The future of the games industry, at least as Google sees it, is in streaming.
It’s a trend that feels inevitable, just ask anyone in the music, TV or film business. Streaming is where it’s at, and the possibility for what can be streamed has only ever been bound by the limitations of internet connectivity.
According to an article by the BBC, Google thinks its technology can make streaming games plausible and possibly a pleasurable reality, one where gamers aren’t driven to insanity by stuttering gameplay and slow-reacting characters.
Games consoles are expensive. The games are (mostly) expensive. If Google succeeds, it will be life changing as Google’s Stadia could eliminate both costs, replacing them with a subscription fee.
For gamers the hurdle will, however, be the low speeds, Phil Harrison, Google’s man in charge of Stadia, told BBC that his team’s tests managed 4K gaming on download speeds of “around 25mbps”.
Mr. Harrison did say he’s confident the technology will improve so as to allow play at lower speeds, but that’s definitely not a promise.
The report continues to say that for Google it is undoubtedly a good move. Without any history in the industry of gaming platforms, there is little to lose and everything to gain. Google sees YouTube, where billions of hours of gaming have been uploaded, as just one half of a very lucrative puzzle. Stadia (it hopes) will make up the rest.
Are gamers ready for this new wave in gaming?
