{"id":116383,"date":"2020-11-20T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-20T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/one-year-later-google-stadia-still-cant-stick-the-landing-review-geek\/"},"modified":"2020-11-20T16:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-11-20T13:00:00","slug":"one-year-later-google-stadia-still-cant-stick-the-landing-review-geek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/one-year-later-google-stadia-still-cant-stick-the-landing-review-geek\/","title":{"rendered":"#One Year Later, Google Stadia Still Can\u2019t Stick the Landing \u2013 Review Geek"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4e083eddf94\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4e083eddf94\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/one-year-later-google-stadia-still-cant-stick-the-landing-review-geek\/#A_Slow_Rollout_of_Features\" >A Slow Rollout of Features<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/one-year-later-google-stadia-still-cant-stick-the-landing-review-geek\/#Still_Nothing_to_Write_Home_About\" >(Still) Nothing to Write Home About<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/one-year-later-google-stadia-still-cant-stick-the-landing-review-geek\/#Where_Are_the_Games\" >Where Are the Games?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/one-year-later-google-stadia-still-cant-stick-the-landing-review-geek\/#A_Hard_Bargain\" >A Hard Bargain<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/one-year-later-google-stadia-still-cant-stick-the-landing-review-geek\/#Beware_the_Google_Graveyard\" >Beware the Google Graveyard<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><strong>&#8220;#One Year Later, Google Stadia Still Can\u2019t Stick the Landing \u2013 Review Geek&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content-area\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_61573\" style=\"width: 5546px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-61573 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/thumbcache\/0\/0\/1e9e72604c0942f865ce723d0e1ca3da\/p\/uploads\/2020\/11\/x0fb9df89.jpg.pagespeed.gp+jp+jw+pj+ws+js+rj+rp+rw+ri+cp+md.ic.J72hvqL0_t.jpg\" alt=\"Stadia logo over game controller \" width=\"5546\" height=\"3120\" data-credittext=\"Michael Crider\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Michael Crider<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s been one year since Google released Stadia. It was something truly new: fully-contained, full-quality <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>s, streamed from a platform created for the cloud from the ground up. Stadia\u2019s start was rocky, with many (including me!) calling it a \u201cbeta\u201d and waiting for the true launch\u00a0when new players could join a free tier earlier this year.<\/p>\n<p>Google made many fascinating, tantalizing promises when it initially announced Stadia as not just a service or a console, but a platform. It said that Stadia would be capable of things we\u2019d never seen before, both in terms of system capability and gameplay. After a year, has Google made good on these promises?<\/p>\n<p>To be blunt: no. While Stadia still offers some functionality that can\u2019t be replicated elsewhere, even from a growing stable of competitors, it\u2019s simply lacking too much to be considered a real player in the market yet. And the competition is growing in a direction that Google doesn\u2019t seem interested in following.<\/p>\n<p>Without a major shift in Google\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roach, Stadia will only keep failing to woo both players and developers. Despite Google\u2019s initially lofty goals, Stadia seems more of a curiosity than a revolution.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Slow_Rollout_of_Features\"><\/span>A Slow Rollout of Features<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When I first called Stadia a beta, I did so because it seemed less like the fully-realized game platform Google first pitched than a proof of concept. The core game streaming itself worked\u2014and worked quite well, delivering content at up to 4K on a solid connection\u2014but that was about it.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61355\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-61355 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/thumbcache\/0\/0\/084f16a064d71474ec1b6ec9cf3534b0\/p\/uploads\/2020\/11\/xe3bc7713.jpg.pagespeed.gp+jp+jw+pj+ws+js+rj+rp+rw+ri+cp+md.ic.9mEYL0F-2I.jpg\" alt=\"Stadia controller and Pixel 3a XL\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" data-credittext=\"Michael Crider\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Michael Crider<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In the 12 months since, Stadia has fleshed out a bit. In addition to the basic multiplayer it had at the start, Stadia has a few other things to offer these days. For instance, players can now share Stadia with family members, stream Stadia sessions directly to <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube<\/a> (this was possible before, but required third-party software), access their captured screenshots and videos from the web, and\u2026 that\u2019s about it. More seasoned content creators can make use of a few other YouTube tools, but only if their viewers also own the same game and are using the right hardware.