By Ian Sherr
And then there were four. Google Stadia, the tech titan’s new service that lets you play video games like you stream the TV show Stranger Things from Netflix, launched this week with high hopes — and immediately took flak for having few features, a poor lineup of games and slow response time. Next year, it’ll have another issue to contend with: competition.
That’s because 2020 will mark the beginning of a new generation of video games, powered by Sony’s forthcoming PlayStation 5 and Microsoft’s next Xbox, both of which are planned for release in the fall. They won’t be alone.
Game streaming on any device, including smartphones, offers an opportunity for the tech industry’s largest players to jump into the game world, taking on established heavyweights Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo.
For Google, the entry point is Stadia, a streaming service that promises to use the search giant’s vast and nearly worldwide network of powerful computers to stream video games directly to our TVs, computers and phones over the internet. But now that it’s launched to mixed reviews, some people are recommending gamers steer clear, even if you can use Stadia for free after buying a game from Google.
“Until Google finds a way to loop in YouTube and develop truly unique competitive large-scale games, Stadia isn’t worth your time yet,” CNET Editor Scott Stein wrote in his review.
Still, the future promised by Stadia isn’t too far off.
And Microsoft has already started public beta testing of its Project xCloud gaming service, which offers 50 games, including its big new sci-fi shooting game Gears 5 and popular Halo games. The company also offers a subscription service called Xbox Game Pass that gives players access to more than 100 titles, starting at $9.99 per month.
In October, Sony revamped its 5-year-old PlayStation Now streaming service, offering access to more than 800 games for $9.99 per month, including its acclaimed action game God of War.
And Microsoft has already started public beta testing of its Project xCloud gaming service, which offers 50 games, including its big new sci-fi shooting game Gears 5 and popular Halo games. The company also offers a subscription service called Xbox Game Pass that gives players access to more than 100 titles, starting at $9.99 per month.
Amazon next
One of the most anticipated entrants into cloud gaming is Amazon. The online shopping giant already sells video games, video game consoles and accessories. It also owns Twitch, a service that allows you to watch other people play games live.
But it has ambitions to do more, including a game streaming service to compete with Google, Microsoft and Sony, though it hasn’t discussed its game streaming service publicly.
Amazon is planning to announce its service next year, according to two people familiar with the company’s plans. It’s begun recruiting people from large game companies like Microsoft to help with the launch, as well as hiring for jobs in a “new initiative” within its Amazon Web Services team, which sources said is involved in Amazon’s future gaming service.
“We believe the evolution that began with arcade communities a quarter at a time, growing to the live streams and e-sports of today, will continue to a future where everyone is a gamer and every gamer can create, compete, collaborate and connect with others at massive scales,” one job posting this month showed. And in at least one other job posting, the company said it wants to “drive innovative new use cases like machine vision and game streaming.”
Amazon said in yet another job posting that it plans to integrate its new initiative with Twitch and the company’s other services.