The knives are out for Google Stadia, and I struggle to understand why. Or, at least, I struggle to understand the scale of the incoherent, frothing, red mist rage being directed at it.
Yesterday I gave my first impressions of the service on Twitter, and dozens of utter dickheads, who don't even follow me, decided to chip in with their own unwanted opinions.
They actually searched for "Stadia" to have a go at random people. Who cares about any product so much that they'd actually do that?
I even got an un-ironic "OK boomer" from one of them.
It seems to be that the issues some people have with it - which, in all honesty, they've had since Stadia was first announced - are as follows:
a) You won't be able to store your games on a shelf, where you can look at them, and get turned on by them, until you die.
b) Google is a big evil corporation and ruins everything.
c) Google Stadia could never possibly work.
d) Something to do with them stealing your data, or identity, or something.
e) They just really, like, hate it, for reasons they aren't emotionally articulate enough to understand.
Yesterday I gave my first impressions of the service on Twitter, and dozens of utter dickheads, who don't even follow me, decided to chip in with their own unwanted opinions.
They actually searched for "Stadia" to have a go at random people. Who cares about any product so much that they'd actually do that?
I even got an un-ironic "OK boomer" from one of them.
It seems to be that the issues some people have with it - which, in all honesty, they've had since Stadia was first announced - are as follows:
a) You won't be able to store your games on a shelf, where you can look at them, and get turned on by them, until you die.
b) Google is a big evil corporation and ruins everything.
c) Google Stadia could never possibly work.
d) Something to do with them stealing your data, or identity, or something.
e) They just really, like, hate it, for reasons they aren't emotionally articulate enough to understand.
NOT THE SAME
Thing is, we're not all the same. I know some minds melt down at the thought there are people outside of their myopic little bubble, but people all want different things. And I'm a person who wants cloud-based gaming to take off.
I don't want more games and stuff cluttering up my house. I don't want another box under my TV. I don't have any desire to collect games; I just play them and move on. Yeah, alright, my Internet might go down, meaning I can't play my Stadia games, but if it does... then bang goes my TV and Internet access too. Believe it or not, you can go and read a book, or have a poo, or something, for 10 minutes until it comes back on.
"Oh boo-hoo! I was in the middle of a raid when Stadia kicked me out."
Get a grip/life. Seriously.
It's a rare enough occurrence that the risk of it is a price I'm willing to pay for the convenience of cloud gaming. Rather that than installing games and downloading massive updates, and it being hours after getting a new game before I can actually play anything. I'm sick of that. Like, totally sick of it. I literally hate it. Modern gaming already doesn't work. It has become a slow, unwieldy, user-spiting grind.
I tried to play Rage 2 on my PS4 yesterday, and before I could do so it needed to install, which took an hour. Then it needed an update, which took another hour. And then something went wrong, and it tried to start the entire process again, at which point my Stadia invite code had turned up, so for a test I decided to buy Rage 2 on Stadia, and I was playing it within a couple of minutes.
That's better, surely? I mean, isn't it? I don't understand what the big deal is.
The big deal is that it's Google, you've got a narrow field of vision, you have inflexible opinions, and/or you're threatened by change. I'm sorry if that's harsh, but I can't see any other reason for it.
I suspected as much back when it was announced, and now that Stadia has launched, and it really, truly, works for most people, the same ones who were criticising it earlier in the year, swearing it could never, ever, work... are now contorting themselves to find other ways to take a great, big, dump on it.
It irritates me, because even if Google is evil - which major company doesn't get labelled as such, in similar tedious fashion? - at least approach the technology at face value. It does nobody any good to put your fingers in your ears, and go "La la la", and throw a massive tantrum, while the world changes around you. Stop reacting, and start thinking.
The technology behind Stadia works. Simple as. And cloud-based gaming is - whether you like it or not - going to become the norm before too long.
Thing is, we're not all the same. I know some minds melt down at the thought there are people outside of their myopic little bubble, but people all want different things. And I'm a person who wants cloud-based gaming to take off.
I don't want more games and stuff cluttering up my house. I don't want another box under my TV. I don't have any desire to collect games; I just play them and move on. Yeah, alright, my Internet might go down, meaning I can't play my Stadia games, but if it does... then bang goes my TV and Internet access too. Believe it or not, you can go and read a book, or have a poo, or something, for 10 minutes until it comes back on.
