Stadia-specific catch all

Sent you an invite. I don't have a lot of gaming time currently, but I can give it a try.

IMAGE(https://i.ibb.co/vQPpdbk/Zombie-Army-4-Dead-War.jpg)

Thanks for the friend-ups, those who sent some.

I've decided I'm all in on Stadia now. Bought a controller and everything. Every time they have revealed a new game or publisher committing to the platform I have been gently nudged further and further and eventually it just clicked.

This of course means that Google will drop it some time in the next couple years.

PS5 and Series X are going to be outstanding, but I won't be able to afford them for a long time. At $10/mo, it would be around four years before either of them could match the value of Stadia. If I could buy a PS5 or Series X with rendering power equivalent to Stadia for $10/mo, I'd be all over that.

That's a good point, BadKen. IIRC, Microsoft is bringing back the monthly payment option for the Series X. It won't be $10/mo but I think it's in the ballpark of $25-$35/mo and includes Gold/GamePass with a 2yr agreement.

It really is a good selling point. It's amazing to me that Google (Google!) is so bad at marketing this, considering their access to top marketing talent. Just bizarre!

I have a fuzzy memory of Microsoft doing some monthly thing, but it was with the lowest tier online-only version of the Xbox One. That's not gonna do it for me. The Stadia platform has ridiculous graphical capabilities, including RTX-like features, and it's scaling up all the time as they replace older servers. Anyone competing with their own monthly offering is going to have to match that at least.

Not only that, but it is my guess that around the end of the year, at least one game will appear on Stadia that is only possible on a tightly networked group of high compute power servers that support easy parallel processing (Google's bread and butter). Something like a truly massive massively multiplayer game (think thousands or tens of thousands of players), or open an world game with a scale hitherto undreamt of. Basing a single game on a huge map might be madness... maybe... I can dream up scenarios that might make it interesting.

Imagine a series of games that took place on an ever-expanding connected virtual world, with truly densely populated areas because separate host servers, shards, or instancing would not be required. Those are all artifacts of limited bandwidth and compute power of the client. No MMO client can render hundreds of characters all with different appearances in a single area, but a high-speed interconnected group of powerful servers might be able to, because all they have to put out is a video stream.

Imagine a game with a setting in Hong Kong, Mumbai, Tokyo, or NYC, at 1:1 scale. Sure, it might take forever to build, but I'm pretty sure it is now at least technically feasible with the Stadia back end. Or maybe it wouldn't take forever to build, because Google already basically has 3D models of all those cities ready to be licensed.

There's a lot that Stadia might be able to do that hardware consoles will never be able to do, but it will require commitment to Stadia-only design from some developers. Google is investing in studios, though.

Anyway, we won't know how things will really shake out until the end of the year or some time into next year, so it's all wild speculation right now. For now, the value proposition works for me, and they have games that I want to play at prices that I want to pay.

Oh, one other thing while I'm thinking about it... remember the promise of ubiquitous video with OnLive? That was one of their huge marketing points (that never really happened). Well, video streaming infrastructure is another of Google's fundamental strengths. They are already doing things with it on Stadia that no other platform can do: Ubisoft's PIP modes for Division 2 and Ghost Recon Breakpoint. With all the rendering happening on the server side, there are some crazy things they can do with that rendered stream to duplicate it, scale it, and feed it to multiple other players.

So much potential... but they have to follow through. And they have to outsource their marketing because nobody at Google can sell their way out of a paper bag.

Elder Scrolls Online will be free for Pro subscribers starting June 16th. An ESO+ subscription is still recommended by every recent review I've read, but there's a lot to do without subscribing. I'm not particularly fond of the look of Elder Scrolls games, but for free, I'll be checking it out.

Stadia ESO will support crossplay with PC and cross-progression, so you can bring PC characters over to Stadia if you wish. I don't know if chapters are tied to your account by platform or what, but I don't think they'd leave that money on the table - you may have to rebuy the three chapters that aren't included in the base game. Again, though, for new or returning players, plenty to do without them.

