Google: Stadia News and Discussion Thread
03-19-2019, 12:46 PM
#1
Google: Stadia News and Discussion Thread
https://www.cnet.com/news/googles-gd...tch-here-live/
Google's Stadia GDC 2019 game streaming and controller announcement: Watch here live
When you think of ways to play big-name video games, you probably think of Microsoft's Xbox, Sony's PlayStation or Nintendo's Switch.
If Google has its way, you'll soon be considering its Stadia service too.
The tech giant announced its new streaming game service at a press event during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco on Tuesday. The new service, called Stadia, is designed as a way for people to play and watch gaming together, Google said. The company said it plans to bring together players, broadcasters on YouTube and game developers to create a new experience.
"Our ambition is far beyond a single game," said Google's Phil Harrison. Instead, the company sees the opportunity to give players "instant access" to a game by clicking a link. "The power of instant access is magical, and it's already transformed the music and movie industries."
The service allows gamers to play standard PC games within anything that can browse the web, including a TV, a phone, a tablet and of course a PC. The games are powered by Google's high-performance computers, which then stream the images to the web browser in a similar way Netflix streams videos. And they're streamed at up to 4k high-definition video, at 60-frames per second, meaning animations will move smoothly.
Gamers play using a controller Google designed, which connects through WiFi to Stadia's systems.
"It's seamless," Harrison said.
Google isn't the only company doing this. Sony's offered its PlayStation Now game streaming service since 2014, and chipmaker Nvidia offers one called GeForce Now. Microsoft is also readying an Xbox-related game streaming service, called Project xCloud, expected in the next couple of years.
But Google says it can take them on. Stadia is more powerful than Microsoft's Xbox One X and Sony's PlayStation 4 Pro combined, Google said. And it's partnered with game development software makers like Epic Games, Unity, Cryengine and others.
When you think of ways to play big-name video games, you probably think of Microsoft's Xbox, Sony's PlayStation or Nintendo's Switch.
If Google has its way, you'll soon be considering its Stadia service too.
The tech giant announced its new streaming game service at a press event during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco on Tuesday. The new service, called Stadia, is designed as a way for people to play and watch gaming together, Google said. The company said it plans to bring together players, broadcasters on YouTube and game developers to create a new experience.
"Our ambition is far beyond a single game," said Google's Phil Harrison. Instead, the company sees the opportunity to give players "instant access" to a game by clicking a link. "The power of instant access is magical, and it's already transformed the music and movie industries."
The service allows gamers to play standard PC games within anything that can browse the web, including a TV, a phone, a tablet and of course a PC. The games are powered by Google's high-performance computers, which then stream the images to the web browser in a similar way Netflix streams videos. And they're streamed at up to 4k high-definition video, at 60-frames per second, meaning animations will move smoothly.
Gamers play using a controller Google designed, which connects through WiFi to Stadia's systems.
"It's seamless," Harrison said.
Google isn't the only company doing this. Sony's offered its PlayStation Now game streaming service since 2014, and chipmaker Nvidia offers one called GeForce Now. Microsoft is also readying an Xbox-related game streaming service, called Project xCloud, expected in the next couple of years.
But Google says it can take them on. Stadia is more powerful than Microsoft's Xbox One X and Sony's PlayStation 4 Pro combined, Google said. And it's partnered with game development software makers like Epic Games, Unity, Cryengine and others.
03-19-2019, 12:50 PM
#2
https://9to5google.com/2019/03/19/go...dia-announced/
Google Stadia announced, a game streaming service for Chrome, Android, and TVs
Mar. 19th 2019
With Project Stream in October, Google’s rumored work on a game streaming service was all but confirmed. At the Game Developers Conference today, Google Stadia was officially announced and will bring console-quality games to Chrome, Android, and TVs.
Streaming games is much more technically complex than audio or video, and requires latency in the milliseconds. What’s being shown on-screen is already incredibly detailed — with movement often taking into account real-world physics — and must accept user input.
