Google Stadia instead of next gen console??
Discussion
BaronVonVaderham said:
Cloud gaming has it’s time and place, and will be a good option for those with the fastest connections, but one thing I just don’t get is how anyone can play a complex AAA fps like cyberpunk on a touch screen device?
Pointless and unplayable, and our prolific screenshot posting evangelist on here is surely the only person who’s even bothered to try this?
Is it really that hard to understand? Who said anyone was playing Cyberpunk on a touchscreen, but the screen on the Fold 4 is amazing to look at, probably more so than the screen on the Steam Deck. Realised lastnight website like CDkeys works with GeForce Now, so for £10 I've been playing MechWarrior 5 and AC - which is mind blogging more complicated than other 'racing' games am current use to like Crew 2.Pointless and unplayable, and our prolific screenshot posting evangelist on here is surely the only person who’s even bothered to try this?
This is where Stadia/Google failed, making developers remake the games to work with Stadia vs GeForce Now that seems to work on loads of stuff. Last 24hrs I've changed my mind about the £7.50/month cost. Access to cheap games via Steam, plenty of titles, and works on any screen/device I own. So Stadia was the intro for streaming games, other services are now nailing the product.
Harrison Bergeron said:
Something something lag something something.
Since you asked, and I like screen shots.....Streaming with sub 50ms ping over WiFI at 1900x1200, FPS capped at 60 max, pretty happy with that for my usage
.Ofcourse lag =/ latency, but even if bluetooth input lag is another 50ms, you are looking at under 100ms - which back in the day of UT and 56k modems was still more than quick enough to head shot newbies at spawing point from across the map. Infact from memory most people were at over 150ms.
I have no idea how much local PC hardware costs, but I presume a local machine needed to run Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080P+ with RTX on max isn't cheap, and more importantly pretty painful to build/setup/config than maintain?
Stadia got me back into gaming without the faff of hardware, GeForce Now seems to have nailed the contents library, so now its down to cost.
Edited by gangzoom on Sunday 2nd October 10:11
BaronVonVaderham said:
I fire it up, check the connection status to see if 4k was possible and if it was if load up F1 and then see it beautifully rendered for a few seconds before it would then revert to acting like it was coming via a dial up connection. Unplayable.
Well if that is your experience I can see why you think it's 'unplayable'. I've never had issues with streaming from the Chromecast to the TV as its a wired connection. WiFi on everything else is perfectly fine too. I've just uploaded the two quick clips using the Fold 4, given am currently making lunch and the Fold let's me do all this without using any other device. One thing you are 100% right about, trying to play AAA games using touch screen controls is impossible
.You can also check input lag on the screen caputres, plenty more pro reviews on this topic around tough. If your home boardband hasn't got the bandwidth to run these services, it's an issue either with your ISP or home setup.
F1 2020 via Stadia
https://youtu.be/6H7pU9yLqgk
CP via GF, with stream data top left
https://youtu.be/hP4ah1P-tFQ
GeForce now performance is pretty solid. 1920x1200, 60FPS max, streamed over WIFI to an early 2013 MBP that only support 802.11n (so not AC ready). Zero issues with dropped frames or bandwidth, there was a Whatapp call + Netflix running on two other devices at the time.
https://youtu.be/-rNpeTj6jyg
Just time to nab and set a Nvidia Shield for the TV today. Connected via ethernet, essentially the same performance as Stadia via Chromecast Ultra, but with access to bigger library of games.
You do NEED a decent internet setup though, I recon you can get through 100gig streamed over a weekend quite easily, I think is roughly 20% MORE than what Stadia needed, though its a bit academic assuming most people are on uncapped dataplans at home.
https://youtu.be/-rNpeTj6jyg
Just time to nab and set a Nvidia Shield for the TV today. Connected via ethernet, essentially the same performance as Stadia via Chromecast Ultra, but with access to bigger library of games.
You do NEED a decent internet setup though, I recon you can get through 100gig streamed over a weekend quite easily, I think is roughly 20% MORE than what Stadia needed, though its a bit academic assuming most people are on uncapped dataplans at home.
BaronVonVaderham said:
I know ‘internets’ aren’t a resource that we need to conserve, but that does seem to be using an absurd amount of bandwidth relatively speaking.
