I don’t think this will get a good response from the crowd here (we already have PC’s and consoles), but it’s interesting to see happening. Thoughts include:
When will Google drop it, and what will happen to the games I paid for?
When will Steam offer the same thing and let me play my library titles (i.e. more a hybrid model). Given the Steam store crashing out at 1 minute past a new sale time, I’m not sure Steam has the datacenter muscle for this though.
I have a Chromecast Ultra already, so I might give it a whirl on a free game using my own controller. Not really interested in buying a Xbox One Lookee Likee controller for Stadia launch (I mean, why?). Playing something for free in the browser on a PC might be interesting to try out as well (Onlive all over again I guess).
Their exclusives and launch line-up are weak. They should fix that. Maybe Ubisoft or EA will partner with them properly if it shows any sort of traction.
Xbox and Sony already do this, in some form, and I imagine their next gen of consoles might further push the ‘streaming setbox’ cheap option side.
So unless Google spend a serious amount of cash on this, as a loss leader to get some people using it, I don’t really give it a huge chance of success.
I do like my Steam Link, and the app on iOS actually works far better than it should for streaming from a local PC, but was thinking more of Steam going the next step and streaming my game from their datacenters. So it would be the case where you wouldn’t even install your game locally, you’d just buy it, pick it in the library and then stream. Valve are uniquely positioned to do this on the PC market side of things (especially as the ‘exit strategy’ is that you own the game like normal anyway), but knowing Valve they will only react if things like Stadia get any traction at all.
I mean it’s only use has every been streaming Drawful to the family room TV (if you get a few people together, and they all use their phones as controllers it works really well and is great fun).
When I bought it, I thought it might be fun to be able to play some of the dumb games I play with the kids like F1 Race Stars and stuff. I’ve just been too lazy to set it up.
