5 ms·

Right. Microsoft is just about the only player left in cloud gaming because Sony, Amazon and Google all tried and gave up in different ways, in part because non

Right. Microsoft is just about the only player left in cloud gaming because Sony, Amazon and Google all tried and gave up in different ways, in part because none of them really found a market nor an audience. I heard Sony is trying again but leasing some cloud servers from Microsoft Azure's white box version of xCloud, ironically. That last part is also why I think the Ubisoft deal is probably funny. Rumors are Ubi is also leasing much of their cloud gaming from Azure's white box version of xCloud, so Microsoft is likely still going to get paid for people playing Activision things through Ubi's so far unfinished cloud gaming app.

wlesieutre 3y ago
Nvidia still has GeForce NOW https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce-now/ https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce-now/
giancarlostoro 3y ago
Doesn't EA still have theirs?
- WorldMaker 3y ago
  Do they? I genuinely don't know and a quick search only adds confusion. I see a lot of news from when they went Beta in 2019 and then a lot of radio silence and I don't see any links to the service that don't have a "Technical Preview" or "Beta" next to them. That probably doesn't bode well as a signal for an active player base even if it is technically running.
  - giancarlostoro 3y ago
    Looks like they still do: https://www.ea.com/ea-play https://www.ea.com/ea-play I think they rebranded Origin or whatever it was called, didn't even realize.
    - mepian 3y ago
      EA Play is not cloud gaming, it's a download subscription service.
      - giancarlostoro 3y ago
        I guess Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass is the same thing then.
        SSLy 3y ago
        it's both
SalimoS 3y ago
Sony just relanced their streaming service this month with on paper better spec than Microsoft (4K streaming)
- kridsdale3 3y ago
  Latency is 90% of what matters in these products. Does higher resolution impact the latency?
jedberg 3y ago
Amazon has Luna https://luna.amazon.com/ https://luna.amazon.com/
- WorldMaker 3y ago
  Apologies, I thought it had shut down already; I must have been confusing the shut down of game studios dedicated to it as the first step in a shutdown in the so-called "Stadia playbook" and thought they were further along it.
sandworm101 3y ago
>> so far unfinished cloud gaming app. As a gamer, few things would turn me away from a potential purchase more than the phrase "cloud gaming app". It sounds like DRM-infected bloatware ready to kick me from a server the moment my connection even hiccups. Only "cloud gaming app, now by Microsoft" could be worse.
- WorldMaker 3y ago
  xCloud (Microsoft's) and Geforce Now (nVidia's) both allegedly have large player bases. The "neat" thing about xCloud is that you can try it for free under most Game Pass subscriptions. I think that is actually where "cloud gaming" currently excels, as a faster/better/glorified replacement for the old "Demo" games and modes. (Try a Game Pass game for a bit without downloading it, on a day where you expect few connection hiccups, to see if it is worth the hour or so wait while it downloads.) I think that is also part of why xCloud probably does have large MAU numbers. I've tried to see if xCloud is also useful on my mobile devices for on-the-go gaming, but the connection issues have mostly tanked that for me. (I do know people using it to play games on the Steam Deck that the Steam Deck doesn't as well support; but they generally play at home on home connections even if they prefer the "mobile-like" form factor of the Deck.) But yeah, the argument is that the audience for "cloud gaming" is incredibly limited (needs a strong internet connection, doesn't want to invest in up-to-date gaming hardware, or wants stranger form factors) and always will be, which is why it is fascinating that Microsoft got so much flak from the UK commissioners about controlling the current "cloud gaming" marketplace: Microsoft seems to be the most successful mostly just because it is an incredibly limited audience with few gamers interested. Most everyone else who has tried to enter the market, including Google, has failed to find players. (nVidia seems the next most successful and even they admit it is a niche side-project for them. They've been partly so successful by how much money they haven't spent and how cheap they've managed to run it so far, comparatively to the investments of their peers and bigger companies like Amazon and Google.)
  - tonyhart7 3y ago
    that actually make a good reason to use cloud gaming honestly, trying game for 2-3 hours before downloading 100gb for it and not to make refund if you buy themselves is pretty neat
amarant 3y ago
And here I thought GeeForce Now was the de-facto leader in the cloud gaming market. I use it regularly for single player games and it's quite nice! AFAIK they have the biggest supported library yet that is still my biggest issue with it: it doesn't support some of the games I'd like to play on it!
lostmsu 3y ago
Coincidentally, I am building a peer-to-peer one: https://borg.games https://borg.games
Spivak 3y ago
Sony's PS+ is really good, I was really impressed at how smooth the whole experience was. The ability to play titles all the way back to PS2 in an officially supported manner is really nice!

wlesieutre 3y ago

Nvidia still has GeForce NOW https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce-now/ https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce-now/

giancarlostoro 3y ago

Doesn't EA still have theirs?

