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[Yoboman]

I'm not that optimistic after they raised prices to $70. I think that's going to really make lots of people pause.


Amazon is much more of a threat, because they can just bundle it in with Twitch and Prime. No one really used Prime video for years, but it just slowly hung around and stayed reliable and easy to access.

MS and Sony both have their streaming platforms. They will exist as accessories and if there is some major unprecedented shift in gamers wanting everything streamed, they are both in a great position to move resources into that environment

If Sony and MS switched all their development priority to streaming tomorrow, Amazon would be crushed by their content

Edit: also that delivery method of bundling with Amazon services will really only play a benefit in the US

 

[DaGwaphics]

Yep, Google is in there, and they won't go away, and now Amazon. MS's rosy Gamepass future is starting to look more precarious.

As of now, MS and Sony are the only ones that offer subscription libraries with a local play option, that still counts for a lot at the moment. Although once the internet backbone moves to satellite and you go from 60-70ms to 6-7ms of latency for the connection, things will get interesting.

 

[Kokoloko85]

I can see MS getting their ass handed to them as Google and Amazon twos up on that bitch, with MS eventually come running to Sony 'p-please alow Gamepassss on PS5 we need your help old chap'.

lmao I'm joking guys MS gotta take these threats seriously though.

Well if I gotta choose out one of the big American streaming companies its probably gonna be amazon now. I can play Forza Horizon on my bro’s PC lol

 

[Punished Miku]

MS and Sony both have their streaming platforms. They will exist as accessories and if there is some major unprecedented shift in gamers wanting everything streamed, they are both in a great position to move resources into that environment

If Sony and MS switched all their development priority to streaming tomorrow, Amazon would be crushed by their content

Edit: also that delivery method of bundling with Amazon services will really only play a benefit in the US

I think they'll just quietly hang around and scoop up hundreds of cheap games from last gen. Not a huge disruption. Slowly build trust and not be that expensive.

Then they'll make a move in a few years.

Amazon is making the most expensive TV show ever now, after just hanging around quietly on Prime Video.

 

[lastmessiah]

I think they'll just quietly hang around and scoop up hundreds of cheap games from last gen. Not a huge disruption. Slowly build trust and not be that expensive.

Then they'll make a move in a few years.

Amazon is making the most expensive TV show ever now, after just hanging around quietly on Prime Video.

What TV show?

 

[DaGwaphics]

This is one of the reasons Microsoft purchased Bethesda, and, likely going after more studios.

If Amazon starts purchasing big studios (Ubisoft, Take Two, EA...), all hell will break loose...

I've seen this as inevitable almost as soon as Amazon and Google got involved, they will get aggressive before it is all said and done. In time most of the independents will be somebodies first-party.

Once the buying gets going in full swing, the prices go up, so I would expect changes to occur in rapid succession as everybody tries to get the best deal.

 

[LisaMariaMartin]

What TV show?

Lord of the rings probably

 

[Yoboman]

I think they'll just quietly hang around and scoop up hundreds of cheap games from last gen. Not a huge disruption. Slowly build trust and not be that expensive.

Then they'll make a move in a few years.

Amazon is making the most expensive TV show ever now, after just hanging around quietly on Prime Video.

I just dont see what the market is for streaming games. Is there some huge amount of gamers out there who want to play games but don't have access to a console?

Seems unlikely

 

[Punished Miku]

What TV show?

Lord of the Rings TV show will be the most expensive series in history

The budget even beats Netflix's 'The Crown'

www.independent.co.uk

 

[jshackles]

This has the same problem Stadia has. Lack of exclusive content. Gamepass is starting to become very desirable with its content. Google and Amazon will have to start opening up that checkbook and acquire publishers/developers if they want to compete.

I mean, you don't have to simply outright purchase publishers or developers to get them to release their games on your platform. Give incentives (like maybe you only take a 10% cut instead of the industry standard 30%?) or be super generous with the financial outcomes for a Netflix-like service like this? Instead of buying Zenimax for $7.5B, how about just offering to support their games on your platform where they will be paid well above industry best practice?

 

[FunkMiller]

I just dont see what the market is for streaming games. Is there some huge amount of gamers out there who want to play games but don't have access to a console?

Seems unlikely

They‘re called casuals. And they all have Amazon Prime.

 

[lastmessiah]

I just dont see what the market is for streaming games. Is there some huge amount of gamers out there who want to play games but don't have access to a console?

The market is people who want to play games. The console has nothing to do with it. A console is just a box of components.

