I'm legitimately excited for game streaming

[NookSports]

A lot of skepticism is warranted regarding Stadia, PSNow and other game streaming services right now: Input lag, no differentiation between digital and physical releases, not everyone has fast enough Internet to play, and on and on...

But I'm also old enough to remember the many many many times it was reported YouTube was about to die because they would never be able to scale up their servers, or that Netflix going streaming first would be a mistake, and that music streaming wouldn't do much against piracy. Obviously neither of those happened.

But on the other hand, most of the worries about game streaming seem to be that it's still too early: internet speeds will get faster, input lag will hopefully become a non-issue, and the lowered entry barrier into AA and AAA gaming will hopefully blow up the gaming industry to an even wider audience.

I think of the indie explosion that's happened thanks to the switch, and then I imagine a Netflix-for-games trying to spend billions of dollars in signing up all sorts of indie and major studios to provide games for the new system.

If and when someone gets game streaming right, I think it'll only be a net positive for the industry. Maybe Google Stadia isn't the ultimate answer, but it sounds like they might get enough things right to pull gaming in that direction.

 

[nsilvias]

im not, i highly doubt streaming will work for gaming with how much it costs to make games. its work for movies because they come out in theaters first so streaming is just extra cash. if gaming completely moves over to streaming they wont have that option. theaters will always exist because of the novelty of going out and watching something on a huge screen and soundsystem. consoles will eventually be phased out

 

[astro]

I have fiber optic and streaming is still not very good when I try it. So I'm not excited, it's too early imo.

 

[Sub Boss]

I think a lot of people are, outside of ERA

 

[Deleted member 36578]

I simply don't think the collective internet is ideal for it just yet.

 

[ThatMeanScene]

Once licenses expire games will be ripped away. For that reason alone I will never be interested in streaming.

 

[dragonflys545]

Not excited one bit, and if they charge people full price to stream a game then it's doa.

 

[ClickyCal']

I'm not.

 

[NookSports]

I simply don't think the collective internet is ideal for it just yet.

Click to shrink...

I agree, but that doesn't mean it's too early for streaming platforms to launch. It's the same way that VR is still in its early stages, but for early adopters, it's already a satisfying experience.

 

[Chaosblade]

Once licenses expire games will be ripped away. For that reason alone I will never be interested in streaming.

Click to shrink...

Yep. At least with digital games you can be granted the ability to continue playing and only new purchases will be restricted. With streaming, the game is simply gone forever.

And I've been playing Rocksmith. I imagine a game like that probably just wouldn't work with streaming.

 

[Suikodan]

I can't wait to hear more about it and how it could fit into my routine.

Perhaps not Day One for me but color me very curious.

 

[Inuhanyou]

im not...they have full control over your entire catalogue. Considering how much money you must spend on games, that matters even more when it comes to having ownership. also shouldent this be in the stadia thread?

 

[OrdinaryPrime]

I agree, but that doesn't mean it's too early for streaming platforms to launch. It's the same way that VR is still in its early stages, but for early adopters, it's already a satisfying experience.

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It's interesting you mention VR, because those games have to be more performant to be effective. Which is the opposite of streaming.

 

[raketenrolf]

I don't know why everyone is comparing game streaming with music/movie streaming. You don't interact in movies or music, nobody has to care about lag.

In many games though, it is. I get the appeal of streaming but it's going to happen with my connection.

And for me, it will never happen on google anyway. I will stick to Sony/MS/Nintendo/Steam.

 

[Deleted member 14313]

I think a lot of people are, outside of ERA

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Maybe it is just the circles I'm in but the reactions on ERA have been more positive than anywhere else for me lol.

 

[Deleted member 1413]

I'm excited, but not for Google's service and not right now.
I'm hoping at least Nintendo and Sony eventually make the leap.
It'll be good for the industry if basically everyone can play their games anywhere

 

[RowdyReverb]

I think it will be great for people who aren't already gamers (i.e. people who don't spend time on gaming forums). Broadening the audience will be a boon to the industry overall. Maybe it's not ideal for me or a lot of other posters, but that doesn't make it bad

 

[srtrestre]

Well this is certainly a refreshing thread. I'm interested in streaming and open to trying it.

