The Good and Bad of Google Stadia
Google's game streaming service isn't all bad... or all good.
Mar 26, 2019By: Max Cannon
Last week's announcement of Google Stadia seems to have divided gamers. Some are ready and excited for this futuristic streaming platform and others are cautious and concerned about the negative impacts this service could have on the world of video gaming. Video game streaming is coming but will it bring more good or more bad to the industry?
Will Google Stadia make video games better or worse?Courtesy of Google
The Good of Google Stadia
If we can overcome the hurdles of nasty internet connections, then Google Stadia could bring gaming to even more players and that's undeniably awesome. The ease of playing a massive big-budget game like Assassin's Creed Odyssey in a Google browser could also save you a serious chunk of change because you'll no longer need a pricey video game console or ultra-powerful PC to play the latest games. Actually, freedom from a console is the best part of Stadia's promise. Developers would no longer need to make a game compatible with a weaker console and instead would just need to make a project that will work on Google's own super-computers.
Google and Video Gaming - KW Weekly News
Additionally, you'll likely have better-looking games that run at higher frame rates. If you were to boot up a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One to play Assassin's Creed Odyssey -- the best example because of Google's showcase of the game -- then you'd be stuck at a slower 30 frames-per-second as opposed to Stadia's smoother 60 frames-per-second. That browser-based game could also make it far easier to pick up and play a game on the go by jumping from your TV to your smartphone. Accessibility is the name of the game when it comes to Stadia, but it's not all good news...
The Bad of Google Stadia
Critics of Google Stadia argue that internet speeds aren't powerful enough to handle Stadia's 4K/60fps gameplay, despite Google's statement that 4K would be available with a reasonable 25 MBPS internet speed. Lag on the controller could also be a serious problem for competitive gaming like fighting game tournaments that require absolutely instant inputs from the controller. This is sure to be a problem that Google can smooth out down the road but will it be an issue when the service launches later this year?
We'll have to wait experience Google Stadia for ourselves sometime this year.Courtesy of Google
Stadia also brings up the idea of ownership. You can go grab a copy of the latest game from your local store and have your very own disc of the game, but with Google Stadia you'll no longer actually own any of the games your playing. If streaming completely took over the world of video games then no one would be able to prevent Google from completely removing a game from existence and modding would be entirely impossible through the platform.
Using your controller of choice is a definite Pro to Google Stadia.Courtesy of The Verge
As it stands, we still have a ton of questions. We'll hear more from Google sometime this summer, hopefully during E3, but it'll be hard to form an opinion until we've tried Stadia for ourselves once it launches at an unannounced time in 2019.
Share Your Thoughts!
What do you think of Google Stadia? Are you excited about the new service? Or are you cautious about Google's latest creation? Share your thoughts below!