"Oh boo-hoo! I was in the middle of a raid when Stadia kicked me out."
Get a grip/life. Seriously.
It's a rare enough occurrence that the risk of it is a price I'm willing to pay for the convenience of cloud gaming. Rather that than installing games and downloading massive updates, and it being hours after getting a new game before I can actually play anything. I'm sick of that. Like, totally sick of it. I literally hate it. Modern gaming already doesn't work. It has become a slow, unwieldy, user-spiting grind.
I tried to play Rage 2 on my PS4 yesterday, and before I could do so it needed to install, which took an hour. Then it needed an update, which took another hour. And then something went wrong, and it tried to start the entire process again, at which point my Stadia invite code had turned up, so for a test I decided to buy Rage 2 on Stadia, and I was playing it within a couple of minutes.
That's better, surely? I mean, isn't it? I don't understand what the big deal is.
The big deal is that it's Google, you've got a narrow field of vision, you have inflexible opinions, and/or you're threatened by change. I'm sorry if that's harsh, but I can't see any other reason for it.
I suspected as much back when it was announced, and now that Stadia has launched, and it really, truly, works for most people, the same ones who were criticising it earlier in the year, swearing it could never, ever, work... are now contorting themselves to find other ways to take a great, big, dump on it.
It irritates me, because even if Google is evil - which major company doesn't get labelled as such, in similar tedious fashion? - at least approach the technology at face value. It does nobody any good to put your fingers in your ears, and go "La la la", and throw a massive tantrum, while the world changes around you. Stop reacting, and start thinking.
The technology behind Stadia works. Simple as. And cloud-based gaming is - whether you like it or not - going to become the norm before too long.
MOST IMPRESSIVE
What makes Stadia all the more impressive for me is that I don't even have the fastest internet, and I'm playing over wifi, rather than the recommended ethernet cable.
My BT Broadband fluctuates quite a bit - yesterday afternoon it was about a 50mbps download speed, last night it was just over 20, and right now, as I type this, it's a little under 30mbps. Upload speed is currently 11.30mbps.
The only time I've had any issue was last night, when the kids were home watching I'm A Celeb on the ITV Hub on The Other Telly - and even then there were just a couple of moments when the game staggered or the resolution dropped noticeably. Yes, I live in London, so I suppose I'm close enough to a Google server. Even so... I mean... damn. It just works.
For the most part it has been crisp and smooth, with no noticeable controller lag. Even Destiny 2 is perfect, as far as I can tell.
It's really, really impressive.
Set-up was a breeze (though my invite code was a few hours late), but I'm not massively won over with the need to use a smartphone app to set it all up and buy games. Why can't you do it direct from Stadia? That seems like a weird oversight, and adds an extra layer of hardware into the equation, when the whole point is that Stadia is meant to do away with hardware. Apart from the Xbox-esque controller, and, if you're playing on your TV, a Google Chromecast, natch.
Again: Stadia functions, for me at least, better than I'd anticipated. I buy a game, and I can be playing it within seconds, in 4k, at 60fps. No updates, no installation, no faff whatsoever. It's kind of magical, and the last time I was this taken aback by technology was the first time I saw an iPod touch.
Unfortunately - and here's where all you haterz get to enjoy yourselves and go "I told you so" - the technology working is only part of the Google Stadia story.
As new platform launches go... it's kind of rubbish.
What makes Stadia all the more impressive for me is that I don't even have the fastest internet, and I'm playing over wifi, rather than the recommended ethernet cable.
My BT Broadband fluctuates quite a bit - yesterday afternoon it was about a 50mbps download speed, last night it was just over 20, and right now, as I type this, it's a little under 30mbps. Upload speed is currently 11.30mbps.
The only time I've had any issue was last night, when the kids were home watching I'm A Celeb on the ITV Hub on The Other Telly - and even then there were just a couple of moments when the game staggered or the resolution dropped noticeably. Yes, I live in London, so I suppose I'm close enough to a Google server. Even so... I mean... damn. It just works.
For the most part it has been crisp and smooth, with no noticeable controller lag. Even Destiny 2 is perfect, as far as I can tell.
It's really, really impressive.
Set-up was a breeze (though my invite code was a few hours late), but I'm not massively won over with the need to use a smartphone app to set it all up and buy games. Why can't you do it direct from Stadia? That seems like a weird oversight, and adds an extra layer of hardware into the equation, when the whole point is that Stadia is meant to do away with hardware. Apart from the Xbox-esque controller, and, if you're playing on your TV, a Google Chromecast, natch.