 

[NookSports]

I don't know why everyone is comparing game streaming with music/movie streaming. You don't interact in movies or music, nobody has to care about lag.

Click to shrink...

Because when I was a kid, downloading a 3MB MP3 file was the ONLY thing I could do in my 30 minutes of allowed internet dialup time. That's how long it took to download a single song.

Game streaming will mature; and I'm guessing the people building them think they can eventually get to a point where input lag either disappears or is irrelevant.

 

[plié]

So am I.

Services like gamepass have gotten me big time back into gaming, and streaming will only increase that.

I'm lovin' it.

 

[Deleted member 36578]

I agree, but that doesn't mean it's too early for streaming platforms to launch. It's the same way that VR is still in its early stages, but for early adopters, it's already a satisfying experience.

Click to shrink...

I'm definitely going to try it out myself to see how well it works in my neck of the woods.

 

[Windu]

Yeah should be interesting. I am definitely curious to see how well each company's service works for me.

 

[Lothars]

Because when I was a kid, downloading a 3MB MP3 file was the ONLY thing I could do in my 30 minutes of allowed internet dialup time. That's how long it took to download a single song.

Game streaming will mature; and I'm guessing the people building them think they can eventually get to a point where input lag either disappears or is irrelevant.

Click to shrink...

That doesn't change what he said. Movie / Music Streaming takes way less resources than game streaming. It's two totally different things and game streaming is a long ways from being anything.

 

[Fortinbras]

My favorite games are fighting, arcade and sim racing so how can I put this...let's just say I'm not excited about game streaming and as long as there are boxes that play these games I'm going to avoid streaming.

 

[NookSports]

That doesn't change what he said. Movie / Music Streaming takes way less resources than game streaming. It's two totally different things and game streaming is a long ways from being anything.

Click to shrink...

Describing something like Spotify or Pandora at that time would've sounded crazy too is my point. Just because there is input lag NOW doesn't mean there will always be input lag.

 

[mrmoose]

Aren't there major problems with the way music streaming services pay artists?

I also wonder how the removal of net neutrality will play into this. Like if streaming games becomes a huge part of bandwidth similar to Netflix, what's going to stop the ISPs from charging for "game streaming"

 

[BocoDragon]

I'm excited too. Even though I will continue to support traditional gaming boxes (with physical media, even), I am hoping that this does for gaming what Netflix did for movies or Spotify did for music. On-demand media lets you consume things in a different way.. you can experiment with stuff you wouldn't normally try, or cycle through options on a whim. It can live alongside your more permanent collection if that's your style.

I have used Game Pass and while that has given a glimpse of a Netflix model, having to download huge files in advance kills the on-demand aspect.

 

[Hey Please]

I am interested to try it and much like Netflix, eventually it might most likely become the most ubiquitous delivery system. I am simply wary of what it means for the conservation of the medium, toxic/pernicious framing courtesy of seamless YT integration plan and consumer rights.

I guess in due time, we will get used to all of it, seeing games as completely disposable work- the story of frog in a bowl of water being slowly brought to a boil comes to mind.

 

[crazillo]

I'm open to whatever works well enough. I rather like the supplementary strategy that Microsoft is pushing, having the native hardware as the core experience but making it available anywhere. Switch docked is also better in quality than the handheld - that's not an issue for me. It's just another option and that's fine by me.

 

[Snake Eater]

In 10 years when internet speed catches up

 

[NookSports]

Aren't there major problems with the way music streaming services pay artists?

Click to shrink...

Yes, but that's more of a general industry problem. The record labels treated artists like shit before streaming was a thing. Game streaming might be something more akin to the Netflix model, where they pay studios to create games for the platform. Netflix has caused a boom in video production.

 

[Nintendo]

Yes! Streaming is the next big step for gaming and the biggest leap in gaming as well. The possibilities are endless and we finally reached a point where games aren't held back by outdated hardware. We can play games that are rendered on hardware we don't even dream of owning.

 

[Lothars]

Describing something like Spotify or Pandora at that time would've sounded crazy too is my point. Just because there is input lag NOW doesn't mean there will always be input lag.