Really good point, I have a 2013 MBP that I use for all my 'work' productivity stuff, Prezi, Word, SPSS, and even putting together short work videos with iMovie - like the one at end of this post.However even back in 2013 it was hardly a 'games' machine, Bioshock hardly run. So I was quite surprised to see Steam offer me am 'install' option after I got a cheap CDkeys code for a mech game.
So why not install it and see what happens.....you mentioned games being 'unplayable', well you can see which version of the game is just that, local hardware vs streamed.....
https://youtu.be/OHto-cXL7Lw
Ofcourse I could waste alot of cash and resource on a new laptop, but why would I do that when apart from games the 2013 i7/Raedon chip it still meets ALL of my productivity needs?
When streaming tech is now already so good I think its actually absurd people want to waste ££££ on local hardware that does everything else fine (ie the work stuff), only to really push the hardware for games.
It also sounds like you need to look at your Internet connectivity setup at home. You have some major bandwidth bottle neck if you cannot stream even Stadia free version on WiFi - Though I've never had to run any media server to the main TV without ethernet, even the Xbox is wired in.
Edited by gangzoom on Sunday 2nd October 20:55
the-norseman said:
Is there an alternative to Stadia?
I currently have Chromecast in living room and office so can pick up F1/Cyberpunk whenever I like. Going forward going to have to sit in living room again on the ageing XBOX.
I've been experimenting with GeForce Now since Stadias announcement. Overall am very happy, but an extra £45/6 month streaming cost, but that is why I suppose Stadia folded... I currently have Chromecast in living room and office so can pick up F1/Cyberpunk whenever I like. Going forward going to have to sit in living room again on the ageing XBOX.
The cross device saving essentially the same as Stadia, with a few nice benefits, the main one is been able to 'buy' games through places like CDkeys at a pretty cheap price. For what Cyberpunk cost me on Stadia I've bought, Cyberpunk (again), a few Mech games, Masseffect, AC racing.
Performance is good, the same as Stadia but with RTX on some games. The setup is also much more PC game friendly, with the Nvidia shield hooked up its essentially like any console on the TV, but I can use my phone/tablet as a virtual keyboard to play games like Batteltech that is designed for PC only.
There are some downsides, you need a Steam/Epic etc account for games to work. They are all free but occasionally I still have to login before a session. Minor inconvenience but Stadia never needed this extra step.
I'm sad to loss Stadia, but plenty of other options around. Am sure Xcloud is good, however am craving going back to PC games these days so GeForce Now is the better option for me.
There is also rumours Google will allow the Stadia controller to work on other devices. So if I get a full refund for every Stadia game I've bought, and get a working/pretty good free wireless controller to use with other devices cannot complain too much.
Incidentally I've had a play with GeForce Now over 5G, it's surprisingly OK. Not for FPS but for slower PC games it would be very usable, but I need to work out the data consumption though...
https://youtu.be/RbhSy7NriWM
the-norseman said:
If I get Geforce Now running on my Chromecast Goolge TV or Firestick, whats the best or cheapest option of connection a controller?
I've got Xbox and Stadia controllers lying around. Maybe an old PS3 one in the loft as well.
Not sure of latency over Chromecast but over Shield no issues, Xbox controller works, however for MassEffect I needed to use the 'mouse' on the phone to getinto the game before the controller worked.....essentially Geforce Now is very much PC based versus console (which Stadia tried to replicate).I've got Xbox and Stadia controllers lying around. Maybe an old PS3 one in the loft as well.
It all looks very nice though on a 4K OLED screen, shame/odd there are no F1 games on Geforce now. Not sure why but am just not keen on Xcloud even though I have a One A X just sitting idle all hooked up with an ethernet connection.
Am really enjoying GeForce Now in particular the PC based games that need a keyboard/mouse which Stadia never supported.
The good news is the Stadia controller works perfect when connected via USB on both Andorid and MacOS (though you need to use Chrome on MacOS as the standalone app doesn't recognise the controller) for games that need a controller.
