Hey! Guys, have you heard of Stadia? It's really neat!
Sure, it's not better than your next-gen console or your PC worth thousands... wait, you don't have one? Then read on! You can play next gen games without spending a penny on hardware! As long as you have a stable internet connection, that is.
You just buy the game (digitally, of course) and you can play it on any computer! Even an old Chromebook! You can use almost any old controller you have lying around, or keyboard+mouse for some games! The software is available immediately without downloads or updates.
They even have some free to play games right now that you can try, in case you're not sure your internet connection can handle it! All free!
Sure, they'll have you sign up for a free trial of the premium service, which enables 4K video for a handful of games, and unlimited access to a decent library of games... but you don't have to renew if you don't find any value in it! I didn't!
Additionally you can buy a controller that connects to the service via Wi-Fi so you can play on your TV with a Chromecast Ultra. It's like a console, but a lot cheaper!
I'm telling you, you can't afford not to try it. It's the future of gaming, if anything you should check it out just to be a part of history. I used it to play Cyberpunk 2077 on launch day without owning a gaming PC or current-gen console and I loved the experience.
Here's a referral link, if you happen to sign up for pro I get a free month or pro too.
They have a bunch of neat features that they plan on sharing soon, too. Cloud gaming stuff that consoles or PC simply can't do.
There's only one problem. Google is absolutely screwing the pooch with this one. They are pulling a Wii U.
The Wii U failed because people failed to see its potential. People didn't understand it, therefore people didn't see a reason to try it. It didn't sell well, therefore the company had no incentive to invest in software, accessories, or updates, so they announced a discontinuation, and people started acting like their console will quite literally stop working immediately.
Google has made the launch of the service as confusing as possible. They tried to appeal to the audience that already owns a better system, and left those who could benefit from the system in the dark. To make things worse they recently announced they would close their first-party studio and the media saw this as a call to abandon ship.
Google needs to snap out of it and fire their marketing team before it's too late to break out of that cycle. I seriously doubt Google will just pull the plug and move on because this is a paid service tied to paid digital and physical products.
Worst case scenario, they just stop investing in it until a reasonable time has passed and they can justify pulling the plug on paying users without much scandal. In the meantime all we can do is throw our support behind it, hoping Google resumes investing and we may soon see what it's really capable of. At any rate, the service is already good, and any software you buy there today will be available to you until you're done with it.
Whenever the games industry tries something new, the hardcore gamer hive mind decides they hate it and soon enough it dies from lack of support from the core audience. But I believe Stadia is a great option for the casual gamers who want to try out all the hot new games but don't want to invest in hardware. It's also a great option for anyone who wants to try one game in particular without committing to a piece of hardware that would just gather dust after they're done with it. The convenience of it all cannot be understated.
If you're the kind of nerd who wants physical copies of thousands of games on a shelf to show off in the background of your unboxing youtube videos, Stadia may not be for you. But if you have streamed more movies than you physically own, you should reconsider. Don't worry, you don't have to throw away your entire game collection for it to work.
If we want the technology to advance, and for games to catch up, we must at least participate in the process. If you've already invested in superior hardware, at least keep it in mind next time a friend or relative asks you whether they should get a PS5 or Xbox, because if they're asking, Stadia is probably a better fit for them. There's no excuse when the service is free to try. Unless you're a hater.