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I don't think it is, Things like netflix for movies and spotify for music just makes sense and has always made sense. When Netflix came out it was like yes this is perfect for movies. Game streaming is the opposite of that.

 

[Dussck]

I'm excitef to try it and then I'll judge if it is (already) good enough

 

[NookSports]

When Netflix came out it was like yes this is perfect for movies

Click to shrink...

Let me remind you of a little short lived company called Qwickster

It was seen as risky and early for Netflix to go all in on streaming like they did.

 

[Shoot]

I am incredibly excited. I do not buy many games per year so love the idea of a Netflix/EA Access business model.

And I love the idea of local multiplayer using separate instances on games like Overwatch, For Honor, and Apex Legends even more. That is a huge game changer for me.

 

[NattyBo]

I'm pretty excited too, the idea of no more graphic card arms wars for PC gaming is a bit draw to me

 

[mrmoose]

Yes, but that's more of a general industry problem. The record labels treated artists like shit before streaming was a thing. Game streaming might be something more akin to the Netflix model, where they pay studios to create games for the platform. Netflix has caused a boom in video production.

Click to shrink...

That is mainly for exclusives, though. Any prospective platform maker is going to pay big bucks to have games come out exclusive to their platform, I don't think that has anything to do with streaming.

 

[Chaosblade]

Describing something like Spotify or Pandora at that time would've sounded crazy too is my point. Just because there is input lag NOW doesn't mean there will always be input lag.

Click to shrink...

Latency is a much more challenging issue to solve than bandwidth, that would basically require entirely new, state of the art infrastructure that would cost hundreds of billions in the US alone. Or, more realistically, tons of servers all over the place, but that would probably only benefit more densely populated areas. Rural areas would out of luck.

 

[Lothars]

Let me remind you of a little short lived company called Qwickster

It was seen as risky and early for Netflix to go all in on streaming like they did.

Click to shrink...

Never heard of them but that doesn't change what I said. Netflix also was mostly disk based but I know as soon as netflix announced streaming as part of it, it made sense that it would go that way for movies and music. Games are totally different and Streaming has an even longer and bumper road for streaming to make big inroads. There's tons more variables and it needs things to go way more right for streaming to take off the same way and it won't be anytime soon.

 

[NookSports]

When Netflix went all in on streaming, their plan was to spin off the DVD service into Qwickster. The backlash was so strong from people who still wanted the physical disks, that Netflix quickly changed course and kept the DVD service going.

 

[scare_crow]

im not...they have full control over your entire catalogue. Considering how much money you must spend on games, that matters even more when it comes to having ownership. also shouldent this be in the stadia thread?

Click to shrink...

If that one dude can make three threads about how streaming is DOOMSDAY!!! for games (while mentioning literal sharks of all things) then I don't see why this is out of bounds.

 

[Almawtaa]

I'm excited and interested in thinking about how this can change how we consume games - I think about how my consumption of books, music, and video content has changed with cloud and/or subscription models and my overall experience is extremely positive - in that if someone told me 'you have to go back to a non subscription model' for consuming these things I'd be pissed.

Further, I'm really curious to see how things like... Physics engines will scale with these systems. Couch co-op - It can even easily be multiple screen couch co-op.

The advertisement and distribution models will be SO interesting. I imagine gaming sites will update and new ones will be created that strictly focus on curating content for you to just jump in and start playing - my partner who loves racing games but doesn't like having to do any research followed by committing to even downloading a demo let alone buying a game outright risking hating it... She'll love it if some YouTube celeb she watches is playing a game, she thinks it's nice, she clicks a link and is suddenly playing that game let alone maybe racing AGAINST like... Fucking Jenna marbles or whomever in the moment...

I don't have to tell everyone here that GAF is not the target audience, just like auduophiles who have 10k in auidio equipment aren't spotify's target audience.

This is really really cool, and I can't wait to search for 'loot and shooters' and just jump in and try a bunch till I find one that I like the most.

 

[Tzarscream]

I'm concerned from a "google is sounding more and more like Skynet" angle.

 

[NookSports]

If that one dude can make three threads about how streaming is DOOMSDAY!!! for games (while mentioning literal sharks of all things) then I don't see why this is out of bounds.

