• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Google Stadia games will cost the same as other consoles despite ownership concerns

sol_bad

Member
Their argument for selling games at full price is because with Stadia you can play your games anywhere and on any device?

The rest of the market is doing the exact same thing. Sony already has a streaming service which has worked on pc's and Tv's, they also had streaming to Pro's. It's obvious that they will expand upon this in the coming gen.

Microsoft and Valve are also working on their streaming services. Sure, Stadia will hit market first but do you really want to build up a collection of games and then have a competing service on the pc and consoles where you can actually own the games?

It's very easy to imagine that you'd buy your physical game on PS5, play it, save your game. Then on the train you log on to PSNow and continue where you left off with cloud saving.
 

pr0cs

Member
Lol this thing is dead in the water. And this is from someone who likes a lot of Google's offerings.
I might have tried it to see what sort of experience it was /could be but with this sort of business model I won't even try a free model, what's the point
 

joe_zazen

Member
I think about vegans every time I eat delicious hamburgers :)

I wish i did, i think of colon cancer. :/

Anyway, phil is right. There is no reason they should be cheaper as you are buying a license for the game, and can play it without subbing. The sub is for access to more hardware resources, which like it or not, are not free to purchase or power or maintain just because they are in a data center. Stadia is a business that has to make money.

We’ll see how competitive Stadia is against the competition in the coming years. I believe Microsoft is willing to endure a few years of losses in the xbox division to kill streaming competitors. So my money is on them winning because I beliieve every other company has to turn a profit on game streaming. MS will be able to crank out the profits once they are the only player left..

In sum: Amazon has thrown in the towel, Sony cant compete nor hide losses from investors, and Google wants profits from all their divisions including gaming. End result is MS dominating in streaming in 5 years at the cost of a couple of billion.
 
Last edited:

LordRaptor

Member
In sum: Amazon has thrown in the towel, Sony cant compete nor hide losses from investors, and Google wants profits from all their divisions including gaming. End result is MS dominating in streaming in 5 years..

If Stadia is even half-successful, I can see Amazon pivoting to a streaming based service (with exclusives, because they've already been funding their own studios).

Right now there are only 3 companies in the world with the kind of infrastructure that can offer this, and its Google, Amazon and MS, and frankly I think MS have fucked this up by making their streaming solution literal Xbox hardware, because they have no scalability for that, where Google (and potentially amazon) can buy more servers than they 'need' for their gaming servive, and just use those servers to do other shit they need servers for anyway in downtime.
 
AFAIK, Google have never shitcanned purchased digital goods.
Can't say the same for MS, who have a string of products they shitcanned without giving a fuck, the most recent being their ebooks store

Well, at least MS is refunding everyone for ALL of their ebook purchases, so at the end of the day, people who bought ebooks from them actually got to read them all for free in the end. If Google publicly states that if they do decide to shut down Stadia that they will refund buyers for all of their purchases, then that would likely put a lot of people at ease.
 

Hostile_18

Banned
Gamepass is profitable because Microsoft doesn't pay the costs to run the games in the player's machines. The subscriber of Gamepass paid for the hardware and the electricity that runs it.

Doesn't matter if you have the entire planet subscribed to your service, if on average it costs more to maintain the service than the money it brings.

Ok sorry I should of said PlayStation Now then. That isn't ran locally is it?

And of the day if they can't see a profit without offering an inferior alternative to the competition it's a dead end idea.
 

LordRaptor

Member
Well, at least MS is refunding everyone for ALL of their ebook purchases, so at the end of the day, people who bought ebooks from them actually got to read them all for free in the end. If Google publicly states that if they do decide to shut down Stadia that they will refund buyers for all of their purchases, then that would likely put a lot of people at ease.

well that would be the kind of question someone in the press that has a fucking clue what they're talking about should be asking, not "Why aren't games cheaper because I don't own them?" when the concept of purchasing a digital licence that gives you access to use of a digital product has been around for fucking decades now.
 
