Stadia: Google's Game Streaming Platform

[Dr. Zoidberg]

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Google has announced 10 additional Stadia titles that will be available at launch in addition to the 12 previously announced titles, bringing the total launch lineup to 22 titles.

The newly announced launch titles are as follows:

Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle (Koei Tecmo)
Farming Simulator 19 (Focus Home Interactive)
Final Fantasy XV (Square Enix)
Football Manager 2020 (Sega)
GRID (Codemasters)
Metro Exodus (Deep Silver)
NBA 2K20 (2K Games)
Rage 2 (Bethesda Softworks)
Trials Rising (Ubisoft)
Wolfenstein: Youngblood (Bethesda Softworks)[

The 12 launch titles that were previously announced include:

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (Ubisoft)
Destiny 2: The Collection (Bungie)
GYLT (TequilaWorks)
Just Dance 2020 (Ubisoft)
Kine (Gwen Frey)
Mortal Kombat 11 (Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration (Square Enix)
Samurai Shodown (SNK)
Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (Square Enix)
Thumper (Drool)
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (Square Enix)

The following titles are due out in 2019:

Borderlands 3 (2K Games)
Darksiders Genesis (THQ Nordic)
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 (Bandai Namco)
Ghost Recon: Breakpoint (Ubisoft)

[pixel]

I have a brother and cousin that would probably use Stadia just for Farming Simulator

[melancholy]

So something I completely missed is that you have to pay a $10 monthly subscription for the service, and then buy the games individually. That’s insane, paying full price for a game that not only do you not get physically, but you don’t even get digitally. I know people always said ‘well if Steam goes under we lose our games’, but at least the game files are in your possession so that they still could be accessed in some way. If Google drops Stadia, you lose everything.

[ian]

So something I completely missed is that you have to pay a $10 monthly subscription for the service, and then buy the games individually. That’s insane, paying full price for a game that not only do you not get physically, but you don’t even get digitally. I know people always said ‘well if Steam goes under we lose our games’, but at least the game files are in your possession so that they still could be accessed in some way. If Google drops Stadia, you lose everything.

Wait, what?

That’s like subscribing to Netflix/Disney+ to buy every show you want to watch separately.. what would the point in subscribing be?

[melancholy]

So I did some more research. The Base service has no monthly fee but only offers 1080p and stereo sound. The Pro is $10 a month for 4K and 5.1 surround. Both services require you to purchase the games, though Pro gets a discount on a couple of games.

Stadia Launch Games Pricing:

Assassin's Creed Odyssey - $59.99 $30.00 Stadia Pro Deal
Gylt - $29.99
Just Dance 2020 - $49.99
Kine - $19.99
Mortal Kombat 11 - $59.99 $41.99 Stadia Pro Deal
Red Dead Redemption 2 - Launch Edition - $59.99
Samurai Showdown - $59.99
Thumper - $19.99
Shadow of the Tomb Raider - $59.99
Rise of the Tomb Raider - $29.99
Tomb Raider 2013 - $19.99 $10.00 Stadia Pro Deal
Final Fantasy XV - $39.99 $29.99 Stadia Pro Deal

Special Editions:

Assassin's Creed Odyssey Stadia Ultimate Edition - $119.99 - $60.00 Stadia Pro Deal
Mortal Kombat 11 Premium Edition - $89.99 $62.99 Stadia Pro Deal
Red Dead Redemption 2 Special Edition - $79.99
Red Dead Redemption 2 Ultimate Edition - $99.99

Some of those prices are just crazy. $40 for FFXV standard when the Royal edition regularly goes on sale for $20. But the biggest offender has to be Assassins Creed. Not only is that game regularly lower than even the Pro discounts, but Google literally gave it away for free if you beta tested Stadia (then called Project Stream) last year.

And, as I previously mentioned, if Google pulls the plug on the service, that’s it. You lose your games, your saves, everything. I was seriously considering Stadia, but not with this business model. It’s just too expensive and risky.

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Stadia Falls Short of 4K at Launch, Destiny 2 Runs at a Native 1080p and Medium Settings

Google Stadia launches tomorrow and early review are somewhat mixed. Prior to launch Google promised players would be able to tap into powerful 10.7 teraflop hardware, allowing anybody to play games at 4k and 60fps on high settings, but the reality seems to be somewhat different.

According to The Verge’s Stadia review, the streaming platform does not run its showcase launch title Destiny 2 in native 4K. Google confirmed this in a statement…

When streaming at 4K, we render at a native 1080p and then upsample and apply a variety of techniques to increase the overall quality of effect.

Not only is Destiny 2 not true 4K on Stadia, it runs at medium settings. So, in other words, Destiny 2 on Stadia is a marked step down from the Xbox One X version, which runs at native 4K with more visual pizazz. Apparently, Destiny 2 isn’t the only game not offering the visual quality Google promised – it's revealed in Eurogamer’s Stadia review that Red Dead Redemption 2 only renders at 1440p and 30fps with visual settings at around the same level seen on the Xbox One X. So, a little better than Destiny 2, but not the top-of-the-line experience we were told to expect. Presumably, other games also offer less-than-ideal visual performance.

Of course, streaming games at 1080p/1440p with high-end console settings isn’t terrible. If you’re not a particularly techy person and just looking at Stadia as a replacement for consoles, it’s not a bad alternative. That said, Google promised more, and for whatever reason, they’re not delivering yet. Hopefully they can work the kinks out and offer a true high-end experience soon.

The Google Stadia Founder’s and Premiere Editions, which come with a Chromecast Ultra, launch tomorrow (November 19) in 14 countries, including United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland. More traditional free-to-play and premium subscription options arrive in early 2020.

https://wccftech.com/stadia-destiny-2-1 ... dr2-1440p/

[pixel]

Yeah, the pricing is a joke. Google is screwed when/if this type of streaming tech becomes feasible for Steam, Origin or even Microsoft.

[Dr. Zoidberg]

[Stormwatch]

Even on a super fast connection, it can lag severely, and in a wildly inconsistent manner.



Also, I assumed it'd be like a game pass, monthly fee = access to whole catalogue. But those prices, damn. Compared to any console or computer, it's pretty much the worst cost/benefit, the least sensible way to get games.

[ian]

Also, I assumed it'd be like a game pass, monthly fee = access to whole catalogue.

Well that's what you'd think a subscription model was...

Think about what google is doing with splenda, and apply it to ANY other form of entertainment streaming service, and it looks even more stupid..

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Nobody else in the house should use the internet while you're playing Stadia. Very convenient!

How long until the controllers are selling for $10?

[pixel]

Uh oh