Abit like Stadia with ChromeCast Ultra, data usage when connected with Nvidia shield is mad. A few hours of Cyberpunk on the main TV last weekend chewed through nearly 80gig of data! Cannot quite rember how much data Stadia used via CCU but its pretty academic.
A good data connection is clearly vital, but with 5G now offering 100Mbps+ on my phone, it essentially means I can access/play my entire GeForce Now library on the go......though you need tobe paying a hefty £££/month data plan if you try and run these services off 5G, but technically it all appears possible.
The good news is the Stadia controller works perfect when connected via USB on both Andorid and MacOS (though you need to use Chrome on MacOS as the standalone app doesn't recognise the controller) for games that need a controller.
Abit like Stadia with ChromeCast Ultra, data usage when connected with Nvidia shield is mad. A few hours of Cyberpunk on the main TV last weekend chewed through nearly 80gig of data! Cannot quite rember how much data Stadia used via CCU but its pretty academic.
A good data connection is clearly vital, but with 5G now offering 100Mbps+ on my phone, it essentially means I can access/play my entire GeForce Now library on the go......though you need tobe paying a hefty £££/month data plan if you try and run these services off 5G, but technically it all appears possible
.I've had about 50% of games refunded now....mad really, and didn't realise how much I used Stadia.
I've been using GFN for about 2 months now, after the initial faff of account linking, getting cheap games off website like CDkeys makes a change, but the need to pay £40/6 months or so is irritating. The big 'sell' of GFN and what Stadia never got was ray tracing....So I fired up Cyberpunk/Hitman on Stadia and GFN for a quick comparison.
Bare in mind GFN is suppose to be alot more powerful, and in both games the graphics settings were set to 'ultra' for everything I tweak. GFN does look better, but if I had dropped say £500 on upgrading actual PC hardware for these results, disappointing is putting it mildly. I think it also show how good Stadia hardware still is despite no investment from Google for at least the last 18 months+. Hitman 3 in particular looks fab on both systems.
There are occasions when raytracing is more noticeable, reflections are nice, but honestly, I rather pay £0/months vs £5/month for Raytracing+higher texture details etc. There is another top level for GFN, which I suspect will give a bit more reflection?? Simply not worth £15/month for me for simply the graphics when game play is essentially identical.
I would still have preferred if Stadia was alive, but cannot complain about 2 years+ of free gaming.
I've been using GFN for about 2 months now, after the initial faff of account linking, getting cheap games off website like CDkeys makes a change, but the need to pay £40/6 months or so is irritating. The big 'sell' of GFN and what Stadia never got was ray tracing....So I fired up Cyberpunk/Hitman on Stadia and GFN for a quick comparison.
Bare in mind GFN is suppose to be alot more powerful, and in both games the graphics settings were set to 'ultra' for everything I tweak. GFN does look better, but if I had dropped say £500 on upgrading actual PC hardware for these results, disappointing is putting it mildly. I think it also show how good Stadia hardware still is despite no investment from Google for at least the last 18 months+. Hitman 3 in particular looks fab on both systems.
There are occasions when raytracing is more noticeable, reflections are nice, but honestly, I rather pay £0/months vs £5/month for Raytracing+higher texture details etc. There is another top level for GFN, which I suspect will give a bit more reflection?? Simply not worth £15/month for me for simply the graphics when game play is essentially identical.
I would still have preferred if Stadia was alive, but cannot complain about 2 years+ of free gaming.
ch37 said:
Steam Deck! Been a life changer for me.
From what I understand its still essentially a PC setup? Installing and configuring games still is a faff compared to what Stadia/GFN offers.I've got coming up to 20 games 'installed' in my GFN account, and as it happens GFN runs really well on my Fold 4, so at kids bed time I can marvel at the wonders of technology that let's me admire Agent 47s bald head in the reflection of a shop window thanks Raytracing technology......
....but ofcourse the 'proper' usage is essentially getting a console experience on the main TV on the rare few days when I get time free in the evening and not having to work. No messing around with installs/configs, just play what games I like, on pretty much any device at home, all with cross saving.
Stadia maybe dead, but streaming technology is 100% here to stay. Its simply so much easier to get gaming vs having to maintain/setup local hardware.
untakenname said:
I hope Google (or another entity) release a firmware update for the pad so it will work on PC as it was well made and would be a shame to throw away.