Last edited:
I wish i did, i think of colon cancer. :/

Anyway, phil is right. There is no reason they should be cheaper as you are buying a license for the game, and can play it without subbing. The sub is for access to more hardware resources, which like it or not, are not free to purchase or power or maintain just because they are in a data center. Stadia is a business that has to make money.

We’ll see how competitive Stadia is against the competition in the coming years. I believe Microsoft is willing to endure a few years of losses in the xbox division to kill streaming competitors. So my money is on them winning because I beliieve every other company has to turn a profit on game streaming. MS will be able to crank out the profits once they are the only player left..

In sum: Amazon has thrown in the towel, Sony cant compete nor hide losses from investors, and Google wants profits from all their divisions including gaming. End result is MS dominating in streaming in 5 years at the cost of a couple of billion.
Dominating wouldn't matter if you actually lose money with every sale.

Your mistake is thinking that customers would stay with Streaming when the price goes up. This isn't just some minor cable TV subscription, but serious amounts of money here. i8f you can't convince people to use your service in a way that is profitable for you, you have a failed business.

PSVR might be a small part of Playstation, but Sony makes money from it. And because it makes money, Sony can last long enough to wait until the tech gets cheaper. But MS can't do that with streaming if they aren't making money.

There are many real life events in Business, where the attempt to dominate by price cutting lead to a collapse of the industry. The Pizza industry in Australia basically died once major chains tried to undercut each other, until their pizzas are so horrible that people buy Chinese Food instead.

If Streaming can't make money, then it can't make money no matter how steep the discount.
 
Let me ask you then; what do you expect Google to do, and how do you propose they make money out of Stadia? Because what they are doing right now is NOT out of greed, but the financial reality that Game Streaming as a platform basically burns money to make money.

How cheap do you want Stadia gaming to be, describe the pricing you want, and we will see if it is remotely realistic that Google ever see the business break even.
Quite honestly I don't think they can make this work currently, the technology isn't really there, broadband infrastructure worldwide isn't up to the job and big publishers aren't yet going to be willing to play ball on pricing.

Like I said before, as is, this is dead on arrival.

Now if I were tasked with making it work, I'd have first of all used some of that Google money to create a couple of 1st party studios to make exclusive titles built around the technologies drawbacks to give the best possible impression of the platform and Google's dedication to being a serious player on the market, eating the cost as advertising, then focused on getting a decent library of smaller and older titles, some timed exclusive new smaller and indie games, and kept the streaming down to a max 1080p 60fps, for a single flat 10 bucks monthly fee to access all content, swapping out titles as need be Netflix style until.

Later, assuming it's able to make a profit, then add in a second more expensive tier for 4k HDR, and maybe a premium tier for AAA games on release date, exclusive to that tier for a year, assuming the proven success can draw the big publishers in.

No idea if its work, but its be a damned site less likely to die on it's arse than what they're offering now. But it's not trying to make all of the money possible as soon as possible, so no exec would ever go for it.
 
Ok sorry I should of said PlayStation Now then. That isn't ran locally is it?

And of the day if they can't see a profit without offering an inferior alternative to the competition it's a dead end idea.
Playstation Now is a rather expensive service for what it offers. Yes, it runs at a profit, but this forum never stops trying to argue that PSNow is somehow inferior for actually being sustainable. It is also small, because there isn't enough people willing to pay for the service, for it to grow any bigger.
 
Pay $60 for a game with 4K assets in January and pay $10 that month for a premium membership to enjoy that 4K glory on your 4K TV. Let the membership lapse for 2 months and decide you want to play the game again. Go back to Google and pay for a new membership in April to play the game in 4K again? This is nuts. Why didn't they just release a cheap weak console with 4K upscaling?

This feels rushed. They're going to have rethink this. They can't launch it like this unless they want a Hindenburg-level disaster.