<\/p>\n<p>There have been more creature comforts added too, to the point that I\u2019d no longer call Stadia a beta. Those who have the official Stadia controller can now play it wirelessly from the browser. You can also use the Stadia Android app in landscape mode, and Google Assistant is now sometimes available in-game. Small touches, like the ability to adjust game volume on the web independently of system volume, make it less of a headache to leap in and out of play.<\/p>\n<p>At this point, you could argue that Stadia is at least trying to approach some of the same functionality as some of its more conventional competition (the consoles plus the Steam and Epic stores). It\u2019s nowhere near even the least of these, but most of the essentials are there.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Still_Nothing_to_Write_Home_About\"><\/span>(Still) Nothing to Write Home About<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>But Stadia\u2019s creators didn\u2019t set out to emulate games as they are; they intended to shatter expectations and deliver something revolutionary. And they haven\u2019t. Not by a long shot.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61351\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-61351 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/thumbcache\/0\/0\/c43d370e809cfee2ca811da84efe5f3e\/p\/uploads\/2020\/11\/x1d27fc5f.jpg.pagespeed.gp+jp+jw+pj+ws+js+rj+rp+rw+ri+cp+md.ic.iHSP6qEFhc.jpg\" alt=\"Stadia controller and Chromecast Ultra\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" data-credittext=\"Michael Crider\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Michael Crider<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Aside from the core cloud streaming functionality\u2014which, again, is very good!\u2014most of the lofty capabilities demonstrated at Stadia\u2019s public debut at GDC 2019 haven\u2019t come to fruition.<\/p>\n<p>I went back through\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=nUih5C5rOrA\">the initial announcement<\/a> and made a list of claimed capabilities in Google\u2019s \u201cvision for the future of gaming.\u201d Let\u2019s take a look at them.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Click from a YouTube game trailer to a \u201cplay now\u201d Stadia session in \u201cas quick as five seconds\u201d<\/strong>: No. <em>Fenyx Rising<\/em>\u2018s trailer on the Stadia channel, one of its few bits of exclusive content, doesn\u2019t do this.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Instantly jump from playing on a PC, phone, or TV, to another platform<\/strong>: Sort of. You can disconnect from a session abruptly and get back in on another platform in about 10-15 seconds\u2026 but often the remote game just closes out once the app or tab isn\u2019t active anymore.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stadia controller<\/strong>: Some of the initial promises for the Stadia controller have been fulfilled, now that you can use it wirelessly on the PC and use the Assistant on Chromecast. But not being able to use a Wi-Fi-powered controller with a phone or tablet still stings (it needs a USB-C cable), and the lack of Assistant integration anywhere except the Chromecast Ultra is exceedingly odd, given Google\u2019s promotion of the latter.<\/li>\n<li><strong>4K 60 frames per second, HDR, and surround sound<\/strong>: Yes, Google supported all of this at launch. At this point, it should work on the Chromecast Ultra, on phones, and on Chrome browsers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Up to 8K, 120 FPS<\/strong>: Neither. 8K would be overkill at this point, but many console and PC gamers would love 120 FPS support for their gaming monitors and high-end TVs. The lack of 120 FPS is part of why I still prefer games I own on multiple platforms to be played off Stadia.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sharing 4K, 60 fps stream directly to YouTube<\/strong>: Yes. At the time of writing, I see four channels with a combined 26 viewers live-streaming to YouTube with \u201cStadia\u201d in the description. This needs to be set up before your session starts.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dynamically expanded data centers<\/strong>: This was explained as the ability to scale up or down Stadia\u2019s data center usage based on the needs of the game at the time. If this is implemented in any significant way, I haven\u2019t yet seen it.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Multi-GPU graphical performance<\/strong>: Nope. There\u2019s no indication that different levels of graphics are available to either players or developers, aside from 4K resolution with Stadia Pro.