5 ms·

I just don't see the value add of stadia. Can someone explain? Why would a gamer choose it over a PS5 or Xbox?

psanford 6y ago
You don't have to buy any hardware to start using stadia from your browser. If you want to play on your TV the hardware is a lot cheaper than a PS5 or Xbox. Its also nice to not have a large box hooked up to your TV.
smabie 6y ago
it's way more portable so that's a major value proposition in my book. I would never use it for multi-player games, but for single player it's probably okay if you're an average gamer. I personally wouldn't use it because I'm anal about refresh rates/max settings/latency/etc but for other people (especially younger gamers with less disposable income) I think it's pretty compelling.
dharmab 6y ago
For one, it's been very difficult to buy a PS5/Xbox/high end PC for quite a while now. Stadia and other similar services are one of the few platforms that can run the newest AAA titles well and does so without physical supply problems.
Eridrus 6y ago
It's a lot cheaper. You can imagine the cost getting down to basically the cost of the controller if users already have a streaming device (eg Chromecast) capable of running the streaming client. Putting aside Cyberpunk's overall problems, it performed a lot better on Stadia than last gen hardware https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/10/22167303/cyberpunk-2077-ps5-console-google-stadia https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/10/22167303/cyberpunk-2077-...
- Nullabillity 6y ago
  You're still paying for the hardware somehow, even if it's not in your home. Theoretically nobody's going to play 24/7 so you could share the hardware between multiple customers, but in practice latency means that your DCs need to be close to them anyway. The only way Stadia (or some other bullshit like it) could possibly be cheaper would be: 1. Price dumping 2. Preferential game pricing from publishers (to instead hide the hardware costs there) 3. Gym model (tricking casual users into signing long and expensive contracts)
  - Eridrus 6y ago
    How close do you think the user has to be to the DC? It seems like you're dismissing the hardware sharing out of hand. From my perspective, I probably average 8 hours of gaming a month, so there is plenty of opportunity to pack my usage onto some shared hardware.
wccrawford 6y ago
PC Games with the power of an always-upgraded PC. Maybe not 100% top of the line, but above average, always, with no upgrade cost. Plus you can play on your TV, mobile device, computer, etc, with the same game saves seamlessly moving between all of them. No initial $400+ cost. It offers a lot of the same benefits as consoles, including a monthly subscription that provides good, free games. The downsides are latency and having to have an internet connection, and the latency is actually pretty decent. Oh, and having to buy the games from Stadia, even if you already own it on Steam, but that's no different than other "consoles". It's a very compelling platform that they've completely failed to market correctly. With them giving up on first-party games, it seems pretty inevitable that they'll give up on the whole thing now, too. A lot of people never thought it'd last in the first place, and that's partly from their history and partly because Google didn't show enough commitment to it. Those studios that they just shut down were the best proof of their commitment.
- dharmab 6y ago
  > but that's no different than other "consoles" Worth pointing out that Microsoft has opened up their platforms so you can buy a single copy of a game and play on any supported Xbox or Windows PC: https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/xbox-play-anywhere https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/xbox-play-anywhere
- deadmutex 6y ago
  > partly because Google didn't show enough commitment to it. Those studios that they just shut down were the best proof of their commitment. I dunno about that. Counter example: YouTube got huge before Google made original content for it. So, I don't buy the whole "not serious cuz they don't have first party content" argument.
- ntsplnkv2 6y ago
  Thanks for sharing. Can you only play select games in the subscription? Do they ever get removed? I'm just trying to see why it is struggling. It seems like a great concept
  - 6y ago
devonkim 6y ago
At the moment when PC GPU prices are going through the roof into insanity territory, Stadia and its hardware requirements seems like a great idea in comparison to paying $2k for a GPU to play almost any title fairly smoothly at 4k on a shiny TV. This calculus isn't what was predicted for the value statement to consumers though
gman83 6y ago
You don't have to wait an hour to download/install a game. You can start playing instantly.

You don't have to buy any hardware to start using stadia from your browser. If you want to play on your TV the hardware is a lot cheaper than a PS5 or Xbox. Its also nice to not have a large box hooked up to your TV.

smabie 6y ago

it's way more portable so that's a major value proposition in my book. I would never use it for multi-player games, but for single player it's probably okay if you're an average gamer. I personally wouldn't use it because I'm anal about refresh rates/max settings/latency/etc but for other people (especially younger gamers with less disposable income) I think it's pretty compelling.

dharmab 6y ago

For one, it's been very difficult to buy a PS5/Xbox/high end PC for quite a while now. Stadia and other similar services are one of the few platforms that can run the newest AAA titles well and does so without physical supply problems.

Eridrus 6y ago

It's a lot cheaper. You can imagine the cost getting down to basically the cost of the controller if users already have a streaming device (eg Chromecast) capable of running the streaming client. Putting aside Cyberpunk's overall problems, it performed a lot better on Stadia than last gen hardware https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/10/22167303/cyberpunk-2077-ps5-console-google-stadia https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/10/22167303/cyberpunk-2077-...

Nullabillity 6y ago
You're still paying for the hardware somehow, even if it's not in your home. Theoretically nobody's going to play 24/7 so you could share the hardware between multiple customers, but in practice latency means that your DCs need to be close to them anyway. The only way Stadia (or some other bullshit like it) could possibly be cheaper would be: 1. Price dumping 2. Preferential game pricing from publishers (to instead hide the hardware costs there) 3. Gym model (tricking casual users into signing long and expensive contracts)
- Eridrus 6y ago
  How close do you think the user has to be to the DC? It seems like you're dismissing the hardware sharing out of hand. From my perspective, I probably average 8 hours of gaming a month, so there is plenty of opportunity to pack my usage onto some shared hardware.

wccrawford 6y ago

PC Games with the power of an always-upgraded PC. Maybe not 100% top of the line, but above average, always, with no upgrade cost. Plus you can play on your TV, mobile device, computer, etc, with the same game saves seamlessly moving between all of them. No initial $400+ cost. It offers a lot of the same benefits as consoles, including a monthly subscription that provides good, free games. The downsides are latency and having to have an internet connection, and the latency is actually pretty decent. Oh, and having to buy the games from Stadia, even if you already own it on Steam, but that's no different than other "consoles". It's a very compelling platform that they've completely failed to market correctly. With them giving up on first-party games, it seems pretty inevitable that they'll give up on the whole thing now, too. A lot of people never thought it'd last in the first place, and that's partly from their history and partly because Google didn't show enough commitment to it. Those studios that they just shut down were the best proof of their commitment.

dharmab 6y ago
> but that's no different than other "consoles" Worth pointing out that Microsoft has opened up their platforms so you can buy a single copy of a game and play on any supported Xbox or Windows PC: https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/xbox-play-anywhere https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/xbox-play-anywhere
deadmutex 6y ago
> partly because Google didn't show enough commitment to it. Those studios that they just shut down were the best proof of their commitment. I dunno about that. Counter example: YouTube got huge before Google made original content for it. So, I don't buy the whole "not serious cuz they don't have first party content" argument.
ntsplnkv2 6y ago
Thanks for sharing. Can you only play select games in the subscription? Do they ever get removed? I'm just trying to see why it is struggling. It seems like a great concept
- 6y ago

devonkim 6y ago

At the moment when PC GPU prices are going through the roof into insanity territory, Stadia and its hardware requirements seems like a great idea in comparison to paying $2k for a GPU to play almost any title fairly smoothly at 4k on a shiny TV. This calculus isn't what was predicted for the value statement to consumers though

gman83 6y ago

You don't have to wait an hour to download/install a game. You can start playing instantly.