 

[deriks]

Google: I believe when I see it
*Google sees it*
Google: I don't believe what I'm seeing

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

Actually looks not bad. Better than Stadia + huge plus for iOS support via PWA. Can bring some trouble to MS, considering how iOS is popular for example in Japan (if AWS launch service there). Considering that it has Ubisoft stream for additional 5$ I presume MS won't buy Ubisoft.

I wonder if eventually, we will be able to subscribe to multiple services like Bethesda's games in GP, Ubisoft games in Luna and it will cost less than single game on PS5

 

[FunkMiller]

You all know Amazon owns Twitch, right?

 

[lucius]

It begins, Amazon makes great stuff I welcome them. Microsoft said Sony was not their competition that Amazon, Google were so we will see . Twitch was a smart buy.

 

[DaGwaphics]

I mean, you don't have to simply outright purchase publishers or developers to get them to release their games on your platform. Give incentives (like maybe you only take a 10% cut instead of the industry standard 30%?) or be super generous with the financial outcomes for a Netflix-like service like this? Instead of buying Zenimax for $7.5B, how about just offering to support their games on your platform where they will be paid well above industry best practice?

The packaged library model works best with content purchased at cost, just like Netflix/Hulu/Disney+ etc. All the players in this space will need to make their own content if they want new content to launch there. Third-parties will be present, but months if not years after release for the most part. Amazon is getting the new AC, but only if a user takes an additional subscription to Ubi's library (probably at a bit of discount to what Ubi charges for their direct subscription).

Edit: Just saw that Ubi is only charging $5, that's a big discount from the $15/mo. they charge on their own.

 

[Punished Miku]

Actually looks not bad. Better than Stadia + huge plus for iOS support via PWA. Can bring some trouble to MS, considering how iOS is popular for example in Japan (if AWS launch service there). Considering that it has Ubisoft stream for additional 5$ I presume MS won't buy Ubisoft.

I wonder if eventually, we will be able to subscribe to multiple services like Bethesda's games in GP, Ubisoft games in Luna and it will cost less than single game on PS5

That is a real interesting idea.

Prime Video has all the other subscription options too in a big marketplace. I could see Gamepass being on there too.

 

[Bryank75]

Like who? All the big pubs are publicly traded so we would know if Sony made a bid. That leaves small scale studios.

They're not looking for anything small. They don't have to announce anything while in talks and nobody is sure if this is true... could be nonsense spread after the Bethesda thing.

 

[Warnen]

Yeah sure. Except Nintendo and Sony are making the most profit in video games on planet Earth. And what do they both have in common?

Nintendo took a different route total. "Switched" to portable to take advantage of the growing mobile market in Japan. Sony is trying to put a band aid on a broken bone, money hatting games for a year when they should be investing that capital into streaming or they gonna get done dirty in the coming years.

Don't want Sony to become blockbuster of video games do we?

 

[FunkMiller]

I think it’s very important to understand this:

There are over 150 million Amazon Prime subscribers. This IS going to end up on Prime at some point, and will function far better than Stadia, thanks to how rock solid AWS is.

Welcome to the reason why Microsoft actually bought Bethesda.

 

[Knitted Knight]

They're not looking for anything small. They don't have to announce anything while in talks and nobody is sure if this is true... could be nonsense spread after the Bethesda thing.

Probably. Consolidation is on a fast track tho... either you're on the train or you're out.

All the big American tech companies (outside of Apple) are getting into the gaming streaming subscription service train and snatching content providers to stand out (exclusive content). Google, Amazon, Microsoft - they all want to be Netflix. Just like everyone wants to be Netflix on the TV side, with more entrants coming in.

 

[blastprocessor]

Google Stadia wishes you the best of luck we tried.

 

[Bryank75]

Probably. Consolidation is on a fast track tho... either you're in the train or you're out.

Agree, they should be moving fast and they did hire a mergers & Acquisition integration specialist a year or so ago... so something should be coming.

 

[Coulomb_Barrier]

I think they'll just quietly hang around and scoop up hundreds of cheap games from last gen. Not a huge disruption. Slowly build trust and not be that expensive.

Then they'll make a move in a few years.

Amazon is making the most expensive TV show ever now, after just hanging around quietly on Prime Video.

What the LotR series? Looking forward to that.

I think it's a matter of time before they make their move. I wonder whether Sony will act preemptively with Google, MS and now Amazon circling.

 

[Alebrije]

So Amazon must be hunting some studios at this moment...Ubi, Take2, etc.

