Topher Miller
A little over a week ago Google
announced their big new service, and possibly the next step in gaming, Google
Stadia. Google Stadia claims to be like a sort of Netflix, but instead of
streaming your favorite movies and shows, they will be streaming your favorite
video game titles to you for you to play. They way this works is they have a
could based system that is doing all the processing, then it is streaming onto
your device. This means almost anyone with a stable internet connection can
play triple A titles with max settings without needing a power house of a
gaming rig or the newest gaming console. Also, since all the data is in the
cloud, you won’t need to download you update the games, simply pick the title
and play.
When I first was hearing about this
service, I was a bit skeptical and a little confused to be frank. However, one
of the biggest things that popped into my mind was, how will this effect the
computer hardware industry? I myself am constantly browsing the web for sales
and good pc parts to upgrade my rig, but with this new service, I won’t have
need for an over the top GPU, or an overclocked CPU, and neither will a lot of
other. Obviously, there will still be a large market for this type hardware in
other areas, like video rendering or graphic design, but I can’t imagine that a
lot of this large hardware companies like AMD, NVIDIA, and Intel.
Another thing about this new
service that has me thinking, is how will this affect other game distributers
like GameStop, who have already been struggling with the move on online stores?
I believe this will be the final nail in the coffin, because at least now with
the move buying games online GameStop can at least somewhat compete with their
online store. However, once this service comes out people won’t be purchasing
these games from another other then with the google Stadia subscription.
My last
point which was talked about in a podcast I watched while researching Google
Stadia, is that since all the info will be stored on the cloud, this will most likely
cut down on hacking in online games. Google will have all the computing being
done on their own systems and hardware, so getting into their system and
modifying or hacking to cheat in games will become a lot harder. However, the
one thing I am very worried about is whether there will be large input large
with using the service. If they can figure out a way for the games to be
streamed with little to now input lag, I think this could be a huge hit. Over
all I am very intrigued by this system, and hopeful in the fact that this will
help more people without the money to buy gaming rigs enjoy the hobby of
gaming.
Secondary Source - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsurWq02MJw
3 comments:
Good afternoon, I really enjoyed reading your opinions on the new Google gaming device called Stadia. I agree with you when you talk about how this will most likely destroy companies such as game stop. GameStop is similar to Blockbuster which was essentially killed by companies such as Netflix. The new Google Stadia system seems similar to Netflix and therefor will likely destroy its counterpart in GameStop. I decided to research the Stadia because I had never heard of the device before. Something that I was very interested by was a problem that any professionals are predicting with the Stadia is the last mile problem. The last mile problem, which we talked about in class, is an issue where the greatest deal of internet speeds and streaming tend to happen within the last mile of the final destination. This is because the closer the product gets to its final destination the lower the quality of technology or infrastructure is.
The first issue is that the ideal cable for Google Stadia is a 5Ghz cable, but generally even very modern houses only have 2.4Ghz capable cable because that is mostly all consumers need even to stream 4k movies. One fix that is suggested by the article that will likely help solve this issue is using the new 5G mobile network. I believe this will be a good fix for the problem, but in the article one of the major problems that they talk about with the 5G network is that is signal is significantly weakened by walls or large buildings. This means it will be difficult to send this network through a city effectively.
Ironically Google planned on starting a project that would spread the use of its fiber optics cables across America, but Google decided to stop funding this project. If Google would have been able to continue this project this would have likely been a successful fix for the last mile issue with Google Stadia.
https://venturebeat.com/2019/04/05/google-stadia-has-a-lot-of-last-mile-challenges/
This was a very interesting article. Many companies have tried to renovate towards "cloud-based" gaming platforms, including a company called "Shadow". Just like Google Stadia, it operates towards "hosting" a game and projecting the game through the cloud onto a customer's device. Thus, Google will be entering into an industry with competitors already present. Nvidia also has a game streaming platform as well. What comes into question is which company will be able to offer the best options, lowest subscription pricing, and connectivity. In terms of anything involving the cloud, and hosting servers, Google has the upper hand. Due to Alphabet's extremely well-funded and reputable position, their implementation of Google Stadia will certainly spark a wave of customers towards this innovative "streaming" option. However, this will also erupt challenges and competition for companies like AMD, NVIDIA, and Intel, who offer high-end gaming graphics cards and processors to customers that wish to upgrade their rig in order to run higher-end games. What will these companies do to compete against this challenge? Since Google Stadia would remove all needs towards building a gaming pc with the most updated components, these companies will be challenged to deliver new products and services to the market. Perhaps Google will become their main customer as Google will need high-end gaming consoles in order to stream games at max settings and max framerates. With regards to hacking, I believe that if Google Stadia works as you described in your blog, it will help create a fairer and even playing field for all gamers, which is a plus. This will certainly boost the ethical standpoint of Google Stadia and its reputation from gamers. Another thing that may come into question is the ability to use "mods" or customized "scripts", created by fans that wish to customize their experience in game. The company, Steam, allows users to download mods for games, but there are some mods out there that are not in the Steam workshop. Thus, Google will have to implement something that can satisfy these customers as well. The amount of funding that will contribute towards the development of Google Stadia will surely be high. They will need multiple data centers dedicated to streaming high-end games to all customers and data centers are not only big but they also require high maintenance, security, and secrecy.
The Google Stadia platform seems to occupy a fine line between cash grab and genuinely brilliant idea. Google Stadia is another cloud-based subscription service, a space that is becoming increasingly cluttered by each passing month. Personally, I see many of these subscription models struggling whenever the economic climate slows down, as cancelling a subscription is much simpler than cancelling cable packages.
Despite the downside, as the original post mentions, the ability to run top tier games in full resolution on any device is game changing. Google found a market vulnerability to bypass the barriers to entry that come with PC gaming, such as the expensive and sometimes scarce components. Depending on the popularity of this service, the consequences to traditional video game sellers could range from damaging to outright cataclysmic. If the traditional sellers needed a nail in the coffin, Stadia may prove to be it.
Internet speed will now be the main commodity in gaming. If the hardware playing field across users is consistent, speed will be the differentiator (more than it already was). Google undoubtedly has more computing power than they could ever hope to fully utilize, so Stadia is a smart play on squeezing profitability. The network may struggle to run major title releases, but this is yet to be seen. A few years from now, Stadia may be the gold standard in the future of gaming, or a merely a flop of a good concept that never caught on. Only time will tell, but any firm in the aforementioned industries of gaming hardware and game selling would be wise to watch closely.
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