for a $400-$1300 graphics card, depending on the FPS and quality you want. And no hope of running it at 4K on most laptops.

mcphage 7y ago
> And no hope of running it at 4K on most laptops. Most laptops also don't have 4K screens, so it's a moot point.

lokedhs 7y ago

Perhaps. But I just decided to look at Google Play Movies for the first time in years, and to watching some Avengers movie on there is 18 SGD (approx. 12 EUR). For one movie. I'm not saying their Games strategy will mirror the one taken for Movies, but I'd advice waiting to see what will happen.