This is interesting.

 

[12Dannu123]

What the LotR series? Looking forward to that.

I think it's a matter of time before they make their move. I wonder whether Sony will act preemptively with Google, MS and now Amazon circling.

Sony should have seen this coming. It's their fault they didn't read the market. When MS, Amazon and Google purchase publishers, this will damage the PS console and PSNow in the long term.

 

[Gamezone]

How will they manage to release this on iPhone?

 

[Bryank75]

So Amazon must be hunting some studios at this moment...Ubi, Take2, etc.

This is interesting.

TakeTwo have no interest in streaming. So that is them out.

 

[Trogdor1123]

Lord of the Rings TV show will be the most expensive series in history

The budget even beats Netflix's 'The Crown'

www.independent.co.uk

Wheel of Time can't be cheap either

 

[Iced Arcade]

Well at least they got the stick placement right.

 

[VincentMatts]

And this is why MS bought Bethesda.

 

[Bryank75]

How will they manage to release this on iPhone?

Good luck with that. Streaming will always be a limp dick way of playing games.... just a corporate wet-dream to screw people for money while spending as little as possible.

 

[Rhazer Fusion]

This has the same problem Stadia has. Lack of exclusive content. Gamepass is starting to become very desirable with its content. Google and Amazon will have to start opening up that checkbook and acquire publishers/developers if they want to compete.

That’s why I always say, exclusives are important and can make or break your console or service. So many people want the death of exclusives, but this can hurt brand new platforms when they come out because there isn’t really anything on it to differentiate it from the competition.

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

Another thought.
Considering Amazon's plan for satellite internet service - Kuiper - and with other satellite internet platforms (like Tesla's) - I wonder if in the future all these giants will use their platforms to deliver the content. Would be nice if Microsoft cooperated with Tesla for example for that stuff, and build their own

 

[Agent X]

If you want a streaming future, this is what it will look like... 10 different services, with all your content and favorite publishers cut up into each one and you'll need to sub to every one of them.

That's what I fear will happen. We're already witnessing this with movie/TV subscription services. I fear that the video game market could go the same way.

 

[Bryank75]

That's what I fear will happen. We're already witnessing this with movie/TV subscription services. I fear that the video game market could go the same way.

It won't, most people game on PlayStation or PC, with a dedicated group on Switch too. They want hardware...streaming is a different experience that has to compete with mobile gaming and if Apple and Google see that it effects their revenue on their phones, they will block them (except for Googles own Stadia and that is a disaster)
So it's not really going to work. Easy.
Also the splintering of content would make PlayStation much more dominant as they have the strongest 1st party outside Nintendo and Japanese companies seem to be protected by the government from most acquisitions.

 

[Aidah]

There are plenty of other hobbies I could take up if ever necessary.

 

[llien]

Stadia am cry

Shows just how bad google is outside its core business.

 

[M16]

Shows just how bad google is outside its core business.

Google cloud has until 2023 to either beat azure or AWS or else the company will pull its funding. With such small marketshare and slower growth than both, stadia is already in a tough spot

 

[ExKing]

That looks very good and price seems aggressive.

 

[jshackles]

There are plenty of other hobbies I could take up if ever necessary.

Why though? Personally, I feel like they could stop making new games tomorrow and I would still have such a huge number of games I could play (or replaying old classics) that I could easily never get bored with gaming.

 

[Calverz]

But is it $1 a month? And does it have 15 million subscribers?

But is it $1 a year?

 

[danielJackson]

Cause asymmetrical stick placement is the best.

Show us your hands, they must be asymmetric too, right?

It is not the best, it is just what some people got used to, like someone having broken equipment but they get so used to the flaw that normal ones feel wrong.

Unless you have scientific evidence of why it would be best for human physiology, it is not the best.

It is just a personal preference of yours, nothing more, nothing less.

No need to do the "brrrr my xbox/ps/nintendo sticks are better than yours", right?

To me, this controller would be a deal breaker as asymmetrical sticks feel un-ergonomic to me.

They should offer both versions, because this is new platform so they dont have to stick to what they chose in the 90's

 

[Agent X]

It won't, most people game on PlayStation or PC, with a dedicated group on Switch too. They want hardware...streaming is a different experience that has to compete with mobile gaming and if Apple and Google see that it effects their revenue on their phones, they will block them (except for Googles own Stadia and that is a disaster)
So it's not really going to work. Easy.