You want the sub for the unlimited crafting bag space. The extra xp body doesn't hurt either.

garion333 wrote:

You want the sub for the unlimited crafting bag space. The extra xp body doesn't hurt either.

Are either of those things necessary to dip a toe in and see if it's worth the time? I haven't played it since launch. MMOs lost their appeal to me when I stopped having extra free time, but I'm elbow deep in a new minecraft world these days... so who knows.

manta173 wrote:
garion333 wrote:

You want the sub for the unlimited crafting bag space. The extra xp body doesn't hurt either.

Are either of those things necessary to dip a toe in and see if it's worth the time? I haven't played it since launch. MMOs lost their appeal to me when I stopped having extra free time, but I'm elbow deep in a new minecraft world these days... so who knows.

Not really, but you'll be irritated by bag space right quick if you're anything like me.

Anyone jumping on Elder Scrolls Online tonight?

There're now more phones officially supported, and most other Android phones can now experiment with playing on-device rather than streaming to elsewhere. YMMV.

I will play if we can schedule something. I COULD play tonight....no promises. I'm going to maybe start a character at lunch to see what I want to do. I have a ranger on PS4, but not sure if I want to stick with that.

Got a warden started... I like summoning stuff so that seemed like a good starting point. I can probably start playing 9ish Central time, but only for an hour or so tonight and tomorrow.

Not sure if that's even enough to get through the tutorial. Is there a GWJ Guild?

I made a character...

Stadia is getting a skating game, except it's with boats.

Releases next Tuesday, Jun 23, for $29.99. Looks like a perfect opportunity to use the $10 discount everyone got last month.

So I thought I'd go check out Stadia again to see what I could play since I originally got a Founder's thingie and still have the Chromecast and controller lying around. I cancelled my "Pro" account back at the start of Pandemic since I just didn't think I'd use it that much.

And I now realize that since I'm not paying $10/mo (or whatever it is now), I don't have access to any games. I do have the privilege of buying games (many on sale right now) which maybe I get to keep playing even tho I don't have a monthly sub? Since I previously subbed, do I have access to the ones I claimed back in the Before Times? Or only free ones that come up moving forward?

I don't know. Am confused!

I feel like this thing is a marketing mess.

I only used it during a trial. But I’m pretty sure it’s that any games you purchase are available whether you have a Pro subscription or not. But the free games you claim while a subscriber are only available while you’re a Pro subscriber. But should still be there if you re-subscribe.

I was the same last time I looked. My trial had run out, so the free games I’d claimed weren’t available. And I hadn’t bought any, so didn’t have anything to play without buying something or subscribing.

It's like Playstation Plus or Xbox Game Pass in that respect. You have access to your free games as long as you're subscribed. Also like PS+, games are frequently on deep discounts for subscribers, and if you buy them, you still have access when not subscribed.

Google's messaging on Stadia is very confusing. I really wish they had gone with the simple message of "Buy a game, play it anywhere." rather than emphasizing Pro subscriptions. Pro subscriptions should be described as an extra bonus that gives you free games and 4K video & 5+1 sound. Instead most people now believe that you have to have a subscription AND buy games at full price to use Stadia, or they think it's like Netflix for games which will lead to inevitable disappointment because it's not that at all. Kinda sad.

Top_Shelf wrote:

So I thought I'd go check out Stadia again to see what I could play since I originally got a Founder's thingie and still have the Chromecast and controller lying around. I cancelled my "Pro" account back at the start of Pandemic since I just didn't think I'd use it that much.

And I now realize that since I'm not paying $10/mo (or whatever it is now), I don't have access to any games. I do have the privilege of buying games (many on sale right now) which maybe I get to keep playing even tho I don't have a monthly sub? Since I previously subbed, do I have access to the ones I claimed back in the Before Times? Or only free ones that come up moving forward?

I don't know. Am confused!

I feel like this thing is a marketing mess.

It pretty much works like other game services (EA Origins, Xbox Game Pass, etc...). You get free games but only when you are paying. It seems a little more like the PSPlus since you have to claim the games, but unlike the PS, you don't get to keep them after unsubscribing.

