Google’s take on cloud-based gaming, Google Stadia, has been out for about three weeks, and in that time has produced a spread of reviews that overall seem pretty mixed, at best.
The problem is, it was perhaps too ambitious a project. Or at least, it was too ambitious a decision to have launched it at this point. Many reviewers seem to agree that although it has lots of potential, Google Stadia simply isn’t ready for commercial use yet. There are a whole host of reasons why, and we’ve picked out some of the more salient ones. Here are five reasons why Google Stadia is awesome, and five reasons why it falls short.
10 Awesome: No Downloads Or Installation Needed
No-one likes having to twiddle their thumbs for possibly hours until the game they’ve been itching to play finally finishes installing. Especially these days, with games generally being as big as they are, with more and more hovering close to the 100GB mark. Having enough disk space for these monstrosities is a struggle in itself, and even with a decent internet speed one can end up having to wait for what feels like an eternity while the game installs.
These were some of the things Stadia set out to abolish. With Stadia, all you need to do once you buy a game is hit “Play.” Being cloud-based, nothing needs to download or install (there was, however, that incident of an update that snuck onto one player’s screen that turned out to be a bug. Oops.).
9 But: You Do Need A Pretty Decent Internet Speed
That being said, although high-speed internet is obviously favorable, games on Stadia actually seem generally to run very well. The lower speed limit seems to be around 10-15 Mbps, with anything less than that likely becoming way too jittery.
Most of the reviews that have popped up so far - like those from Forbes, The Verge or our very own TheGamer - come from reviewers who have easy access to super-fast connection speeds and high quality WiFi routers. So, of course, massive lagging problems don’t really feature. In fact, all of the fourteen territories the Stadia was released in likely have cream-of-the-crop internet speeds for the most part. For those of us in other parts of the world, if and when Stadia does reach us, it’s likely this will pose more of a problem.
8 Awesome: Play On Just About Any Device, And Switch Seamlessly Between Them
Another great selling point for Stadia is its versatility - the fact that is is compatible with a wide range of devices. This means you can play any of the games available on Stadia (many of them AAA titles like Destiny 2 and Red Dead Redemption 2) on your TV, laptop, tablet, smartphone, potato, whatever. You can also switch seamlessly between them, so if someone boots you off the TV mid-game, you can whip out your laptop and continue from the exact moment you left off.
You also only need to buy a game once, although you’ll get to play it on almost any platform you own. You can also play with friends who have different systems than your own. You might be playing on your TV via Chromecast, while Friend 1 is playing on their laptop’s Chrome browser, and Friend 2 is on their smartphone on the other side of the country (the only catch? Friend 2 has to have a Google Pixel smartphone.)
7 But: The Multiplayer Pool Is Dismal
This is to be expected, considering it’s only been three weeks since the Stadia’s release and the pricing model is currently quite repellant, so not many people have jumped on the bandwagon yet.
For gamers who generally don’t bother with multiplayers, this won’t really be a consideration. However, especially in the case of Destiny 2, having a tiny multiplayer base certainly hinders the overall appeal of the Stadia. Until it clocks up some more customers, it is highly unlikely the Stadia option will win out over its more-established PlayStation, Xbox, or PC cousins.
6 Awesome: The Controller
Reviewers are gushing about the Stadia’s controller. It seems to be a comfortable and intuitive hybrid between PlayStation’s DualShock controllers and the Xbox versions.
It also just looks really great. It has a sleek and minimalistic style that just works. And the cool part is that if you’re not a console gamer, you don’t need to be: the Stadia’s controller is optional and you can still play using a mouse and keyboard (if your device of choice is compatible with those, of course).
5 But: Stadia’s Game Selection Is Lacking
One of its biggest drawbacks appears to be the Stadia’s limited game selection. At the moment, there are currently only around 40 games in total available for Stadia. That’s not to say they’re a poor bunch of games - they’re great. But in terms of range, this is incomparable to the thousands of games available on other platforms.
Another valid point is that those who are big fans of the games comprising Stadia’s repertoire will most likely have already played them, making it all a bit redundant in that sense.
4 Awesome: The Games Actually Look Really Good
Google promised that gamers would be able to enjoy 4k quality at 60fps on Stadia, and this is kinda the case in practice. Some who have tried it out have reported that the 4k mark hasn’t quite been reached, evident in games such as Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Destiny 2. However, although not quite at 4k, the games in general still look absolutely gorgeous, especially on devices that don’t typically support AAA games.
In terms of framerate, the odds are looking good too. Again, provided your internet connection cooperates, the games seem to run smoothly with perhaps only a few framerate drops or stutters here and there, similar to what you might get when Netflix buffers intermittently. Interestingly, Destiny 2 is able to run at 60fps on Stadia while it is locked at 30fps on PlayStation and XBox versions, making for a much smoother experience.
3 But: Graphics Settings Are Limited
If you’re someone who likes playing around with a game’s graphics settings until you hit that sweet spot between video quality and performance, then you might be disappointed with this one.
Stadia doesn’t allow for very sophisticated manipulation of graphics settings, notably in Red Dead Redemption 2 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. The latter only allows the player to adjust the game’s brightness and gamma levels.
2 Awesome: It’s A Great Contribution To Cloud Gaming
Stadia was meant to be revolutionary, and in some ways it has been. The ambition behind it alone is commendable - the fact that it launched in more territories than any of its cloud-based gaming predecessors is worth noting.
The ideals that Google set out to achieve with Stadia are all undeniably features any gamer would get on board with - no downloading or disk space worries, instant access to great games, versatility across platforms, and all the other perks. The more optimistic amongst us see this as a promising step in the right direction.
1 But: There’s Actually No Reason To Buy It At This Point
The aforementioned perks are still perhaps too lofty for the time being - Stadia’s many shortfalls have proven this. However, there are plans to improve on it in the coming months, like adding more big titles to the game selection like Cyberpunk 2077 and Doom Eternal.
But the biggest reason? It’s set to become a free service next year, so you’ll just have to pay for whatever games you want, and of course for the exclusive (but optional) Stadia controller. So, unless you care about being ahead of the game, so to speak, rather wait it out for a few more months until this happens. Maybe by then, Stadia will have gained some stability after a bit of a wobbly start.
NEXT: “The 10 Most Underrated PS4 Games Of The Decade”