Google wants to “build a game platform for everyone,” and make technology widely accessible. According to Sundar Pichai, Stadia is powered by the “Best of Google,” inspired by developers, and amplified by YouTube creators. For developers, Google focussed on three principles: Create + Scale + Connect.
Google has over 7,500 edge node locations around the globe to bring Stadia hardware close to users. The company worked with AMD to build a custom GPU that features 10.7 terraflops of power, compared to 6.0 from the Xbox One X and 4.2 terraflops to the PS4 Pro. Based on Linux, it will be using Vulkan. Google has partnered with Unreal to fully support the Stadia platform.
With Stadia, YouTube watchers can press “Play now” at the end of a video, and be brought into the game within 5 seconds. The service provides “instant access” via button or link.
Stadia at launch will be available on desktops, laptops, TV, tablets, and phones. This includes Chrome OS, even though there is no hardware acceleration on devices like the Pixelbook. Seamless switching allows users to move between all devices and save their state. Additionally, Stadia will support cross-platform play for developers and gamers on other consoles.
For TVs, Stadia will work via a Chromecast Ultra. Players can use existing controllers, keyboard, and mouse. Google designed its own controller to bring the full Stadia experience.
Stadia supports 4K at 60FPS with HDR and surround sound at launch, Google hopes to get to 8K resolution in the future. This is a step up from 1080p during the Project Stream technical test last October. On the sharing front, Stadia users will be able to share a 4K 60FPS stream directly to YouTube.
Updating....
Mar. 19th 2019
With Project Stream in October, Google’s rumored work on a game streaming service was all but confirmed. At the Game Developers Conference today, Google Stadia was officially announced and will bring console-quality games to Chrome, Android, and TVs.
Streaming games is much more technically complex than audio or video, and requires latency in the milliseconds. What’s being shown on-screen is already incredibly detailed — with movement often taking into account real-world physics — and must accept user input.
Google wants to “build a game platform for everyone,” and make technology widely accessible. According to Sundar Pichai, Stadia is powered by the “Best of Google,” inspired by developers, and amplified by YouTube creators. For developers, Google focussed on three principles: Create + Scale + Connect.
Google has over 7,500 edge node locations around the globe to bring Stadia hardware close to users. The company worked with AMD to build a custom GPU that features 10.7 terraflops of power, compared to 6.0 from the Xbox One X and 4.2 terraflops to the PS4 Pro. Based on Linux, it will be using Vulkan. Google has partnered with Unreal to fully support the Stadia platform.
With Stadia, YouTube watchers can press “Play now” at the end of a video, and be brought into the game within 5 seconds. The service provides “instant access” via button or link.
Stadia at launch will be available on desktops, laptops, TV, tablets, and phones. This includes Chrome OS, even though there is no hardware acceleration on devices like the Pixelbook. Seamless switching allows users to move between all devices and save their state. Additionally, Stadia will support cross-platform play for developers and gamers on other consoles.
For TVs, Stadia will work via a Chromecast Ultra. Players can use existing controllers, keyboard, and mouse. Google designed its own controller to bring the full Stadia experience.
Stadia supports 4K at 60FPS with HDR and surround sound at launch, Google hopes to get to 8K resolution in the future. This is a step up from 1080p during the Project Stream technical test last October. On the sharing front, Stadia users will be able to share a 4K 60FPS stream directly to YouTube.
Updating....
03-20-2019, 08:02 PM
#4
Team Owner
Of course this is dependent on what kind of service the end user has but, they are looking to get their servers as close to the end user as possible. They will be installing these servers in Google's edge locations in addition to their regional data centers.
https://cloud.google.com/about/locations/
The fact that they have all these edge locations I believe gives them an advantage over Nvidia's GeForce Now who I believe uses AWS.
https://shield.nvidia.com/geforce-now-server-status
Microsoft xCloud is coming soon and I imagine they will use Azure edge locations to compete effectively with Google. It will be interesting to see how Nvidia responds to these 2 new competitors. Maybe they can get special treatment from AWS and be allowed to operate in AWS edge locations.
