We’re entering an interesting time in gaming. With certain companies deciding to decrease their gaming impact and others trying to break into the industry, this transitionary period brings a number of changes and innovations. One of these is the announcement of Google’s attempt to enter the gaming market: Stadia. Stadia is a cloud gaming service, accessible only through Google Chrome, smart televisions, and even Chromecast. The project stands out for two main reasons: it’s lack of a large console and connection to YouTube streamers.
Stadia allows users to play console games with quality graphics without having to purchase a console. For many, this can be deemed a positive change, and for others, it spells trouble. The program allows anyone with a fast enough internet speed to play their games on the go. Consoles are often hard to take on the go, while Stadia promotes itself as nothing more than a remote and a small Chromecast. On the other hand, the limitations of its internet connection have already proven controversial.
Early reviewers found the slower the internet speed, the worse the graphics and lagging. An issue consoles generally avoid thanks to staying in one place, Stadia isn’t best for those finding themselves in locations with a poor connection. Even in locations with faster speeds, it still stutters, and the audio compression is noticeable in various parts of tested games. How will this affect Stadia’s connection to YouTube?
Since Google bought YouTube several years ago, it’s wasted no time inserting itself, and Stadia is no exception. YouTube Streamers can play directly with their fan bases thanks to Stadia, almost like a queue system. Stadia also allows fans to start their own games where their favorite steamers leave off, creating a tighter connection to steamers. This feature, unique to Stadia, has split the community, with some saying it will change YouTube for the better, and others stating it won’t bring much to the platform. Aside from early reviewers, we won’t know the full power of Stadia until thousands of users are pushing the program to its limitations.
As a company, Google doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to launching its products. There’s a long list of products that either didn’t live up to expectations, or the public wasn’t interested in. One of the more well-known failed products is Google’s attempt to compete with Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter with Google Plus. It never caught on and faced a number of criticisms, including privacy issues, a problem that followed the platform for essentially its entire existence. Google may face similar problems with Stadia considering its connection to YouTube. When Stadia is finally released in November, we’ll finally know whether this endeavor is destined to succeed or join others in the graveyard.