WorldMaker 3y ago
Do they? I genuinely don't know and a quick search only adds confusion. I see a lot of news from when they went Beta in 2019 and then a lot of radio silence and I don't see any links to the service that don't have a "Technical Preview" or "Beta" next to them. That probably doesn't bode well as a signal for an active player base even if it is technically running.
- giancarlostoro 3y ago
  Looks like they still do: https://www.ea.com/ea-play https://www.ea.com/ea-play I think they rebranded Origin or whatever it was called, didn't even realize.
  - mepian 3y ago
    EA Play is not cloud gaming, it's a download subscription service.
    - giancarlostoro 3y ago
      I guess Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass is the same thing then.
      - SSLy 3y ago
        it's both

SalimoS 3y ago

Sony just relanced their streaming service this month with on paper better spec than Microsoft (4K streaming)

kridsdale3 3y ago
Latency is 90% of what matters in these products. Does higher resolution impact the latency?

jedberg 3y ago

Amazon has Luna https://luna.amazon.com/ https://luna.amazon.com/

WorldMaker 3y ago
Apologies, I thought it had shut down already; I must have been confusing the shut down of game studios dedicated to it as the first step in a shutdown in the so-called "Stadia playbook" and thought they were further along it.

sandworm101 3y ago

>> so far unfinished cloud gaming app. As a gamer, few things would turn me away from a potential purchase more than the phrase "cloud gaming app". It sounds like DRM-infected bloatware ready to kick me from a server the moment my connection even hiccups. Only "cloud gaming app, now by Microsoft" could be worse.

WorldMaker 3y ago
xCloud (Microsoft's) and Geforce Now (nVidia's) both allegedly have large player bases. The "neat" thing about xCloud is that you can try it for free under most Game Pass subscriptions. I think that is actually where "cloud gaming" currently excels, as a faster/better/glorified replacement for the old "Demo" games and modes. (Try a Game Pass game for a bit without downloading it, on a day where you expect few connection hiccups, to see if it is worth the hour or so wait while it downloads.) I think that is also part of why xCloud probably does have large MAU numbers. I've tried to see if xCloud is also useful on my mobile devices for on-the-go gaming, but the connection issues have mostly tanked that for me. (I do know people using it to play games on the Steam Deck that the Steam Deck doesn't as well support; but they generally play at home on home connections even if they prefer the "mobile-like" form factor of the Deck.) But yeah, the argument is that the audience for "cloud gaming" is incredibly limited (needs a strong internet connection, doesn't want to invest in up-to-date gaming hardware, or wants stranger form factors) and always will be, which is why it is fascinating that Microsoft got so much flak from the UK commissioners about controlling the current "cloud gaming" marketplace: Microsoft seems to be the most successful mostly just because it is an incredibly limited audience with few gamers interested. Most everyone else who has tried to enter the market, including Google, has failed to find players. (nVidia seems the next most successful and even they admit it is a niche side-project for them. They've been partly so successful by how much money they haven't spent and how cheap they've managed to run it so far, comparatively to the investments of their peers and bigger companies like Amazon and Google.)
- tonyhart7 3y ago
  that actually make a good reason to use cloud gaming honestly, trying game for 2-3 hours before downloading 100gb for it and not to make refund if you buy themselves is pretty neat

amarant 3y ago

And here I thought GeeForce Now was the de-facto leader in the cloud gaming market. I use it regularly for single player games and it's quite nice! AFAIK they have the biggest supported library yet that is still my biggest issue with it: it doesn't support some of the games I'd like to play on it!

lostmsu 3y ago

Coincidentally, I am building a peer-to-peer one: https://borg.games https://borg.games

Spivak 3y ago

Sony's PS+ is really good, I was really impressed at how smooth the whole experience was. The ability to play titles all the way back to PS2 in an officially supported manner is really nice!