Google have now finally unveiled their new cloud gaming service named Stadia, offering instant access to play games in Google Chrome.
What they joked was the worst-kept secret in the industry (no kidding), sounds like quite an interesting service. Certainly one that could eventually end up redefining what gaming is. A little hyperbolic maybe? I'm not so sure considering how easy this should be to jump into a game. On top of that, they very clearly talked about how it's built on Linux (Debian specifically) and Vulkan with custom GPUs from AMD.
Something they showed off, was how you could be watching a game trailer with a button to play it on Stadia and (supposedly within a few seconds) you would jump right into it. That's quite en exciting idea, one that would easily pull in quite a lot of people I've no doubt.
As for resolution, they said it will support 1080p and 4K around 60FPS at release with 8K being worked on as well but that sounds further out if anyone even cares about 8K right now.
They also showed off their new controller, with a dedicated Google Assistant button and a button to capture video immediately for YouTube:
While Google are making their own dedicated gamepad, they did say it will be compatible with other devices too.
They also announced partnerships with both Unity and Unreal Engine and Stadia will "embrace full cross-platform play" including "game saves and progression". They also had id Software, talk about how it didn't take long to bring the new Doom Eternal to Stadia, thanks to how they made the previous Doom game with Vulkan.
This means, that development for Linux is suddenly going to become a priority for a lot more developers and publishers. I don't want to overstate how important that is, but it's a very exciting prospect. This doesn't suddenly mean we're going to see a lot more Linux games on the desktop, but it's entirely possible after they go through all the work to get the games working on Linux with Vulkan for Stadia.
Stream Connect is another service they talked about. They mentioned how developers have pushed the boundaries of gaming but often local co-op is left out, as doing it multiple times in top-end games can require really beefy hardware. With Stadia, each instance would be powered by their servers so it wouldn't be such an issue. They also talked about how if you're playing some sort of squad-based game, how you could bring up their screen to see what they're doing which sounds very cool.
Google also announced the formation of their own game studio, Stadia Games and Entertainment, to work on exclusive games for their new service.
As for support from more external game developers, they mentioned how they've shipped "development hardware" to over 100 developers. From what they said, it should be open to smaller developers as well as the usual AAA bunch.
Stadia is confirmed to be launching this year and it will be first available in the US, Canada, UK and "most of Europe". One thing wasn't mentioned at all—price, but they said more details will be available in the summer. The official site is also now up on stadia.com and developers have their own website to look over.
Google also posted up some extra information on their developer blog:
Google believes that open source is good for everyone. It enables and encourages collaboration and the development of technology, solving real-world problems. This is especially true on Stadia, as we believe the game development community has a strong history of collaboration, innovation and shared gains as techniques and technology continually improve. We’re investing in open-source technology to create the best platform for developers, in partnership with the people that use it. This starts with our platform foundations of Linux and Vulkan and shows in our selection of GPUs that have open-source drivers and tools. We’re integrating LLVM and DirectX Shader Compiler to ensure you get great features and performance from our compilers and debuggers. State-of-the-art graphics tools are critical to game developers, and we’re excited to leverage and contribute to RenderDoc, GAPID and Radeon GPU Profiler — best of breed open-source graphics debugging and profiling tools that are continually improving.
There's probably plenty I missed, you can see their video on YouTube here.
As exciting and flashy as it sounds, it's obviously not Linux "desktop" gaming which is what the majority of our audience is likely interested in. However, things change and if it does become a huge hit we will cover it more often if readers request it. Linux gaming can mean all sorts of things from native games to emulators, Wine and Steam Play and now perhaps some cloud gaming so I don't want to rule it out. However, I can't see this replacing Steam, Humble, GOG, itch.io and so on for me personally.
Obviously there’s still a lot of drawbacks to such a service, especially since you will likely have zero ownership of the actual games so they could get taken away at any time when licensing vanishes. At least with stores like Steam, you still get to access those games because you purchased them. Although, this does depend on what kind of licensing Google do with developers and publishers, it might not be an issue at all but it’s still a concern of mine. Latency and input lag, are also two other major concerns but given Google's power with their vast networks, it might not be so bad.
Also, good luck monitoring your bandwidth use with this, it's likely going to eat up a lot all of it. YouTube and Netflix use up quite a bit just for watching a 30-minute episode of something in good quality, how about a few hours per day gaming across Stadia? Ouch.
That doesn't even address the real elephant in the room, you're going to be giving Google even more of your data if you use this service, a lot more. This is the company that failed to promptly disclose a pretty huge data leak in Google+ after all. I don't want to be some sort of scaremongering crazy-person but it's something to think about.
As always, the comments are open for you to voice your opinion on it. Please remain respectful to those with a different opinion on the matter.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Quoting: hagabakaQuoting: MaathNow, didn't they say the console itself is more powerful than an Xbox and a PS4 combined? Do they need all of that power just for streaming? Perhaps the console will be able to run programs locally.I was under the impression that it would not be a console, but just a controller which works with a computer/smart phone or ChromeCast and a cloud platform.