I doubt Google Will throw more money at it, but the controller works like another controller via wired USB connection. It works fine with GeForce Now on my Fold 4, MacBook Pro, and works HP Elitebook.Rod200SX said:
Hard to see much difference in those pictures as they're fairly lo-res. Personally I love most implementations of ray tracing but I'm playing on a fairly chunky PC, I definitely notice a difference with it on/off.
These are the setting for GFN. Stadia has no settings as such.
Not sure I which version I prefer the look of, the GFN looks more 'real' but Stadia hardly looks 'bad'. Unless the a PC running the same settings a GFN gives totally different results, RTX is wasted on some like me. But its all irrelevant as Stadia is dead
. Still both looks as good as any console on the OLED panel.
All my refunds are in, over 2 years spent £247.74 on Stadia stuff, that's 12 games in total, and hundreds of hours in gaming time.
Even without the £247.74 refund its amazing value. GFN has already cost me £40 for 6 months in subscription. However the games sections is bigger and CDkeys etc cheaper, £81.88 spent on 8 games including replicating some games I had Stadia - Cyberpunk + Hitman.
I suppose in the grand schemes of things like a phone that has a RRP of £1600, even GFN with its subscription costs isn't much to pay for the entertainment value provided. Not renewing Disney+ which hasn't been logged into for 6 months+ now will nearly cover the GFN subscription.
Versus a dedicated gaming rig that only allows you to play games on one machine, the cost of GFN is still very modest, plus the ability to run the entire library of games on any device I own at home, and even on the move via 5G - though it burns through the mobile data plan.
RIP Stadia, and thanks for keeping my 2013 MBP relevant for gaming........Who would have thought in 2013 10 years later an Apple laptop with a NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M GPU can still run AAA games. Shame Google couldn't make Stadia financially sustainable but the technology lives on
Even without the £247.74 refund its amazing value. GFN has already cost me £40 for 6 months in subscription. However the games sections is bigger and CDkeys etc cheaper, £81.88 spent on 8 games including replicating some games I had Stadia - Cyberpunk + Hitman.
I suppose in the grand schemes of things like a phone that has a RRP of £1600, even GFN with its subscription costs isn't much to pay for the entertainment value provided. Not renewing Disney+ which hasn't been logged into for 6 months+ now will nearly cover the GFN subscription.
Versus a dedicated gaming rig that only allows you to play games on one machine, the cost of GFN is still very modest, plus the ability to run the entire library of games on any device I own at home, and even on the move via 5G - though it burns through the mobile data plan.
RIP Stadia, and thanks for keeping my 2013 MBP relevant for gaming........Who would have thought in 2013 10 years later an Apple laptop with a NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M GPU can still run AAA games. Shame Google couldn't make Stadia financially sustainable but the technology lives on
the-norseman said:
my refunds still havent been rejected so i can put them on the correct card
Do you have an active account/new card with the bank/credit card company you paid Staida with? If so the bank does the work of sorting out old car refunds and transferring it to the new card. Half of my Stadia purchases were on the previous AMEX, its all been refunded to the current card. Bonus bit is AMEX hasn't taken away the cashback with each purchase like they normally do, it's not a lot (1.25%), but technically Stadia generated a 'profit' for me .Given the discussion about the Steam Deck, and the fact GeForce Now essentially runs off Steam I thought I waste some of the Google refund
PSP/DreamCast emulators run really well, and plays nicely with the controls. PS2 emulator is a bit too buggy for me at present, too much graphics shader tunning for each game to mess with.
PSP/DreamCast emulators run really well, and plays nicely with the controls. PS2 emulator is a bit too buggy for me at present, too much graphics shader tunning for each game to mess with.
So UbiSoft appears to have 'ported' most of their games I had 'bought' on Stadia to UbiSoft connect for 'free', so I can now play them on GeForce Now. Stadia has already returned me for these games, so it essentially means am getting to 'keep' these games for free!!
Stadia may have been a financial disaster for Google, but its been the cheapest gaming experience I've come across, and likely ever to experience again.
Stadia may have been a financial disaster for Google, but its been the cheapest gaming experience I've come across, and likely ever to experience again.
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