[NotATroll]

This is the thing I don't get.

Who precisely is this concept even marketable to? People with high speed internet, that also can't afford a gaming console?

But can afford a device capable of handling all of the inputs & playback of the video.

So lets low ball and say a $140 chromebook.

+ the cost of the games.

How many people is this? Genuinely.

[msh]

Well I bought stadia. With 3 young kids and a busy job i don't have a lot of time to game so I want something where I can just sit down and game. No wasting time downloading/installing games. No patches. Just games ready to play.

A second point, sometimes i play coop games with my wife. Its nice not needing 2 consoles or gaming pc's. One can play on the TV and the other on a tablet or cheap laptop.

[glangdale]

I don't doubt your motivation here and am not going to sit her and debunk your thought process - but I do wonder how many people match your template, which seems to be "people who want to play AAA games but not very much".

I game on PC, my kids use PC and consoles, and I can't say that "downloading/installing games" is a significant time sink - and if your network isn't good, Stadia isn't going to work either.

The other thing that I think will break the Stadia business model is that the free access costs Google money unless it recoups the spending on the games. So while we're hearing about reasonably competitive Day 1 prices for games, will we see the pattern of discounting that all other games go through? Second-hand console games?

It just feels like it's aiming at a niche while building out a huge system that's only going to be viable if it achieves mass adoption.

[benhurmarcel]

I think it has it can have its uses, even if it's not great for every single situation.

For example, say you want to play a particular new game but don't have the hardware for it. Stadia could be a good option to quickly get to play without having to buy new hardware.

Say I have a decent PC for most days and small games, but I'd like to try the new Forza Horizon because it looks fun. I could very well get it on Stadia. I'm not worried about losing access in 10 years, it's just to have some fun for a few months.

Actually for games with pretty high requirements such as the future Microsoft Flight Simulator, streaming could be the best option for most people.

[falcolas]

> A second point, sometimes i play coop games with my wife. Its nice not needing 2 consoles or gaming pc's. One can play on the TV and the other on a tablet or cheap laptop.

Unless you have (particularly good) fiber, this probably won't happen. The bandwidth requirements are too high.

> No wasting time downloading/installing games. No patches. Just games ready to play.

FWIW, all of the current generation consoles (even the Switch) have a standby mode that will let them patch your games while you're not playing, meaning that in most cases when you go to play, you can immediately play. They'll even download pre-ordered games without your input.

The only time you would need to be concerned about download times is when you're purchasing a new game for the first time. That's typically a one-time event per game.

[msh]

I do have gigabit fiber.

On my Xbox I often don't get around to pre-ordering games and there is limited disk space so if I want to play a old game I have to wait again.

[gamblor956]

A bigger harddrive for your xBox would cost less than the Stadia controller.

[msh]

Only if you dont factor in the cost of the xbox. If buying from scratch stadia would be cheaper.

[falcolas]

There are many simple solutions for that which cost less than the founder's edition.

And, if I'm a little bit snarky, you can't exactly play those old games on Stadia either.

[mrep]

Hey me too (albeit 100mbit) and I've gotten my Stadia and been playing tomb raider with it and it works great so I wouldn't worry about it.

[op00to]

I bought a 2TB SSD for my XBox One and I never looked back.

[WorldMaker]

Microsoft thinks there is an audience here too, given Project xCloud.

Maybe there isn't enough high speed internet deployed in the world, but there certainly are a lot of devices capable of streaming given how many people already have an Android or iOS device on them at all times. Both of which support Bluetooth and most modern game controllers. Some of which have better screens than most people have at home. Some of which have better specs than, as just one interesting example, Nintendo's Switch.

[PeterisP]

I'm not sure if this is a big enough market, but system exclusive games would be a reasonable cause.

For example, a gamer playing on PC and/or XBox might want to play Horizon Zero Dawn for some time, but not buy a PS4 just for one game. Or some Nintendo exclusive game.

Most people don't have all gaming consoles available, and exclusives are (IMHO sadly) a thing, and this might be a reasonable workaround to provide compatibility.

[asymptotically2]

How would a Sony or Nintendo exclusive be on Stadia?

[odessacubbage]

part of the problem with that market is that there are very few true console exclusives left and that trend seems to only be going one way. sony made sure to have their mark all over death stranding and it's still gonna be on pc in a few months.

[closetohome]

It's not entirely about cost. I don't want a gaming console or a gaming PC because they take up space and require maintenance. But I'd still like to play modern AAA games occasionally. If I can do that from my MacBook, I'm interested.

[Angostura]

Well, as a desktop Mac user, I'd be very interested.

Of course its not available for Mac (yet).

[edu]

Yes it is, you just need a Chrome browser!