The gamer community is all "hell no" about this streaming stuff but the big guns are getting behind it so they must think that they can make it happen.
https://cloud.google.com/about/locations/
The fact that they have all these edge locations I believe gives them an advantage over Nvidia's GeForce Now who I believe uses AWS.
https://shield.nvidia.com/geforce-now-server-status
Microsoft xCloud is coming soon and I imagine they will use Azure edge locations to compete effectively with Google. It will be interesting to see how Nvidia responds to these 2 new competitors. Maybe they can get special treatment from AWS and be allowed to operate in AWS edge locations.
The gamer community is all "hell no" about this streaming stuff but the big guns are getting behind it so they must think that they can make it happen.
Last edited by doopstr; 03-20-2019 at 08:13 PM.
03-20-2019, 09:50 PM
#5
Team Owner
https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/20/1...ponse-comments
Microsoft’s Xbox boss responds to Google Stadia, promises ‘we will go big’ for E3
We just wrapped up watching the Google announcement of Stadia as team here at GDC. Their announcement is validation of the path we embarked on two years ago.
Today we saw a big tech competitor enter the gaming market, and frame the necessary ingredients for success as Content, Community and Cloud. There were no big surprises in their announcement although I was impressed by their leveraging of YouTube, the use of Google Assistant and the new WiFi controller.
But I want get back to us, there has been really good work to get us to the position where we are poised to compete for 2 billion gamers across the planet. Google went big today and we have a couple of months until E3 when we will go big.
We have to stay agile and continue to build with our customer at the center. We have the content, community, cloud team and strategy, and as I’ve been saying for a while, it’s all about execution. This is even more true today.
Energizing times.
Phil
Today we saw a big tech competitor enter the gaming market, and frame the necessary ingredients for success as Content, Community and Cloud. There were no big surprises in their announcement although I was impressed by their leveraging of YouTube, the use of Google Assistant and the new WiFi controller.
But I want get back to us, there has been really good work to get us to the position where we are poised to compete for 2 billion gamers across the planet. Google went big today and we have a couple of months until E3 when we will go big.
We have to stay agile and continue to build with our customer at the center. We have the content, community, cloud team and strategy, and as I’ve been saying for a while, it’s all about execution. This is even more true today.
Energizing times.
Phil
03-23-2019, 08:29 AM
#7
Team Owner
Some good analysis here. First 6-7 mins talks about Nvidia, the rest is about Stadia. The breakthrough will come when developers start producing games that take advantage of Stadia's features/social aspects.
Trending Topics
05-16-2019, 08:40 PM
#9
Team Owner
Sony and Microsoft are partnering on cloud gaming 
Is this in response to Stadia?
https://www.engadget.com/2019/05/16/...oud-streaming/
Is this in response to Stadia?
https://www.engadget.com/2019/05/16/...oud-streaming/
Sony and Microsoft team up on cloud-based gaming and entertainment
In an unlikely turn of events, Microsoft and Sony announced today that they are to tackle the future of entertainment. The companies are planning to work together to build future cloud solutions in Microsoft Azure that will support gaming and content streaming. Sony will also use Microsoft data centers for its existing game and streaming platforms. The agreement could open up the possibility of cross-play in the future, despite previous reluctance between the competing firms.
The partnership effectively allows Sony to tap Microsoft's technology to help with areas that the company has struggled with. Sony has taken heat for years over slow download speeds, something that typically hasn't plagued Xbox owners. Using Azure data centers and eventually moving over to Microsoft's cloud solutions should allow Sony to focus on its own platform rather than trying to solve technical issues. Sony will also tap Microsoft's artificial intelligence services to improve the user interface in its products.
So what does Microsoft get out of the deal? Aside from adding a major customer to its already very profitable cloud business, the company will gain access to Sony's image sensors, which it plans to use to create "new intelligent image sensor solutions." The companies appear primarily focused on how to improve the functionality of the sensors for enterprise customers, though consumer solutions -- an improved Kinect-style system, for instance -- are also possible.
So what does Microsoft get out of the deal? Aside from adding a major customer to its already very profitable cloud business, the company will gain access to Sony's image sensors, which it plans to use to create "new intelligent image sensor solutions." The companies appear primarily focused on how to improve the functionality of the sensors for enterprise customers, though consumer solutions -- an improved Kinect-style system, for instance -- are also possible.