Yeah right. Don't they know gamers have backlogs. Google are off their rockers.
 

joe_zazen

Member
If Stadia is even half-successful, I can see Amazon pivoting to a streaming based service (with exclusives, because they've already been funding their own studios).

Right now there are only 3 companies in the world with the kind of infrastructure that can offer this, and its Google, Amazon and MS, and frankly I think MS have fucked this up by making their streaming solution literal Xbox hardware, because they have no scalability for that, where Google (and potentially amazon) can buy more servers than they 'need' for their gaming servive, and just use those servers to do other shit they need servers for anyway in downtime.

The thing is, are they willing to fight MS to the point of losing several billion for marketshare? Idk.

Amazon has a track record of doing just that, so I am not as confident in saying they are out. Although, the recent downsizing of their gaming software development makes me pessimistic. It could just be signalling a shift in focus, however.

Google is a bit of a wildcard. I am pessimistic wrt them simply because they are not funding content. Otoh, the hardware buy-in for consumers is the lowest and they are launching first.

I am still betting on MS, but not the whole farm.
 

ethomaz

Banned
Just to be clear, it costs the same as a full price console but you don't own anything.

aIq4KVl.gif
You don't own either on PS Store, Live, Steam, EGS, etc.
 
Last edited:
for a single flat 10 bucks monthly fee to access all content, swapping out titles as need be Netflix style
Where did you get the ten dollars figure from?

What made you think you can actually pay for the costs of someone suscribing to Stadia with only ten dollars? PSNow is 50 dollars for 3 months as it is, and you want Stadia to be even cheaper?

I am telling you now, renting a console for ten dollars a month is insane and never happening. Your idea of what is or isn't affordable is a little loopsided. Ten dollars is impossible to keep Game Steaming running for a month per person.
 

Saruhashi

Banned
So you Say Is Just for youtubers and their followers?

Actually that was kind of my first impression when I first saw it.
As if someone had the, admittedly cool, idea that you are using your Stadia controller as a remote control as you browse through Youtube or Twitch etc and you see a streamer playing a game online. "Click the button to subscribe and join me in the game!"
So you'd be playing online without a console.
I can easily imagine that working with games like Fortnite offering fans the chance to play with their favorites.

Even the name "Stadia" just feels like the idea was for audience spectating and participation.

At some point I guess they realized they need more than that and so they might have the odd single player experience also.

There's also a possibility that what you see at E3 and the like is targeted specifically to console gamers who bother with things like E3.
I would guess that their biggest audience will be casual gamers who like online games.
 

Sleepydays

Banned
At long term buying a console/PC is cheaper than needing to pay a monthly fee to Stadia for years plus the games.



Dont joke about these things, please!

Imagine a Nintendo streaming service with its amazing online service.

Nintendo Online + NES Roms, but at their original 80's RRP.
 
DOA.

What happened to the GDC talk about launching a game from a Youtube let's play? That is now dead. That is what had everyone standing up taking notice of this service.

They made it sound like you would get access to a library of games when you used Stadia. They made it sound like they'd subsidize ad revenue to make this and deals with publishers happen.

Now it's the deadest streaming service on the horizon and it hasn't even launched.... What a joke.
 

joe_zazen

Member
There are many real life events in Business, where the attempt to dominate by price cutting lead to a collapse of the industry. The Pizza industry in Australia basically died once major chains tried to undercut each other, until their pizzas are so horrible that people buy Chinese Food instead.

I agree. This kind of business model is bad for everyone long term except the winner, and even they lose sometimes. But being the last man standing gives you the opportunity to cash in.

look at Amazon. Bezos spent years burning investor money to undercut competition to the point now where Amazon is the defacto online retail monopoly. The market couldn't evolve naturally, where you’d have several competing etailers, working hard to win customers while having to make a profit. Instead, you have one.

People think amazon has best prices, they dont. People think amazon provides genuine items, they don't always even when you use amazon.com as the seller. They are crap and dont have to compete hard for customers because they were willing to lose money for years, so they won, and can now crank out profits.
 