Click to shrink...

Plus this isn't about Stadia specifically. I don't know if Google will be the one to crack it. Even with their game studio presentation yesterday, they announced no games, and hyped nothing, which makes me doubt that they know what they're doing GAME wise, even if they do tech wise.

 

[Chaosblade]

When Netflix went all in on streaming, their plan was to spin off the DVD service into Qwickster. The backlash was so strong from people who still wanted the physical disks, that Netflix quickly changed course and kept the DVD service going.

Click to shrink...

I'm sure there was skepticism, but I'm pretty sure the bigger difference according to the article you linked was the combination of worse usability (one service being split into two independent ones) while also getting slapped with a 60% price increase. 0 benefit for consumers while being a blatant cash grab for Netflix.

 

[Damaniel]

I am, but I also have a gigabit fiber connection with no cap so I know I'm an exception to the rule. I'm also sick of the PC upgrade cycle (which 20 year old me would have considered to be heresy) so letting another company do the heavy lifting is fine by me.

 

[OrdinaryPrime]

Because when I was a kid, downloading a 3MB MP3 file was the ONLY thing I could do in my 30 minutes of allowed internet dialup time. That's how long it took to download a single song.

Game streaming will mature; and I'm guessing the people building them think they can eventually get to a point where input lag either disappears or is irrelevant.

Click to shrink...

I'm sure humans will eventually be able to transmit data beyond the speed of light but in the next 10-20 years when this stuff is taking off? I don't know.

 

[bangai-o]

A lot of skepticism is warranted regarding Stadia, PSNow and other game streaming services right now: Input lag, no differentiation between digital and physical releases, not everyone has fast enough Internet to play, and on and on...

But I'm also old enough to remember the many many many times it was reported YouTube was about to die because they would never be able to scale up their servers, or that Netflix going streaming first would be a mistake, and that music streaming wouldn't do much against piracy. Obviously neither of those happened.

But on the other hand, most of the worries about game streaming seem to be that it's still too early: internet speeds will get faster, input lag will hopefully become a non-issue, and the lowered entry barrier into AA and AAA gaming will hopefully blow up the gaming industry to an even wider audience.

I think of the indie explosion that's happened thanks to the switch, and then I imagine a Netflix-for-games trying to spend billions of dollars in signing up all sorts of indie and major studios to provide games for the new system.

If and when someone gets game streaming right, I think it'll only be a net positive for the industry. Maybe Google Stadia isn't the ultimate answer, but it sounds like they might get enough things right to pull gaming in that direction.

Click to shrink...

So, what are you excited about?

 

[takoyaki]

I'm really excited/anxious about game streaming, it will be fascinating to watch how it will change the whole industry over the next decade. Nintendo, Sony and MS have been "The Big Three" for a while now and there hasn't been a lot of change since Sega exited the console business. Now that Stadia is announced for 2019 and with services from Amazon and Apple rumored for 2020, there will be be big changes during "next gen" and I don't think anyone can predict how this will all play out.

At first, I would love to have it as an option from the current console makers. A la carte for new digital games and a Netflix/GamePass-like service for back catalogue titles. Let us try it out for a while and give us a chance to compare 4k/60fps streaming to games running on next-gen consoles. If it's "good enough" (like Netflix 4k streaming vs. UHD Blu Ray), then I think I'm in. The idea of platform agnostic games that can be played anywhere with the press of a button is very tempting. So is the end of upgrading hardware, large downloads and patches, the end of piracy and hopefully hacking in MP games. Internet speed will get faster worldwide over time and 5G could be a big deciding factor depending on data caps. I also like the promise of making AAA gaming a more inclusive hobby where anyone can join in without a big upfront investment into hardware.

The end of game ownership and preservation is a big downside for me though. A streaming-only future could also mean the end of game imports, bargain hunting, unlicensed mods and the loss of other consumer options. And I would hate to see one company like Google dominate the whole field, but I doubt that would happen.

edit: Privacy is another big issue and I hate to think what companies like Google or EA would do if they were able to track every move a player makes in real time and e.g. adjust monetization or loot drops to make gambling mechanics even more addicting.