You can't play PS+ free games without an active subscription.

There is so much bad information in the wind about Stadia. It's frustrating.

BadKen wrote:

You can't play PS+ free games without an active subscription.

Did I miss where someone said that? kazar didn't...

garion333 wrote:
BadKen wrote:

You can't play PS+ free games without an active subscription.

Did I miss where someone said that? kazar didn't...

kazar wrote:
Top_Shelf wrote:

So I thought I'd go check out Stadia again to see what I could play since I originally got a Founder's thingie and still have the Chromecast and controller lying around. I cancelled my "Pro" account back at the start of Pandemic since I just didn't think I'd use it that much.

And I now realize that since I'm not paying $10/mo (or whatever it is now), I don't have access to any games. I do have the privilege of buying games (many on sale right now) which maybe I get to keep playing even tho I don't have a monthly sub? Since I previously subbed, do I have access to the ones I claimed back in the Before Times? Or only free ones that come up moving forward?

I don't know. Am confused!

I feel like this thing is a marketing mess.

It pretty much works like other game services (EA Origins, Xbox Game Pass, etc...). You get free games but only when you are paying. It seems a little more like the PSPlus since you have to claim the games, but unlike the PS, you don't get to keep them after unsubscribing.

I'm sorry but none of this has been remotely confusing to me at all. Anyone actively following Stadia not know how it works baffles me. Games press has failed miserably to actually read what google typed up for them and spread straight incorrect stuff. Although google maybe hasn't done enough work with them, geez just read the press release. Even Giantbomb has been horrible about it. So much so that I want a new news source and am hoping G4 might actually be that when it returns.

BadKen wrote:

Google's messaging on Stadia is very confusing.

Google hasn't done a good job of marketing one of their products since... um... Gmail maybe?

Gawd, even I read kazar's post incorrectly which goes to show why it's a confusing topic.

Stadia's "free" games are exactly like PS+.

End.

Now the confusion should end!

Now I understand completely!

Just kidding.

In all seriousness, I do appreciate folks trying to help me out. I may end up re-firing up my sub since I could then play some stuff like Destiny. I doubt I'd buy any games as nothing jumps out at me.

It would mostly just be to play on a second screen, most likely when I'm doing cardio in the garage or something.

Between xCloud and GamePass, this product is going to have a hard time, I'm thinking.

Game Pass is a different animal. Stadia and XCloud and whatever Amazon comes up with are aimed at people who don't have consoles or game capable PCs, or who don't want to buy the new generations of console.

Including Game Pass with XCloud would really make a Netflix-like thing.

BadKen wrote:

Including Game Pass with XCloud would really make a Netflix-like thing.

That's exactly what they're doing.

That's pretty cool. It seems a little backward, but whatever, the bundle is what's important.

Am I wrong or is Microsoft limiting xCloud to mobile devices and tablets? No browser-based version or windows app? (Is there an xCloud topic here somewhere?)

Oh, and more on topic: Stadia is releasing 4 more free games for Pro subscribers this week, one exclusive to Stadia. And there's a summer sale going on this week too.

BadKen wrote:

That's pretty cool. It seems a little backward, but whatever, the bundle is what's important.

Am I wrong or is Microsoft limiting xCloud to mobile devices and tablets? No browser-based version or windows app? (Is there an xCloud topic here somewhere?)

Oh, and more on topic: Stadia is releasing 4 more free games for Pro subscribers this week, one exclusive to Stadia. And there's a summer sale going on this week too.

I’m pretty sure there will be a PC version. https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/20/2...

That's good news for someone like me because I can use my Surface and it’s wraparound controller, as well the older pc hooked up to my television.

It’s the Stadia dream with a better library, value, and still with the option for local pc games.

Now available on Stadia: Strange Brigade, by the developers of Sniper Elite and Zombie Army series:

Included with Pro, $50 without.

Also included with Pro this month, Metro 2033 Redux ($20), Kona ($15), PUBG Payback edition ($45), Just Shapes & Beats ($20)