Consoles were once the only way to play games and then came PC gaming, then mobile gaming, and now we’re on the cusp on the next evolution of gaming – streaming.
Although there’s been plenty of ways to stream your games through the likes of services including PlayStation Now, it’s never been ideal. Even with a banging internet speed, playing an FPS was nearly impossible using a service like this.
However, with the unveiling of Google’s entry into the world of games – Stadia – it looks as though that might be the future we’re all heading towards, whether we like it or not.
When Google first unveiled Stadia the world was left with a lot of questions – can it really stream AAA games in a browser, on your phone or on your tablet? Is it really going to be as lag-free and seamless as we’re being told? Are you going to need a ridiculous internet connection? Can it really deliver the AAA experience we’re paying for? (We all know how it’s turned out now).
Back when Stadia was first announced, tech experts and analysts seemed to think that the Stadia is the first real step in replacing consoles.
Cristiano Amon, president of Qualcomm, a US-based tech company that helps build systems [via The Sun], recently stated: “There’s no question – in our view – that the cloud is the new console…
“It’s just a matter of time.”
Amon cited not only the power of the Stadia, but also its flexibility of use, saying: ““You are just gonna start playing on any device, on any screen.
“That is going to be the future of gaming…
“If you go to mobile and take away the limitation of processor power, then you can look at [streaming] sophisticated PC games from the cloud.”
“We’ve started to see some of the cloud gaming announcements. I’m sure there’ll be much more coming,”
There’s even more to it than that. As a streaming service, Stadia will rely on digital purchases of games, something that’s a lot cheaper for the creators to offer out in comparison to disks, boxed up and shipped around the world. Surely that’s a incentive for cost-savvy devs?
If the Stadia succeeds, it’s likely that Microsoft and Sony will take note and seek something similar in their next ventures. Hopefully the Stadia won’t be the death of the traditional console.
Featured Image Credit: Microsoft