There's a tenuous relationship between Google and Amazon for stuff like this. For example, the official YouTube apps were removed from Amazon's devices for several years. Fire TV only got YouTube back a few months ago, and their tablets still don't have them.

Now that Amazon has announced their own Luna service, the likelihood of PS Now, Stadia, or Xcloud appearing on Fire TV seems a lot lower. Even if those services do appear on Fire TV, you never know if there might be some behind-the-scenes shenanigans to ensure that Luna offers better performance than the others.

The other issue is that some of these services might start cutting exclusive deals with certain publishers. You might have to subscribe to one service to get Activision games, and a different service if you want Capcom games, and yet another service for Konami games.

I see that Ubisoft is supposed to have a "channel" on Luna, which is reminiscent of their announcement to have Uplay+ available through Stadia for an additional fee (not included with Stadia Pro). Will the Ubisoft channel on Luna be included in the base price, or will you be required to pay another subscription fee (like on Stadia)?

There's just so much uncertainty surrounding these services now. It's exciting in some ways, and simultaneously troubling in others.

 

[Bryank75]

There's a tenuous relationship between Google and Amazon for stuff like this. For example, the official YouTube apps were removed from Amazon's devices for several years. Fire TV only got YouTube back a few months ago, and their tablets still don't have them.

Now that Amazon has announced their own Luna service, the likelihood of PS Now, Stadia, or Xcloud appearing on Fire TV seems a lot lower. Even if those services do appear on Fire TV, you never know if there might be some behind-the-scenes shenanigans to ensure that Luna offers better performance than the others.

The other issue is that some of these services might start cutting exclusive deals with certain publishers. You might have to subscribe to one service to get Activision games, and a different service if you want Capcom games, and yet another service for Konami games.

I see that Ubisoft is supposed to have a "channel" on Luna, which is reminiscent of their announcement to have Uplay+ available through Stadia for an additional fee (not included with Stadia Pro). Will the Ubisoft channel on Luna be included in the base price, or will you be required to pay another subscription fee (like on Stadia)?

There's just so much uncertainty surrounding these services now. It's exciting in some ways, and simultaneously troubling in others.

That's funny, the whole thing sounds like a clusterfuck.

I'll just stick with PlayStation, Nintendo and a PC for creative stuff and strategy games.
Let them all fight eachother and waste billions and then all get tired and give up.

 

[DonJuanSchlong]

Show us your hands, they must be asymmetric too, right?

It is not the best, it is just what some people got used to, like someone having broken equipment but they get so used to the flaw that normal ones feel wrong.

Unless you have scientific evidence of why it would be best for human physiology, it is not the best.

It is just a personal preference of yours, nothing more, nothing less.

No need to do the "brrrr my xbox/ps/nintendo sticks are better than yours", right?

To me, this controller would be a deal breaker as asymmetrical sticks feel un-ergonomic to me.

They should offer both versions, because this is new platform so they dont have to stick to what they chose in the 90's

Well based on human preferences, most prefer asymmetrical sticks. Even though Sony sold way more than Microsoft consoles, the majority still side with asymmetrical sticks. There may be no factual data to say why is better, but it's definitely preferred across the board. Even polls on this very site, reflect the same sentiment.

 

[DaGwaphics]

Show us your hands, they must be asymmetric too, right?

It is not the best, it is just what some people got used to, like someone having broken equipment but they get so used to the flaw that normal ones feel wrong.

Unless you have scientific evidence of why it would be best for human physiology, it is not the best.

It is just a personal preference of yours, nothing more, nothing less.

No need to do the "brrrr my xbox/ps/nintendo sticks are better than yours", right?

To me, this controller would be a deal breaker as asymmetrical sticks feel un-ergonomic to me.

They should offer both versions, because this is new platform so they dont have to stick to what they chose in the 90's

Nintendo had done a study that did show that the asymmetric setup allowed your thumbs more freedom of movement. Just based on the principle of how the brain ties your movements together. Most people have more freedom of movement if they twiddle their thumbs on adjacent angles (one up, one to the side) rather than both in the same direction. LOL

I can't find the link now. I'll edit this post if I can find it.

 

[jshackles]

Meanwhile at Stadia

 

[LittleBusters]

Well based on human preferences, most prefer asymmetrical sticks. Even though Sony sold way more than Microsoft consoles, the majority still side with asymmetrical sticks. There may be no factual data to say why is better, but it's definitely preferred across the board. Even polls on this very site, reflect the same sentiment.

There are actual ergonomic benefits from resting your arms slightly offset.