The Google Stadia is out now, and the reaction to it has been mixed at best. While the technology is undoubtedly impressive, many (including Game Revolution’s own Jason Faulkner) felt that the new streaming service was missing a lot at launch. From its lack of games through to its limited usability, it isn’t the console killer some predicted it would be. But will game streaming ever overtake consoles in the future?
We’ve shared our thoughts below, and now we want to hear YOUR responses. As always, leave your thoughts in the comments section — we’ll feature our favorite reply in tomorrow’s Tell GR!
Paul Tamburro, executive editor: “From our current vantage point, game streaming services replacing traditional consoles seems like a pipedream. However, all major platform holders are steadily shifting away from physical media, so it seems a certainty that in the distant future game streaming will be the predominant way to play. Eventually, I imagine that a combination of digital downloads and streaming will lead the gaming industry, while physical media like discs and cartridges will become things of the past. Currently, the technology isn’t there to make this a viable solution worldwide, but it’s almost certainly heading that way.”
Mack Ashworth, lead editor: “Will an internet-based service completely replace local hardware? I don’t see it happening anytime soon for the majority of players. Sure, you can get a tolerable experience with a Top 5% connection, but the majority of players can’t handle the consistently high bitrate required for the resolutions and framerates that local hardware is capable of pumping out. 4K? 120+ FPS? At high quality with no artifacting? It’s gonna be a long, long while.”
Michael Leri, features editor: “It is not exactly a new point to make but this sort of tech will always at least have some built-in lag and at most have some major connection issues. Swallowing the fact that you’ll need amazing internet all the time to even have a decent time is a tall order especially for all of those people that live outside of big cities. This is a great first step but unless Sony or Microsoft adopt it and just use it as a packed in alternative to the games you buy, it’ll be a tough sell.”
Yesterday’s best Tell GR reply
Question: What’s your take on the Pokemon Sword and Shield controversy?
Benjamin Toth: “I was in 4th grade when I played Pokemon Yellow. I loved it, naturally….I didn’t own another one though until Pokemon Black. It was fun, and finally I got to play a game that had more Pokemon than the original 152. Well…many of those (not all) just seemed throw-aways or not as compelling as the first group. So there are ONLY over 400 monsters to catch? Are you going to play with all of them? Are you going to even play with a quarter of them? I am a bit of a completionist when it comes to many games, but I did not go looking for all of the seeds in Breath of the Wild because it would have drove me crazy at the redundancy of the whole charade. I am fine with the limited numbers and the controversy seems to look passed the fact that we have a truly amazing open world adventure we all dreamed of since we picked up our Game Boys. Take it easy, people.”
