The official launch of Stadia is only days away, so Google recently hosted a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) and we have some more details to share about it.
After finding out recently it's only going to have 12 games at launch, we have been wondering exactly what else from their service is going to be missing in action at launch. Now we know there's going to be a number of other limitations, thanks to the question and answer session. Here's a few newer details:
- Google are going for a "gradual rollout and continuous improvement" approach based on feedback. With new features coming as early as a week after launch and possibly new features on a weekly basis.
- You absolutely need an Android or iOS mobile device for Stadia, even if you're going to use a PC. The initial setup and to even buy games actually requires the Stadia mobile application. For playing on mobiles, Google will start by letting you play only on their Pixel line with it eventually rolling out to Apple devices and other Androids.
- Only the Chromecast Ultra will work with 4K at launch. While playing on PC in a Chrome browser will work it is limited to 1080p, PC with Chrome will not yet support 4K, HDR or 5.1 Surround Sound.
- They're not announcing the line-up of games included to play free in the Pro subscription yet. Apart from the already announced Destiny 2. If you stop paying for Pro, you lose games accessed with it.
- The State Share feature, that allows people to jump into games at a specific point, and the Crowd Play to let people watching you join in will both be missing at launch. The first games to support them will come next year.
- You won't be able to even view any achievements. The UI for it is not ready but you will still earn them right away there's just nothing available to see them.
- If you have a family, you will be able to buy Stadia games for them but there's currently no Family Sharing feature. They said it's a high priority though, to come next year.
- Stadia Names must be between 3 and 15 characters, letters or numbers.
- There will not be another Stadia Connect video before launch.
- You will be able to access Stadia even before your hardware arrives, as they will be emailing access codes to people when they ship the Founder and Premier Editions. So you can play on PC right away.
I said before this Debian Linux + Vulkan API powered streaming service faced an uphill battle, now it sounds like more of a mountain.
Overall, I can't help but feel like this is really a Beta/Soft Launch under a poor disguise given just how limited the Stadia service is actually going to be. Given the high price of entry for the Founder and Premier Editions it's a bit laughable really.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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The comments on this article are closed.
Lol, the negativity and scepticism of the article reminds of articles of other news sites when Steam for Linux and, later, the Steam machines have been announced.
Remember when *we* were quite upset that those narrow-minded other sites are so negative about it, when it just has been started and OF COURSE needs some time to evolve and can't live up to the vision just yet? :)
Remember when *we* were quite upset that those narrow-minded other sites are so negative about it, when it just has been started and OF COURSE needs some time to evolve and can't live up to the vision just yet? :)
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Micromegas Nov 16, 2019
Small indie company. :S:
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Quoting: subLol, the negativity and scepticism of the article reminds of articles of other news sites when Steam for Linux and, later, the Steam machines have been announced.But this is Google.
Remember when *we* were quite upset that those narrow-minded other sites are so negative about it, when it just has been started and OF COURSE needs some time to evolve and can't live up to the vision just yet? :)
They don't need to push anything out quickly.
Why even release Stadia in a state like this instead of waiting half a year longer and release with a lot more to offer?
Quoting: DerheimThis reminds of the Epic Store.Exactly!
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Quoting: ZapporLooks like a lot of Feral ports for now, good for them!
Or just use the new DXVK feature to compile a native build.
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Avehicle7887 Nov 16, 2019
Quoting: Liam DaweQuoting: Avehicle7887Did Google run out of money or something, to be honest that list looks awful and Pixel only phones is severely limited, I would have expected it to work at least on a desktop at release.It does work on a desktop.
People buying this = paying to beta test it.
I'll take that part back, I misread the part where you said an Android or iOS device is required even for PC, thanks
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Quoting: GuestAh I had a feeling this will not have a great start. I really hope for them (and also for GNU/Linux in general) that they will soon improve things a lot.
Why? Their basic idea is to take DRM to a whole new level. It is neither beneficial for the consumer nor GNU/Linux. Freedom at an all time low.
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At this time, no thanks. Perhaps when things get sorted in a year or so I'll consider giving this a try, if there are any games I'm *really* interested in playing, and of course it must work under Linux.
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QuoteGoogle are going for a "gradual rollout and continues improvement" approach based on feedback
It's only logical since Google has a very good track record for listening to user feedback...
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I too am surprised by the fact that people are surprised by the lack of features at launch. This is a challenging service to implement and Google has an incredibly large audience. It makes sense to expect breakage across so many potential devices, networks and use cases and to expand the service slowly, not unlike Valve’s Proton whitelist. I do however believe they should have more clearly expressed that it would be a beta at "launch" for those who did not see the obvious and thought they were pre-purchasing something like a full-featured console launch.
That said, I don’t understand why they would need a mobile app to be involved in any of this, and it’s just making me even more wary of the whole thing with regards to spying on the users. I’m going back from "I might consider it if..." to a big fat no.
Last edited by Salvatos on 16 November 2019 at 5:33 pm UTC
That said, I don’t understand why they would need a mobile app to be involved in any of this, and it’s just making me even more wary of the whole thing with regards to spying on the users. I’m going back from "I might consider it if..." to a big fat no.
Last edited by Salvatos on 16 November 2019 at 5:33 pm UTC
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