Stadia - Google's vision for the future of gaming

They are getting idSoftware & Ubisoft to GDC19? It got much interesting now.

Crystal Dynamics will also be attending.

I feel that way about underwear.

And condoms, too, amirite bro? :highfives:

How is that different form being able to afford high end hardware? Not everyone has the cash flow to purchase a high end pc.

Leaving aside the fact that very few games require more than a mainstream gaming PC or a relatively cheap console, the difference is that it’s not a matter of income. No matter how much you make, there are plenty of places in the country where you cannot get gamer-quality high speed internet at any price. Hell, where I live, people routinely buy half-million dollar or more houses that can’t get cable connections.

I’m not saying it’s a terrible moral flaw, or that companies have any obligation to do anything. I’m saying that, to me, it’s a shame that gaming companies don’t do more to highlight the need for some sort of national initiative to get more people on broadband, given that it’s both a good thing to do and potentially a lucrative thing to do. When companies move away from from physical media while simultaneously ignoring the the people who simply cannot follow them into the streaming wonderland, it kind of bugs me. That’s all.

What could EA or Activision do about this? Hell, Google spent billions on Google Fiber to basically no success. Expecting gaming companies to somehow magically get Comcast et all to upgrade their internet backbone is maybe a bit much.

Here in my Bay Area bubble, I’m all for streaming. Much of Iowa and Kansas might be screwed, but I can live with that.

From what I’ve read about Australian internet, they might be more or less boned as well.

They’re too busy dodging monster crocodiles to have any time for streaming stuff anyway. Probably for the best.

Realistically? Not much. I’m more concerned about the general lack of empathy across the board, the sort of “I’m doing ok so fuck everyone else” that seems to be the mantra of the new digital elite. I’m not expecting, or asking, anyone to do anything in particular, other than acknowledge that there is a lot of inequity that doesn’t have to be there and to not revel in their own privilege, I guess.

I mean:

I don’t have very good Internet, though it’s good enough for Netflix and forums. I hope it’s good enough for game streaming too. (I live in a major metropolitan area though, so the ping is not bad.)

What does this look like to you? Should Google apologize every time they talk about game streaming? Should they wait to roll out cloud gaming until everyone in the US has a 50 megabit internet connection?

shrug It’s part of the deal when living in rural areas that quality internet access will either be hellishly expensive or simply not available at any price. I’m not sure what the answer to that problem is, but I’m doubly sure that no-one here has it.

The government might be able to solve it, but it’s a fight to get them to fund guaranteed mail delivery anymore, so I probably won’t hold my breath that Congress is going to fix the rural internet problem.

Anyway. It’s just games.

Strawman much?

I think all that I’d really want is a slight tempering of the breathless adulation about streaming and an acknowledgment that there are lots of people who can’t take advantage of it yet. Maybe coupled with a subtle jab at politicians who can’t seem to figure out that the Internet is a utility like power and water these days. It wouldn’t take much.

Besides, I’m not demanding anything. I’m saying for me, personally, this is a thing. I certainly don’t expect anyone else to feel the same way necessarily.

People who live in those areas rarely make a “deal.” They are born there, and they go to school there, and they have to figure out how to make a living there. There are no doubt many possible answers, but the starting point is a true government-industry partnership to build a 21st century infrastructure for all Americans, rather than wasting billions of dollars on lining the pockets of the contractor cronies of Congresspeople.

Are you arguing that companies are not allowed to hype new products unless it can serve the needs of 95% of the population?

Yes rural people won’t be able to use this. No they don’t have a choice in a matter. No one is calling this as the death of offline gaming though so who cares? The laws of physics means it’s still impossible for game streaming to work for a lot of type of games, and the latency will never work on cell networks outside of 5G (and even less people will ever have good 5G than have fiber today).

It is always going to be inferior to playing games on real hardware, all it does is open up the possibility of high end-ish gaming for those who cannot afford hardware that costs more than a Steam Link or Chromecast. Why is that bad?

I did enjoy the one-week trial of PSNow that I did back in October, because it let me try out Bloodborne without paying $400 for a PS4, but I would not pay $20 a month for that service. Possibly $10.

I pay out the ass for the best internet you can buy in Idaho. It’s still not good enough for game streaming.

Not that I think the technology is a bad idea or not worth investing in. I just know that unless Google has stumbled upon some magical, Pied Piper-esque compression, there won’t be a market for it here.