Again: Stadia functions, for me at least, better than I'd anticipated. I buy a game, and I can be playing it within seconds, in 4k, at 60fps. No updates, no installation, no faff whatsoever. It's kind of magical, and the last time I was this taken aback by technology was the first time I saw an iPod touch.
Unfortunately - and here's where all you haterz get to enjoy yourselves and go "I told you so" - the technology working is only part of the Google Stadia story.
As new platform launches go... it's kind of rubbish.
OLD GAMES: HERE
Right now, all but one of the games available on Stadia have been out some considerable time already, some released on other formats as long as a year ago (longer in the case of the first two games in the Tomb Raider reboot series), and the one brand new game, Gylt, is a nice enough survival horror-for-kids thing, but not exactly the sort of launch day exclusive which shifts platforms.
Also, there's the question of pricing - first, for the games, which seem to be needlessly full price. And then for the service itself, which costs £8.99 a month (though you'll be able to get it free from next year, but it'll cap the image quality at 1080p if you go that route).
For that £8.99 a month it's hard to really see what you're getting, barring a better picture quality (if your internet is up to it), though with that you can also play games online. It's more than PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live, but those have been around longer, and offer a lot more for your money
It's the same as I pay for Netflix a month, but everything on Netflix, after that, is free. And I can watch Netflix on my phone, which I currently can't do with Stadia, because it doesn't support playing games on iPhone, yet.
On one hand, I don't really understand what Stadia is offering right now that would make most people choose it over a console or PC. The Founder's Edition cost £120 or so up front, and included the controller, a Chromecast, Destiny 2 (plus everything released for it over the past two years), and three months of Pro membership.
Over time Google is planning to offer a whole catalogue of free-to-play games for subscribers, but they really should've been here at launch. Or, at least, some original exclusives. If this was a new console we'd all be up in arms.
At the same time... I love the convenience, I love the quality of the visuals I'm getting, I love being able to access my new games immediately. It makes a massive difiference to me. And, at the risk of being burnt at the stake for being a heretic, I love that I may no longer need loads of physical discs and cases laying around my house. I don't want that, even if you do.
Am I in the minority with all that? Maybe. But if you're coming at this from the perspective that Google Stadia doesn't have a market, and doesn't work, then I'm afraid to tell you - so long as they can start offering some more bang for your buck, and keep abreast of new releases - that you're quite, quite wrong.
Right now, all but one of the games available on Stadia have been out some considerable time already, some released on other formats as long as a year ago (longer in the case of the first two games in the Tomb Raider reboot series), and the one brand new game, Gylt, is a nice enough survival horror-for-kids thing, but not exactly the sort of launch day exclusive which shifts platforms.
Also, there's the question of pricing - first, for the games, which seem to be needlessly full price. And then for the service itself, which costs £8.99 a month (though you'll be able to get it free from next year, but it'll cap the image quality at 1080p if you go that route).
For that £8.99 a month it's hard to really see what you're getting, barring a better picture quality (if your internet is up to it), though with that you can also play games online. It's more than PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live, but those have been around longer, and offer a lot more for your money
It's the same as I pay for Netflix a month, but everything on Netflix, after that, is free. And I can watch Netflix on my phone, which I currently can't do with Stadia, because it doesn't support playing games on iPhone, yet.
On one hand, I don't really understand what Stadia is offering right now that would make most people choose it over a console or PC. The Founder's Edition cost £120 or so up front, and included the controller, a Chromecast, Destiny 2 (plus everything released for it over the past two years), and three months of Pro membership.
Over time Google is planning to offer a whole catalogue of free-to-play games for subscribers, but they really should've been here at launch. Or, at least, some original exclusives. If this was a new console we'd all be up in arms.
At the same time... I love the convenience, I love the quality of the visuals I'm getting, I love being able to access my new games immediately. It makes a massive difiference to me. And, at the risk of being burnt at the stake for being a heretic, I love that I may no longer need loads of physical discs and cases laying around my house. I don't want that, even if you do.
Am I in the minority with all that? Maybe. But if you're coming at this from the perspective that Google Stadia doesn't have a market, and doesn't work, then I'm afraid to tell you - so long as they can start offering some more bang for your buck, and keep abreast of new releases - that you're quite, quite wrong.
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