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Scalable multiplayer for developers<\/strong>: The developers of <em>GRID<\/em> claim that its 40-driver racing mode is not possible outside of Stadia. Other than that, this doesn\u2019t seem to be used in anything\u2014Google tantalizingly hinted at things like battle royale modes with thousands of live players. <em>Player Unknown\u2019s Battlegrounds<\/em> is on Stadia, with the same 100-player matches it has everywhere else.<\/li>\n<li><strong>No cheating, no hacking<\/strong>: Google\u2019s all-server-side platform should prevent this. I haven\u2019t yet heard of cheaters on Stadia\u2026 but then again, I\u2019ve seen so few people actually playing it that this might be a case of security through obscurity.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Full cross-platform play<\/strong>: This is a developer side feature, and it seems to be enabled in at least some games.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Massive, complex online environments with hundreds of simultaneous players<\/strong>: Nothing shown so far exceeds the current capabilities of conventional platforms or matches the GDC demo from Tangent Games.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Splitscreen local co-op powered by multiple Stadia instances<\/strong>: Nope.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Co-op with asymmetric gameplay powered by multiple Stadia instances<\/strong>: Nope.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Real-time, cloud-powered \u201cStyle Transfer\u201d visuals based on machine learning<\/strong>: If developers are using this feature, it isn\u2019t evident.<\/li>\n<li><strong>State Share<\/strong>: This feature was sold as the ability for players to share a simple link on social media and allow other players to jump directly into a multiplayer instance or position on a level almost instantly. State Share is currently available only in the game \u201ccreation engine\u201d <em>Crayta<\/em>, and it\u2019s massively underwhelming. A representative of Q-Games, developer of <em>Nom Nom Galaxy<\/em>, said that State Share was so impressive that he\u2019d designed an entirely new game around it, \u201cthe biggest title ever for Q-Games\u201d\u2026 but that it was under wraps and would be shown later in 2019. That game has not yet arrived, nor is there any Q-Games title for Stadia. Yesterday, Google announced that\u00a0<em>Hitman 3\u00a0<\/em>will be the first game to get the \u201cfull\u201d version of State Share at some point next year.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Crowd Play<\/strong>: This was sold as the ability for YouTube streamers to offer a link to viewers to let them jump into the same multiplayer game with management built-in. It\u2019s enabled in <em>Orcs Must Die 3<\/em>, <em>The Division 3, Baldur\u2019s Gate III, Super Bomberman R Online, <\/em>and <em>Dead By Daylight<\/em>. Unfortunately, the viewer has to own the game in order to jump in. With Stadia\u2019s limited penetration into YouTube, this seems like a feature that\u2019s almost never actively being used.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Google Assistant in-game hints<\/strong>: Nope.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stadia games available on the Google Play Store on Android<\/strong>: No.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stadia Games and Entertainment game publishing<\/strong>: This new studio, headed by Jade Raymond (the producer of multiple <em>Assassin\u2019s Creed<\/em> games), was supposed to foster the creation of new games that would take advantage of Stadia\u2019s unique capabilities. So far, it hasn\u2019t so much as shown a trailer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Where_Are_the_Games\"><\/span>Where Are the Games?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-61349 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/thumbcache\/0\/0\/d49dc04daf152a20d229052dee42cfd5\/p\/uploads\/2020\/11\/x2a69778b.jpg.pagespeed.gp+jp+jw+pj+ws+js+rj+rp+rw+ri+cp+md.ic.Ty-OiRSQvw.jpg\" alt=\"Stadia game selection\" width=\"2410\" height=\"1220\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>That last point is a crucial one. At the time of writing, Stadia had about 90 games in its catalog, not counting special editions. A pretty big chunk of that comes from Ubisoft, Google\u2019s initial partner for Project Stream. And a lot of them are several years old. Some highlights that came out either at or near the same time as other platforms include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Red Dead Redemption II<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Orcs Must Die 3<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>DOOM: Eternal<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Baldur\u2019s Gate III <\/em>(early access)<\/li>\n<li><em>Borderlands 3<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Marvel\u2019s Avengers<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Superhot: Mind Control Delete<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Assassin\u2019s Creed Valhalla<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Watch