Last edited:
Well that is the same for any digital platform.

What will happen to your digital purchases after Live, PSN, Steam, etc goes down?

You don't buy the game... you buy a license to use the game while the service is online.

Tell that to my SNES and TV.

(but I get your point - Stadia sucks)
 
Where did you get the ten dollars figure from?

What made you think you can actually pay for the costs of someone suscribing to Stadia with only ten dollars? PSNow is 50 dollars for 3 months as it is, and you want Stadia to be even cheaper?

I am telling you now, renting a console for ten dollars a month is insane and never happening. Your idea of what is or isn't affordable is a little loopsided. Ten dollars is impossible to keep Game Steaming running for a month per person.
Maybe, although I'd similarly ask how you know how much it would cost to know it's impossible yourself.

That's the price I can see people biting in large numbers for a 'good enough' service and selection of games to get a foot in the door and build upon later.

If they can't do it for that price, I wouldn't bother trying. Like I keep saying, I dont think it can work.
 
Last edited:

ethomaz

Banned
Tell that to my SNES and TV.

(but I get your point - Stadia sucks)
SNES is not a digital platform :D :D :D

PS4 and XB1 retail releases probably won't suffer that issue.... you will only lost the online portion of the games after these services goes down.

Steam and EGS will continue having the issue even with retail because their retail are only a key to download the game.
 
Last edited:

Domisto

Member
You don't own either on PS Store, Live, Steam, EGS, etc.
Must be why the majority of my paid for games are on GOG.

Nowadays, I only buy from Steam during sales. And EGS and Twitch are tripling my backlog with freebies. 😂

Apple Arcade is looking like the better option; an actual rental model. Hopefully priced accordingly.
 
You need a subscription to by $60 games on Stadia instead of buying an Xbox and not having to need a subscription to buy $60 games.

Clearly Stadia is well though out and planned. This way I can not own by games 2x as much!! And then lose all my full -priced game purchases once my sub lapses! BRILLIANT!!! BRAVO! BRAVO!!!

Now Google please tell me where you keep your piles of cocaine so I can have what your snorting.
 
D

Deleted member 738976

Unconfirmed Member
oFJcV6U.gif

rAVEV7k.png

 
Last edited by a moderator:

LordRaptor

Member
What happened to the GDC talk about launching a game from a Youtube let's play? That is now dead. That is what had everyone standing up taking notice of this service.

what?
thats exactly how it will work; if you're watching someone play Slay the Spire or whatever, click the link, authorise shopping cart, boom, you're playing it. No downloads, no installs.

They made it sound like you would get access to a library of games when you used Stadia. They made it sound like they'd subsidize ad revenue to make this and deals with publishers happen.

They never said shit about any of that, its not their fault if you just dreamt up your own fantasy
 
D

Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
Yeah I’ve never seen the point of buying a game on a streaming service. I get the appeal of a monthly subscription for people like me who don’t collect and rarely replay games. It gets old buying physical and reselling to keep costs and clutter down.

I learned my lesson after blowing tons of money on DVDs and Blu-ray’s for years and realizing I was almost never watching anything I owned anymore after I hit 30 or so. Same with CDs once I got Spotify. I don’t buy digital movies either as in not going to rewatch those either. It’s easier to just wait for Netflix or Prime or rent digitally.

I’m skeptical of game streaming for now, but I love the download subs like gamepass. I still buy games as there’s tons of stuff I want to play that is only available that way. But I’ll buy fewer games and make more use of subs for f forward for sure.
 
what?
thats exactly how it will work; if you're watching someone play Slay the Spire or whatever, click the link, authorise shopping cart, boom, you're playing it. No downloads, no installs.



They never said shit about any of that, its not their fault if you just dreamt up your own fantasy
The announcement was described as: See the Play Now link, click, and be playing instantly, with no loading, no installs, and nothing to get in your way to instant action. Going through a shopping cart, punching in your credit card and address doesn't exactly line up with that.