06-01-2019, 12:54 PM
#11
Team Owner
Can't wait to see what they have at E3.
Last edited by doopstr; 06-01-2019 at 01:00 PM.
06-03-2019, 02:23 PM
#12
Team Owner
06-06-2019, 02:11 PM
#13
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Regional Coordinator (Southeast)
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Thoughts on the founders release pricing?
$129 early adopters founders package gets you a controller, Chromecast Ultra, 3 months of Pro service, a copy of Destiny 2 with the latest update, and 3-month buddy pass. The controller itself is reportedly going to be $70. If you are going to try it out it doesn't sound like a bad deal honestly. Don't know what the monthly pro rate is going to cost.
$129 early adopters founders package gets you a controller, Chromecast Ultra, 3 months of Pro service, a copy of Destiny 2 with the latest update, and 3-month buddy pass. The controller itself is reportedly going to be $70. If you are going to try it out it doesn't sound like a bad deal honestly. Don't know what the monthly pro rate is going to cost.
06-06-2019, 02:39 PM
#14
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Stadia Pro will be $9.99 a month. The total cost of the release package bought separately is $198.
The controller and Chromecast Ultra are basically $140 so the game and service are what is free basically.
The controller and Chromecast Ultra are basically $140 so the game and service are what is free basically.
06-06-2019, 05:48 PM
#15
Team Owner
So basically it's $9.99/month plus cost of games?
I guess the price isn't bad if you don't have a machine that would normally be able to play the game without Stadia. I assume you are forced to buy the game from Stadia store, so hopefully they are competitive with Steam.
I guess the price isn't bad if you don't have a machine that would normally be able to play the game without Stadia. I assume you are forced to buy the game from Stadia store, so hopefully they are competitive with Steam.
Last edited by doopstr; 06-06-2019 at 05:51 PM.
06-07-2019, 07:12 AM
#16
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So basically it's $9.99/month plus cost of games?
I guess the price isn't bad if you don't have a machine that would normally be able to play the game without Stadia. I assume you are forced to buy the game from Stadia store, so hopefully they are competitive with Steam.
I guess the price isn't bad if you don't have a machine that would normally be able to play the game without Stadia. I assume you are forced to buy the game from Stadia store, so hopefully they are competitive with Steam.
06-07-2019, 10:11 PM
#17
Team Owner
I'll have to see what future announcements bring because right now I'm trying to figure out who the target audience is. IMO the StadiaConnect was a poor follow-up to the keynote. I thought they would show more of the social aspect of the platform. Instead, it was we have a controller and some games.
Last edited by doopstr; 06-07-2019 at 10:17 PM.
06-07-2019, 10:15 PM
#18
Azine Jabroni
Somehow this feels like it will initially be a good deal and its value will diminish over time.
10-04-2019, 05:57 PM
#19
Team Owner
11-19-2019, 05:00 PM
#20
Team Owner
Seeing a lot of pissed off people. First there are the peeps the signed up on day one and they didn't get their stuff and can't get their ultra special username. There are plenty of reviews complaining about lag.
11-21-2019, 07:23 AM
#22
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I didn't sign up until september and originally was expected to get delivery at the end of the month. It is supposed to be here Friday but as with lots of others I have still not received my registration code. They were supposed to be given out as soon as your order shipped. I have even seen posts on reddit of people that have received their founders kit and still do not have a code so they can't even play at all.
I knew going into this that there would be issues and that it would be a beta project released to the public as Google does a lot fo the time. I bought it cause I like to play with new technology and nothing else. Didn't have high expectations or anything so I would be super dissapointed. That being said I didn't expect there to be this many issues. With as many issues people are already have I won't lie that the thought has crossd my mind just to mail the founders kit back once it arrives. Although the founders deal is the best deal if I want to try it out and pay the least money for the system. I wanted to eventually pickup a 4k Chromecast anyways.