Dogs Legion<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Stadia has precious few exclusives so far. Here they are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Gylt (launch title)\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Crayta<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Super Bomberman R Online<\/em> (a battle-royale version of a Switch game)<\/li>\n<li><em>Immortals: Fenyx Rising<\/em> demo (just the demo\u2014the full game will soon be released on Stadia and everywhere else)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Stadia\u2019s notable upcoming games, advertised on the store at the time of writing, are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>CyberPunk 2077<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Destiny 2: Beyond Light<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Hitman 3<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Humankind<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Immortals: Fenyx Rising<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>All of these games will also be available on multiple other platforms.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=I5oznog-Jxk\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=I5oznog-Jxk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>See the common denominator here? A year after launch, Stadia\u2019s game library\u2014the most crucial, competitive element of any platform, both physical or digital\u2014has nothing even approaching a \u201ckiller app.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It could be argued that neither does the Xbox <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Series<\/a> X or PlayStation 5, at least not yet. But those platforms have pedigrees stretching back decades. Players are invested in them, comfortable with them\u2014they even trust them, to a degree. Stadia has no such backing, aside from the Google name.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-61350 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/thumbcache\/0\/0\/8ddd69a99d1756f4a57ed33faacb0aa4\/p\/uploads\/2020\/11\/x3f6ab5b3.jpg.pagespeed.gp+jp+jw+pj+ws+js+rj+rp+rw+ri+cp+md.ic.Y3w0ezRadx.jpg\" alt=\"Stadia store listing \" width=\"2410\" height=\"1220\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>When Stadia was first announced, I said that it absolutely had to get the games in 2020 in order to be competitive. That could have come either with a huge, diverse library or with a few must-have exclusives. Stadia has neither\u2014the closest thing it has to a killer app is <em>Cyberpunk 2077<\/em>, a frequently delayed title that should shine on Stadia if only because many gaming PCs might not even be able to run it.<\/p>\n<p>Compared to any other gaming platform, Stadia just doesn\u2019t compete.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Hard_Bargain\"><\/span>A Hard Bargain<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>But a lack of games is just the start of Stadia\u2019s worries. As the industry shifts away from conventional game-by-game sales to Netflix-style subscription models, spearheaded by Xbox Game Pass, Stadia\u2019s game store model seems at odds with its all-in-one streaming platform appeal.<\/p>\n<p>Make no mistake: Xbox Game Pass, with its built-in game streaming for Android (and soon iOS and possibly even Windows),\u00a0is raising the bar. It\u2019s a fantastic library, already bigger than Stadia, which is constantly being bolstered by new releases from Microsoft and its partners. At $15 a month, it\u2019s also a bargain, even before you throw in reduced prices for new Xbox consoles.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61353\" style=\"width: 1000px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-61353 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/thumbcache\/0\/0\/77ca9b215c58e6977d7528038088d17b\/p\/uploads\/2020\/11\/x2235596a.jpg.pagespeed.gp+jp+jw+pj+ws+js+rj+rp+rw+ri+cp+md.ic.hmo1_EbTpa.jpg\" alt=\"Xbox Game Pass \" width=\"1000\" height=\"562\" data-credittext=\"Microsoft \" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Microsoft <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Stadia, even with its frequent freebies (for $10-a-month Stadia Pro subscribers only), isn\u2019t even coming close. My free games with Stadia Pro right now include a lot of older indie titles like<em> Republique, Celeste, <\/em>and <em>Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris<\/em>\u2014small change in comparison. Heck, even the free PC games I get every week from the Epic Game Store, which don\u2019t require a subscription to access, have been better over the last year. Google says it\u2019s going to be offering more completely free-to-play games, no Pro required, starting with<em> Destiny 2: New Light.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Competing with the ever-expanding options of consoles isn\u2019t Google\u2019s only problem. From one side, NVIDIA is fighting hard to gain ground in streaming, capturing the market for PC gamers who already have large libraries of games to stream on GeForce NOW. NVIDIA\u2019s service is free to access at the low-tier level for <em>all\u00a0<\/em>games, and it\u2019s adding new games from Steam, Epic, and uPlay as they come out.