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Stadia & xCloud Pose the Biggest Threat to Nintendo, Not Sony

digitalrelic

digitalrelic

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There's so much overlap in market demographic between Stadia/xCloud and the Switch. Stadia/xCloud is essentially a next-gen take on the Switch concept.

  • Both Stadia/xCloud & Switch's main selling point is "play anywhere". Switch through having a mobile form factor that can dock into a TV, and Stadia/xCloud through having a universal streaming solution to be able to play on all devices
  • Both Stadia/xCloud & Switch appeal to gamers that are less fussy about having perfect graphics & picture quality. Switch of course runs on mobile hardware so many games are sub-1080p, or even lower when in handheld mode. Stadia is a stream-only service and will inherently have a softer picture vs a locally rendered option
  • Both Stadia/xCloud & Switch's default input methods are built to appeal to less critical gamers as well. Switch comes bundled with joycons, which are small & can leave a lot to be desired in competitive play. Stadia/xCloud of course will have some input latency inherent to the technology
  • Both Stadia/xCloud & Switch appeal to demographics that don't want to invest a huge amount of upfront money to play. The Switch debuted at $299 vs $399 for PS4's debut and $499 for Xbox One's debut. PS4 Pro and Xbox One X are obviously priced even higher, and it's fair to expect next-gen consoles to start at higher prices as well. The streaming-only box from Microsoft is rumored to debut at $150 or less. And of course, there's zero upfront cost with Stadia
  • Both Stadia/xCloud & Switch appeal to casual gamers. The Switch has a library mostly focused on party games, local multiplayer, singleplayer games that don't require high-precision, and family games. Stadia will appeal to those who can casually/impulsively pick up and play a game right from YouTube, xCloud will have apps on all devices & Game Pass, and both will be appealing for games that don't require high-precision. Stadia/xCloud, like Switch, will likely not be great destinations for games like Call of Duty or Battlefield that would require super responsive controls.
Now obviously the one aspect that Nintendo can't be touched is the games. Nothing beats Nintendo's first-party lineup. Still, it's apparent to me that Stadia/xCloud mostly threaten the Switch's target demographic, not necessarily Sony's.
 
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--R

--R

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Main selling point of Nintendo is their games, so this is a non-issue for them.
 
JeffGubb

JeffGubb

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Oct 25, 2017
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Naw.
Switch has the play anywhere form factor. I would get it to have a dedicated gaming device that works well with or without a connection.

Why would I get a PS4 for FIFA and Fortnite on my TV when I can just get a Stadia controller for my TV with built in Chromecast.
 

Deleted member 1413

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
8,617
Switch sales seem mostly motivated by Nintendo games and a pretty appealing form factor. Don't think "I can play on my phone with touch screen controls" is gonna make too much go an impact
 
Lump

Lump

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Oct 25, 2017
15,936
The worst possible case for Nintendo is that they just stick to making games, and some real heavy stars have to align to make that scenario happen. Nintendo's games have always been in their own league. They will be fine no matter how well Stadia does and if even if somehow data caps cease being a thing in the future.
 

Dark Cloud

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
61,087
Nintendo has been their worst enemy because of the their own choices when it came to console hardware. They'll be fine as long as they put out good hardware. They'll always have Pokémon and Mario Kart.
 
Madonna

Madonna

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Sony hasn't even been part of the conversation, they've been completely overlooked this GDC.
 

HockeyBird

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,584
I think your logic is flawed because you have a severe misconception about each console. A lot of Switch owners are hardcore gamers and many casual gamers own PS4s. You assumed that the ps4 does not have a casual market, which it obviously does, and therefore not competing in that market with Google.
 
Knight613

Knight613

Member
Oct 25, 2017
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San Francisco
You can pretty much bet Microsoft and Google would love to have xCloud and Stadia on the Switch.

I'm more curious to see if Nintendo would allow it.
 
Arex

Arex

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Oct 27, 2017
12,489
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Can you play stream Stadia/xCloud in a train/bus/car/plane? No. Plus all them Nintendo games is the main reason people buy Nintendo consoles.
 
Faiyaz

Faiyaz

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Nov 30, 2017
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What about Pokemon, Zelda, Mario, Smash, Mario Kart, Fire Emblem, Animal Crossing, and Splatoon? Will Stadia have those?
 

Deleted member 5334

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Oct 25, 2017
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digitalrelic said:
You'll be able to play with a controller on your phone with both Stadia & xCloud.
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Except streaming eats through data extremely fast and even "unlimited" data is not even truly unlimited, and usually drops from full speed after a certain about of bandwidth. Plus, most providers only offer very little in terms of data available, and the expensive tiers only offer unlimited (which general populace can't afford).

Also like, uh... Cell phone reception in a number of areas, isn't great.
 
DecoReturns

DecoReturns

Member
Oct 27, 2017
22,003
At the end of the day.


Nintendo still has its major line up off first parties that no one else can compete with it. They'll be fine
 
faceless

faceless

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Oct 25, 2017
4,198
pretty sure the threat is to consoles that move madden, nba2k, gta and cod in massive numbers

maybe Nintendo would be threatened if Aereo won
 
OP
OP
digitalrelic

digitalrelic

Weight Loss Champion 2018: Biggest Change
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JEFFREY GRUBB said:
Only people who have never tried this think this is going to happen. It sucks.
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I've tried it playing remotely on my laptop and it works great. Why does it suck?