I knew going into this that there would be issues and that it would be a beta project released to the public as Google does a lot fo the time. I bought it cause I like to play with new technology and nothing else. Didn't have high expectations or anything so I would be super dissapointed. That being said I didn't expect there to be this many issues. With as many issues people are already have I won't lie that the thought has crossd my mind just to mail the founders kit back once it arrives. Although the founders deal is the best deal if I want to try it out and pay the least money for the system. I wanted to eventually pickup a 4k Chromecast anyways.
11-22-2019, 01:44 PM
#23
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So my delivery has been delayed till tomorrow Saturday. Honestly, I don't really care as the most of my play chance will happen over the Thanksgiving holiday. That said I did receiver my activation code last night so I am able to play on my phone and my Pixelbook using an original Xbox one controller via a micro USB to USB-C cable. I played a match of Samurai Showdown on my Pixel 3XL as my 4XL was dead and I had zero lag or artifactiing issues at all. I will try it tonight on my Chromebook. I might actually buy a newer Xbox One S controller so that it has bluetooth built-in so I can play 2 players on my Chromebook with my girlfriend when we travel. She loves Mortal Kombat. It might be the only game I decide to buy initially beside the two free game Founders get so that I can test two player play. It is also the game with the biggest discount you get with PRO besides NBA 2k.
11-22-2019, 04:35 PM
#24
Team Owner
All the people that got founders now have their codes. Looks like a lot of good gaming experiences being reported on reddit.
11-22-2019, 08:15 PM
#25
Team Owner
Here's a random Youtuber that I found, you can jump to 11:00
11-30-2019, 10:27 AM
#26
Chapter Leader (Southern Region)
I'm enjoying mine, you def need good pipe to play though 
Issues so far, Destiny 2 servers were locked up during peak hours last week, couldn't even sign in to game servers
NBA 2K20, Samurai Showdown would drop frames when connection was poor
Some input lag, but not noticeable
I haven't tried playing on anything other than the TV hooked to the chromecast ultra
But only playing off wifi, so it'd probably be better if I plugged in an ethernet cable to it.
Issues so far, Destiny 2 servers were locked up during peak hours last week, couldn't even sign in to game servers
NBA 2K20, Samurai Showdown would drop frames when connection was poor
Some input lag, but not noticeable
I haven't tried playing on anything other than the TV hooked to the chromecast ultra
But only playing off wifi, so it'd probably be better if I plugged in an ethernet cable to it.
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doopstr (12-02-2019)
02-01-2021, 06:22 PM
#27
Team Owner
ruh roh shaggy
09-29-2022, 08:10 PM
#28
Team Owner
On September 29, 2022, we announced that the Stadia service will be shut down on January 18, 2023.
09-29-2022, 08:20 PM
#29
Team Owner
https://www.reddit.com/r/Stadia/comm...s_for_players/
- You will continue to have access to your games library through January 18, 2023 so you can complete final play sessions and move your progress to alternate platforms where possible.
- Commerce functionality (the ability to buy games, new subscriptions, add-ons or in-game purchases) on Stadia has now been disabled.
- Google will offer a full refund of all Stadia hardware purchases (Stadia Controller, Stadia Founder’s Edition, Stadia Premiere Edition, or Play and Watch with Google TV Package) made in the Google Store and all purchases of games and in-game transactions made in the Stadia Store.
- The refund process will take us some time to complete, and we expect to have the majority of refunds completed by the middle of January 2023. Please allow us until this time before contacting our support team regarding the status of your refund(s).
- Stadia Pro subscription payments will not be eligible for refund, but if you are an active subscriber, you will continue to have access to your library without charge during the shut-down period.
09-30-2022, 02:52 PM
#31
Senior Moderator
A lot of people kicking Google for this announcement, based largely on Google well deserved bad reputation for abandoning projects.
However, there should be some context. Stadia lasted 3 years. That's the same lifespan for the Dreamcast. Making a gaming system work is hard, and most fail.
However, there should be some context. Stadia lasted 3 years. That's the same lifespan for the Dreamcast. Making a gaming system work is hard, and most fail.
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