Google Stadia and the New Frontier of Gaming

I admit it, I hate the "digital property" era we find ourselves in when it comes to purchasing media these days.

I am not old, but I am finally reaching that age where I find myself having more and more stories that start with "Back in my day". Or maybe, in terms of technology, I am getting old. Technology seems to have the opposite properties of physical age. Often we hear phrases like, "50 is the new 40!" in terms of aging, but with technology it often feels like more like, "30 is the new 40!".

Well, back in my day, I remember when you purchased something you actually owned it. Physical games, cassettes or CDs, VHS or DVD. Your purchase entitled you to a tangible copy that was yours to keep for as long as it worked and you could do what you wanted with it. Want to let a friend borrow it? Cool. Don't want it anymore and want to sell it? Go for it. No other use for it and need to prop a door open? Doorstop achievement unlocked.

The word "purchasing" should not be allowed to be used when it comes to digital media, as it is a rental with terms. Want to let a friend borrow your "purchased" copy? Most likely not happening. Don't want it anymore and want to sell it? Nope. And that digital copy sure isn't going to hold your door open for you when in a pinch. Additionally, the choice of whether you want to keep the item may not be up to you. If the vendor you purchased the content from goes out of business, you may lose access to the content. What if you want to leave your cable provider? You can't take your purchases with you. Want to move from iOS to Android (or similar platform switch)? Most of the time an app or content will need to be repurchased on the new platform.

Additionally, some of this digital content will require an internet connection in order to validate it is a legit copy, or by its nature will require a connection, like online video games. At some point the game will stop being supported, either by players or the publisher. No one will be online to play, or the publisher has moved on to newer games and access to the game will be terminated. That game you purchased is now dead - it can't be played.

Due to the above, to this day, I still buy physical copies of games and avoid online-only games. Luckily for me, I prefer single-player story-driven games, so that is much easier for me to do than for those who prefer online multi-player games. While purchasing physical copies for most games is a possibility today, it is clear to see that this will not always be the case with recent shifts in the gaming industry. There has been an increasing number of hardware releases in which physical media is not supported, pushes for users to purchase digital content (different prices, free copies on alternate platforms, lack of a physical copy entirely, etc.), Netflix-like game-streaming subscriptions for both Playstation and XBox environments, and a push in support of online-only games, whether free-to-play or with monthly subscriptions.

For me, the primary downside to physical media is the constant need to switch the discs or cartridges in order to play a different title. In an age in which we can open hundreds of apps on our phones and computers with the tap of a finger, the lack of convenience when relying on physical media does sometimes get tiring. However, growing up with game consoles since the Atari, this practice is almost a throwback to simpler times. The smell of the plastic as you open a new game, or the feeling of achievement when you would progress to disc 2 (or 3, or 4) of a good RPG on the PSX; it is nostalgic to physically handle the game media.

The Nintendo Switch has been the first system in which I have been bothered by the physical media. I don't know if it is the touchscreen and a now natural expectation of just being able to click on something to open it, or if it is the need to carry a pack of games around in addition to the console, negatively impacting its portable nature and design, but for some reason it irks me. I don't feel that way about my PS4 or XB1 games - I still get that nostalgic thrill of buying a new game and opening it. It may be that I seem to switch games less often on those systems, as I tend to play one game at a time and the games I buy for the Playstation and XBox usually have a long narrative, while many games for the Switch are quick-play, like Mario Kart or Bomberman.

Additionally, I think the Switch has brought us closer to the realm of "play anything anywhere". It is a console that oozes convenience and flexibility, but if you opt for it like I do, the physical media is almost like a chain holding it back from its full potential. Yet, I still refuse to go digital. I don't feel there is enough benefit in the trade-off of actually giving up physical media in the current landscape.

Until now.

Yesterday, Google announced their new gaming platform, Stadia, at the Game Developers Conference, and while there is still not a lot that is known about the platform, or its capabilities, it has me intrigued.

A brief overview of Google Stadia and some thoughts:

First, it is not a console. Rendering and processing take place in Google's data centers and is transferred to your compatible device over the internet. The goal being that it can be played on virtually any device with a screen and the ability to support the Chrome browser or a Chromecast device. You can play on your laptop, then seamlessly move to your phone and continue, and then move to your TV. All in the same game and without interruption. There is no hardware to manage (other than the optional controller) outside of the device you want to play on.

Second, Google says that Stadia will offer AAA games. The first game being released is Assassin's Creed Odyssey, while they also dropped hints for other games, one of which is believed to be Red Dead Redemption. Google states that Stadia will provide more graphical horsepower than a Playstation 4 Pro and XBox One X combined per GPU, although I have questions about that. Yes, each of their GPU's may be that powerful, but how is utilization of that GPU being split between connected users? They aren't going to have one GPU per person.

Third, the service will require an internet connection of at least 25Mbps down, and must be over WiFi (no 4G support, though 5G support will be available in the future). This is a pretty obtainable bandwidth for most people in terms of availability and cost, but there are still questions on how well the service will actually perform. Google is promising 4K resolutions at 60fps, in real-time over the internet, which current consoles and many PCs aren't even capable of. Eventually Google says they will offer 8K support as well. A key question that must be asked, assuming performance is not an issue, is how much data will Stadia consume? We are reaching a point where more and more services are streamed; movies, music, TV, and now games - yet many ISPs are setting limits as to how much data can be consumed per month before charging overages or requiring the customer to bump to a higher plan. For example, I currently have service through XFinity and have 1TB of data available per month before overage charges kick in.

Another bit of information I am interested to learn is pricing. Will you have to buy each game? Is it a monthly subscription fee for access to all games? Options for both, possibly?

While we wait on more information and for some real-world demonstrations from Google, it initially seems like a promising service. Google has made a lot of promises with this announcement that will be challenging to meet, but if they are able to then this is the type of service that could get me to jump from the physical media bandwagon. Stadia offers numerous benefits for giving up physical copies, at least in my opinion, with the following being the most enticing:

1) No need to continually purchase new hardware or build expensive and increasingly powerful PCs.

2) The convenience of being able to play any quality game, on any device, and at any time. I can (supposedly) play AAA games and move from TV, to computer, to phone, to tablet, all mid-game. Whatever suits my needs at that moment. No more giving up playing a high-end console or PC game because I am at a hotel, or because my wife is watching something on the TV the console is connected to. No more worrying about whether my PC meets the requirements to run the latest and greatest games.

3) No more installing and updating/patching games. One of the perks of Stadia is that the installations and updates are all managed on Google's end, so when you choose a game to play you just select it and should be in the game within five seconds. This, to me, is amazing. I can't count how many times I have bought a new game on my lunch break and waited all day to get home and play it. Then, after work is done, dinner has been eaten, kitchen has been cleaned up, and the wife calls it a night, I finally open and insert the game. It then needs to install. Then there is a mandatory update that needs to download and install. By the time I am able to play I need to go to bed in order to get up early for work. Then there are the times that I try to schedule a game night with my brother (who lives in Tokyo, so we have a 16 hour time difference to battle), and we get ready to play a game only to find that we both have updates to install. The short window of time we had to play is now wasted while we install updates.

We will see if Stadia can live up to the hype that Google is putting behind it, but this is the first service, in my eyes, that offers enough benefits and conveniences to balance out the potential negatives, and ultimately make digital purchases worthwhile. I am excited to learn more about Stadia as we get closer to launch, which is expected "sometime in 2019". While there is a possibility this will be a nail in the coffin for traditional gaming, it could potentially offer a lot of new and exciting possibilities to gamers.