What Google’s Stadia Will Do To Gaming

The first games to force their way into people’s living rooms were simple consoles offering simple games – it was in the 1970s before computer chips became affordable. Then, the true history of home gaming began with companies like Atari and Magnavox and games like Pong. From that point forward, the gaming hardware kept evolving at a fast pace. Currently, we are at the seventh generation of gaming consoles (Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox, with hardware matching that of an average gaming PC) and the eighth generation is coming. At the same time, PC gaming has evolved to the point where there’s not much else to add. Gaming PC’s have become veritable performance powerhouses that can cost a small fortune, while online gaming has passed through the phases of simple Flash puzzles and live casino games to offer an experience that was unimaginable just a few years ago. Today, in turn, we are on the verge of a new evolutionary leap in the world of gaming.

Gaming in the Cloud

Let’s do some calculations, shall we?

A gaming PC capable of running some of the most popular games today can cost anywhere between $500 and $1500, not counting the peripherals (a dedicated gaming monitor, a high-quality mouse, a gaming chair – these all cost extra). A gaming console will cost you between $400 and $500, not counting the screen on which you’ll play (there is usually at least one TV in the household that you can use). These prices are prohibitive for many, even without counting the cost of games to play.

Well, the emerging cloud gaming services – most importantly Google’s upcoming Stadia – may eliminate this big initial cost, replacing it with a monthly subscription. The gamers will only need a broadband internet connection and a connected device to run even the latest high-profile games (they will still have to buy the games themselves, though). With Stadia, Google plans to bring gaming into our homes simply and without the prohibitive cost of having to buy hardware. And this can fundamentally change the gaming industry.

The change begins this November

“Stadia” promises great performance – up to 60 FPS in 4K HDR, with 5.1 sound – that will only be limited by the gamer’s internet bandwidth (you’ll need at least a 10Mbps connection to play, and at least 35 Mbps for the best performance). It will have two tiers: the free “Stadia Base” offering resolutions of up to 1080p at 60FPS and stereo sound (and only the games you own and buy), and the paid “Stadia Pro” with a flat monthly fee of $9.99 (in the US) with resolutions of up to 4K (HDR) at 60FPS, 5.1 sound, and free games added to your library periodically (starting with Destiny 2: The Collection upon its launch). The service will be available on pretty much any device, from Android phones to Chromebooks and regular PCs.

What will this do to gaming?

Many see cloud-based gaming as the future of the industry – Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has famously told the press last year that it expects gaming-as-a-service to kill consoles in the coming years, and Slightly Mad Studios, who planned to break into the world of consoles with their Mad Box gaming rig, have quietly withdrawn their patent application for the device after Google announced Stadia.

In the short term, the emergence of cloud-based gaming will likely have a small impact on console and PC sales but it may boost the sales of the games themselves, as more players around the world gain access to this new and affordable technology. As for the long term… this technology is so new that we would prefer not to go into predictions right now.

I guess we’ll see more of the impact of GaaS on the industry in the years to come.