Arex said:
Can you play stream Stadia/xCloud in a train/bus/car/plane? No. Plus all them Nintendo games is the main reason people buy Nintendo consoles.
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Why wouldn't you be able to play Stadia or xCloud in a train/bus/car/plane? That's the whole point.
 
Schreckweg 5000

Schreckweg 5000

Member
Jan 10, 2018
6,327
Good luck with having a stable Internet connection in the subway

digitalrelic said:
Both Stadia/xCloud & Switch's default input methods are built to appeal to less critical gamers as well. Switch comes bundled with joycons, which are small & can leave a lot to be desired in competitive play. Stadia/xCloud of course will have some input latency inherent to the technology
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Congrats, you made me roll my eyes
 
OP
OP
digitalrelic

digitalrelic

Weight Loss Champion 2018: Biggest Change
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Cartridge Games said:
I don't think people will carry and strap a controller to their phone. We'll see

As for the price point, I'm not sure how being cheaper is bad? It's still really high end handheld, and it's the same price as the modern consoles
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I didn't say being cheaper was bad, I said that there's a market demographic overlap.
 
A Strong Latte

A Strong Latte

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,128
Nah. None of those points effect the switch.

Switch two big points are gameboy like portable and Nintendo first party games.

There's a reason the PSPs were flops.
It was competent, had the IPs... Not a success.
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Lets be real here: Nintendo First Party was at it's weakest during the gamecube. Apart from SSB, the other major titles were duds
 
FreddeGredde

FreddeGredde

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,903
My thinking is that Switch users are those who want good snappy gameplay (e.g. indies, platformers, fast reaction), rather than fancy graphics. The stadia will be the opposite, known for good visuals but laggy controls.

I think Sony will be slightly more affected (more "oh yeah, nice graphics!" casuals), but I really doubt it will affect any console maker much. It will compete with mobile, the hyper casuals who want cheap things and aren't picky.
 
OP
OP
digitalrelic

digitalrelic

Weight Loss Champion 2018: Biggest Change
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
13,124
If Nintendo's success is only about it's 1st party games like ya'll are saying, the Wii U would've been a rousing success. Clearly the Switch's play-anywhere capabilities are a large factor in why it's been so popular.
 
hanshen

hanshen

Member
Jun 24, 2018
3,850
Chicago, IL
digitalrelic said:
There's so much overlap in market demographic between Stadia/xCloud and the Switch. Stadia/xCloud is essentially a next-gen take on the Switch concept.

  • Both Stadia/xCloud & Switch's main selling point is "play anywhere". Switch through having a mobile form factor that can dock into a TV, and Stadia/xCloud through having a universal streaming solution to be able to play on all devices
  • Both Stadia/xCloud & Switch appeal to gamers that are less fussy about having perfect graphics & picture quality. Switch of course runs on mobile hardware so many games are sub-1080p, or even lower when in handheld mode. Stadia is a stream-only service and will inherently have a software picture vs a locally rendered option
  • Both Stadia/xCloud & Switch's default input methods are built to appeal to less critical gamers as well. Switch comes bundled with joycons, which are small & can leave a lot to be desired in competitive play. Stadia/xCloud of course will have some input latency inherent to the technology
  • Both Stadia/xCloud & Switch appeal to demographics that don't want to invest a huge amount of upfront money to play. The Switch debuted at $299 vs $399 for PS4's debut and $499 for Xbox One's debut. PS4 Pro and Xbox One X are obviously priced even higher, and it's fair to expect next-gen consoles to start at higher prices as well. The streaming-only box from Microsoft is rumored to debut at $150 or less. And of course, there's zero upfront cost with Stadia
  • Both Stadia/xCloud & Switch appeal to casual gamers. The Switch has a library mostly focused on party games, local multiplayer, singleplayer games that don't require high-precision, and family games. Stadia will appeal to those who can casually/impulsively pick up and play a game right from YouTube, xCloud will have apps on all devices & Game Pass, and both will be appealing for games that don't require high-precision. Stadia/xCloud, like Switch, will likely not be a great destinations for games like Call of Duty or Battlefield that would require super responsive controls.
Now obviously the one aspect that Nintendo can't be touched is the games. Nothing beats Nintendo's first-party lineup. Still, it's apparent to me that Stadia/xCloud mostly threaten the Switch's target demographic, not necessarily Sony's.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Wait, are you telling me that Super Mario Odyssey, Breath of the Wild, Smash, and Splatoon 2 are party games that don't require super responsive controls? So why does nintendo have more first party games running at 60fps if they don't care about responsive controls? Joycon being on the small side is not at all comparable to having 150ms+ input lag.
 

Deleted member 6582

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Analysts: How will Nintendo respond to the onslaught of cloud computing?

Nintendo: You build the bird, then look in the bird and you're the bird!
 
--R

--R

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digitalrelic said:
If Nintendo's success is only about it's 1st party games like ya'll are saying, the Wii U would've been a rousing success. Clearly the Switches play-anywhere capabilities are a large factor in why it's been so popular.
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Click to shrink...

Wii U didn't get a mainline Zelda until 2017, nor a Pokémon or 3D Mario game. The branding also didn't help.

At this point you're just throwing random ideas at the wall to see which one sticks. Nintendo is gonna be the less affected by this.
 
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