With Google’s cloud gaming streaming service Stadia announced and slated for a November 2019 release, the future of gaming may already be here.
It all started with the console. The NES, SNES, Gamecube, and Nintendo 64 are – rightfully – revered for their classic game libraries and profound impact on how video games grew in popularity before the 2000s. It wasn’t uncommon to see children clustered together playing titles such as the Smash series and attempting to rush through the levels of the unique and revolutionary Super Mario Bros. and its spin-offs. The desktop computer (PC for the millenials) eventually learned some tricks and began to pump out ground-breaking games of its own time, including DOOM, Baldur’s Gate, Command & Conquer, and even the first Diablo. Competition existed, yes, but in the end, all gamers were happy to be living in a time where their gaming habits were fully fulfilled by both console and PC.
Fast-forward to 2019, and it is a whole another ballgame. Welcome to the era of 4K-capable consoles that double as breeding grounds for cutting-edge technology that deliver joy to the gamers and garner praise from the critics in multiple, acclaimed titles including Spider-Man, God of War, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (the three of which are, ironically, essentially remakes of their successful, pre-2010s predecessors). PC gaming has become a behemoth of an industry, with companies such as NVIDIA and AMD competing to deliver the best graphics for the latest AAA titles; others including Valve, CD Projekt Red, and even Humble Bundle strive to provide the best value for your money, with infamous sales being held almost constantly in a hilarious fashion.
Fast-forward to 2019, and it is a whole another ballgame.
However, there is one evolution of gaming so threatening and potentially game-changing (pun intended) that both console and PC companies will be quivering in their boots if given the chance: the cloud. In recent times, the cloud (which is the virtual space in which terabytes and yottabytes – not dinosaurs – of data are stored and accessed daily by millions of people) has become a force to be reckoned with, as many companies find that storing useful information in the cloud is more helpful and accessible than using storage servers or USB sticks (a relic indeed). Gaming through the cloud is a relatively new concept, something that even gamers themselves have doubted for a while now: how can one game without either a console or a NVIDIA-powered laptop at the standards that have been set today? The answer may lie above us – literally.
Two services have been introduced that capitalize on using the cloud as a gaming platform, GeForce Now (created by NVIDIA) and Stadia (from Google), the latter of which has pre-orders and release dates all lined up. Essentially, the concept boils down to streaming a game from a tailor-made, ultra-powerful gaming PC to any device of your choice, almost like an interactive YouTube video. Depending on how powerful your internet connection is, the image and audio quality (as well as latency and feedback) will drastically improve, leading to Google’s claim of 4K, 60 FPS gaming on an ordinary Chromebook.
The answer may lie above us – literally.
Although many may still point out the use of PCs in this situation, it should be made clear that the user in question won’t have to splurge on a $1200 gaming machine; all he or she needs is a subscription plan to use a PC through the cloud, all ready to use, and voila. Google has even put a price on its monthly plan, a mind-boggling $10, which can leading to hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars in savings for your average PC gamer. Perhaps this is a sign that the times are changing; for the cash-strapped gamer, all the more better.
Image Credit: Techcrunch
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