To address that, paying a subscription fee for streaming is not a bad thing. I.e. those who want streaming can pay a monthly fee for it. It doesn't preclude being able to buy and download the actual game in the same store. This way it can remain DRM-free and offer sustainable way of providing infrastructure for streaming at any time for those who want it.
I.e. the DRM-free streaming store can offer such features:
1. You pay for the game - you get it and can download the DRM-free package.
2. If you want to be able to stream any of your purchased games, you can pay some monthly fee for the service.
3. If you want to be able to stream any of the games in the catalog without buying (i.e. just renting), you can pay somewhat more than for option #2, while avoiding paying #1.
So this will cover all use cases, and still be DRM-free.
Last edited by Shmerl on 20 March 2019 at 5:31 pm UTC
Nevertheless Mar 20, 2019
Quoting: EhvisQuoting: Shmerl... and surely not going to use even more DRMed Stadia for same reason.
As I wrote above, Stadia is by its very design DRM free.
Yes, of course it is! DRM is used to limit what you can do with goods you "have", but don't own. You never even get to "have" a game you are allowed (by the owner) to stream for a time. DRM is useless in such a situation, because you cannot capture the game by streaming it. You also cannot lose what you never had. I think it's even more honest than the restricted use of a DRMed software, that you only seem to own.
If you don't like the idea playing games you don't have, then simply don't do it!
If game streaming prevents you from making copies of the game, it is DRM. You could use game streaming to restrict your users from having copies, both legal and illegal, of your game, so DRM. And that is bad because there are obvious use cases that are completely legitimate and require having a local copy - for example, "I don't have unlimited bandwidth all the time" or "preservation of games". You are allowed to play that game, but the system is (to borrow EFFs slogan) defective by design.
Renting DRM-free digital media is a silly idea because of how digital files works (copying is so intrinsic that you can't transfer it without making a copy). There is nothing to be returned after the rental, nothing stopping the person from keeping a copy forever. It makes no sense... unless you start to use DRM. Which is terrible and shouldn't be done. So, don't "rent" digital goods. If you want a subscription-based service, rely on something else - on continued access to your hardware, on getting new content - but not on the person having to pay again and again for the same thing.
Quoting: eldakingRenting DRM-free digital media is a silly idea because of how digital files works (copying is so intrinsic that you can't transfer it without making a copy). There is nothing to be returned after the rental, nothing stopping the person from keeping a copy forever. It makes no sense... unless you start to use DRM. Which is terrible and shouldn't be done. So, don't "rent" digital goods.
That's what my initial thought was as well, renting of digital goods is just pointless. But the reason for it can be economical. I.e. renting something is expected to be cheaper than buying. So in theory, renting digital goods can be an OK approach, when it charges less. However as you said, it quickly turns sour if renting starts enforcing limited usage through DRM (which it practically always does, in cases like Netflix, Spotify, and Stadia here as well). I.e. as long as you don't have unrestricted access to downloaded digital files (after you already authenticated and paid something naturally) it's DRMed.
Quoting: eldakingUgh, gaming "as a service". Frankly, this is worse than games not supporting Linux. Games might be developed for Linux (servers)... but then we can't buy the games to run in our Linux systems. This is the antithesis of FOSS - we don't even have the freedom to run the software ourselves. It's like the most intrusive always online DRM ever coupled with the least software freedom technology allows.
On the other hand, it's a way to check games which could otherwise end up on the Steam pile of shame.
Mohandevir Mar 20, 2019
Where does games with subscription services like WoW or EQ stands, in your logic? Might help me figure it out.
Quoting: MohandevirBut Stadia doesn't rent you games. It sells a monthly access to their game library.
Which essentially means it rents you all of their games, for a month. So, renting :)
Mohandevir Mar 20, 2019
Quoting: ShmerlQuoting: MohandevirBut Stadia doesn't rent you games. It sells a monthly access to their game library.
Which essentially means it rents you all of their games, for a month. So, renting :)
And I'm pretty fine with the concept.
Edit: If I don't like the game lineup, I just cancel my subscription. And if there is only a game that I like, I subscribe for a month, play the game and be done with it. If I want to replay it again, I get it at Steam after that. :)
Last edited by Mohandevir on 20 March 2019 at 6:06 pm UTC
Quoting: MohandevirAnd I'm pretty fine with the concept.
I'm not saying the concept itself is useless. It's a problem when it's the only way the store offers access and there is no alternative to buy something in that store (DRM-free), which essentially makes this store totally DRMed.
Quoting: MohandevirIf I want to replay it again, I get it at Steam after that. :)
And that's the catch. You'd need to find such game in another store, and nothing guarantees it will be there. Didn't Google want to make their own studio just for Stadia? What if their games will be Stadia exclusives? Which shows that Stadia itself already has a flaw, in contrast to offering a DRM-free purchase option alongside renting one.
Last edited by Shmerl on 20 March 2019 at 6:08 pm UTC
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