What I brought up is what every tech site was talking about when this was announced as being this disruptive force for the industry to take notice.

Anyway, I'm sure whatever I dreamt up can't compare to your Google wet dreams, fanboy.
 
The announcement was described as: See the Play Now link, click, and be playing instantly, with no loading, no installs, and nothing to get in your way to instant action. Going through a shopping cart, punching in your credit card and address doesn't exactly line up with that.

It will still work like that I’m sure. Click the link and start playing.

And you won’t have to enter a credit card for each purchase, it will just use your Google Account, just like buying something from the Google Play Store.

That said, I still think that this service will die rather quickly. We’ll see how long it lasts.
 
Last edited:

LordRaptor

Member
The announcement was described as: See the Play Now link, click, and be playing instantly, with no loading, no installs, and nothing to get in your way to instant action. Going through a shopping cart, punching in your credit card and address doesn't exactly line up with that.

What?
Have you ever actually bought anything online before? "Oh no, there's a 'confirm purchase' button extra step, fucking deal breaker!"
 
D

Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
What?
Have you ever actually bought anything online before? "Oh no, there's a 'confirm purchase' button extra step, fucking deal breaker!"

No kidding. And I’m sure they could add a one click purchase option like Amazon has if they wanted.

And I assume the click from a Let’s Play and play immediately thing they showed is for people with monthly subscriptions and games available in the subscription. No reason those shouldn’t load immediately as there’s no payment beyond the already active subscription.
 

baphomet

Member
The announcement was described as: See the Play Now link, click, and be playing instantly, with no loading, no installs, and nothing to get in your way to instant action. Going through a shopping cart, punching in your credit card and address doesn't exactly line up with that.

What I brought up is what every tech site was talking about when this was announced as being this disruptive force for the industry to take notice.

Anyway, I'm sure whatever I dreamt up can't compare to your Google wet dreams, fanboy.

That's exactly what is going to happen.

Did you think it was going to be free?
 

tkscz

Member
Let me get this straight,

For me to get the best out of this, I have to pay for internet better than the current 200mb/s I currently have (and don't bullshit me on the lower end internet they claim will work. Bare minimum barely works), I have to pay for the Stadia service, or it's pro service if I want 4K streaming, I have to pay for each game at normal $60 average price ON TOP of the subscription fee, and I don't even own the game after I paid for it.

So what happens if something bad happens to my account? I've dealt with Google and they don't have the best track record when it comes to account safety (but who really does). Will they do the Netflix thing and remove the least played game? If so, what if I bought that game? Does that mean because it's gone from Statia's servers, I no longer can play a game I've paid for?

There is just no reason to invest in this thing.
 

wipeout364

Member
And no refunds when this service ultimately joins Google+ and other failed projects?
AFAIK, Google have never shitcanned purchased digital goods.
Can't say the same for MS, who have a string of products they shitcanned without giving a fuck, the most recent being their ebooks store
I guess whether it’s worth it is dependent on how committed you think Google are to this project. Streaming will only get better and how many things in our office have google apps on them (almost everything with a screen). I am not a huge fan of streaming but I have seen PSnow improving every year.

If you believe Google is committed and you understand some of the limitations of streaming then I think this would be an amazing service for many gamers. I am on the fence with regards to their commitment and frankly have my plate full with Xbox, playstation and PC gaming so I won’t be subscribing.
 

Pimpbaa

Member
I thought this was gonna be like Netflix for gaming. Buying games on top of a subscription? Fuck off Google. I hope this crashes and burns hard.
 
What?
Have you ever actually bought anything online before? "Oh no, there's a 'confirm purchase' button extra step, fucking deal breaker!"
Purchasing a streaming only title is a deal breaker as evidenced by the growing backlash this announcement is currently experiencing. Especially at $60.

Many were expecting a Netflix style or subsidized costs through ad revenue, or else no one would have given Stadia the time of day.
 
Top Bottom