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-61354\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/thumbcache\/0\/0\/97703247addc0530730f65281310d99f\/p\/uploads\/2020\/11\/x22d54f25.jpg.pagespeed.gp+jp+jw+pj+ws+js+rj+rp+rw+ri+cp+md.ic.31DhRKeXlF.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"562\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>And Google\u2019s web services competitor, Amazon,\u00a0is trialing Luna, a system that will work much like its Prime Video setup. You can pay a small fee to access a large library of games, with extra small fees added to expand it with broader premium collections. Luna has many of the same features as Stadia, including a low-latency Wi-Fi controller (albeit one nowhere near as nice, by all accounts), and is using a much more forward-looking pricing structure.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s worth pointing out that Luna, GeForce NOW, and Xbox Game Pass have all announced their intention to get around Apple\u2019s de facto block of streaming game services. Stadia announced its intention to finish a browser-based iOS version within the next few weeks.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Beware_the_Google_Graveyard\"><\/span>Beware the Google Graveyard<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I had hoped that Stadia would utilize its unique features to attract developers. Or, having failed in that, that Google would just back a truckload of money onto developers\u2019 doorsteps and buy a bunch of great games I could play in the browser or on my phone.<\/p>\n<p>However, with a few notable exceptions (Ubisoft seems to want to play in every streaming sandbox it can find!), that simply hasn\u2019t happened. And if Google discounting and straight-up giving away what little Stadia hardware exists is any indication, it may be less than enthusiastic about its gaming platform already.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Welcome to Google TV\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FBr32yD-Ui4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Take a look at this promotional video for Google\u2019s refreshed Chromecast, now packing more complex apps from Google TV. You\u2019ll see YouTube TV, Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, and Amazon Prime Video\u2014lots of Google\u2019s own competition. What you won\u2019t see is Stadia, because Stadia doesn\u2019t work on the new Chromecast yet. You\u2019ll have to wait until next year to get it on any dongle aside from the Chromecast Ultra\u2026 which, by the way, isn\u2019t even available on the Google Store anymore.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61352\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-61352 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/thumbcache\/0\/0\/ca7c9babe8a80d2867e0be053a7ec0bc\/p\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ca2b793e.jpg\" alt=\"Google Stadia on tablet\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" data-credittext=\"Michael Crider\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Michael Crider<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In short, things don\u2019t look too good for Stadia. What could have been a year full of opportunity for the platform, with cash-strapped gamers stuck in their homes due to the quarantine and hesitant to drop huge sums on a new console, has turned out to be a slow crawl to get to where it should have been at launch.<\/p>\n<p>With Google apparently tightening its belt on web services, I fear it may lose its resolve to take on the competitive gaming market sooner rather than later.\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script>setTimeout(function(){!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,document,'script','https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');fbq('init','1137093656460433');fbq('track','PageView');},3000);<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/61253\/one-year-later-google-stadia-still-cant-stick-the-landing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#One Year Later, Google Stadia Still Can\u2019t Stick the Landing \u2013 Review Geek&#8221; Michael Crider It\u2019s been one year since Google released Stadia. It was something truly new: fully-contained, full-quality games, streamed from a platform created for the cloud from the ground up. Stadia\u2019s start was rocky, with many (including me!) calling it a \u201cbeta\u201d&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":116384,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2020\/11\/0fb9df89.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-116383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116383","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116383"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116383\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}