Why Stadia Needs More Than Free Demos
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Jacob Smith, a freelance travel and edtech blogger, thinks the demos are a great way to try before he buys. "The demos seem like a great option to me because they allow me to see the value of a game before I spend my money on it," he said in an email. Unlike other streaming services out there, Google Stadia doesn’t cost anything to use at its basic level. You’ll need to purchase the games that you want to play, and many of those come at the same price they would on other consoles. Since you have to pay full price for most titles, knowing whether a game plays well on your connection is important. Input lag is a huge concern with cloud gaming and it’s not uncommon to see input lag tests pop up on sites like Reddit, where users can see how the game responds to basic command inputs from controllers, keyboards, or mice. Still, Smith is sold. "I’m pretty much the epitome of cloud gaming’s target audience," he said. "The last dedicated gaming machine I purchased was the original Xbox, but I still really enjoy gaming."
Why Stadia Needs More Than Free Demos
Some gamers are happy, but is that enough?
By Joshua Hawkins Joshua Hawkins Freelance Technology Reporter Full Sail University Josh Hawkins is a freelance writer for Lifewire who loves writing about the latest tech and gadgets that help make people’s lives easier. As an avid gamer and VR enthusiast, he also enjoys diving deep into the technology that helps bring those kinds of experiences to life. lifewire's editorial guidelines Published on October 22, 2020 09:48AM EDT Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Gaming Mobile Phones Internet & Security Computers & Tablets Smart Life Home Theater & Entertainment Software & Apps Social Media Streaming GamingKey Takeaways
Google is introducing limited-time demos to Stadia in an attempt to draw new users in.While demos allow users to try a game, you still have to pay the full price to buy it.Google needs more reliable servers with less lag if it really wants to grow. The latest update for Google Stadia brings a series of limited-time free demos for players to try out. While demos might sound like a good idea, ultimately experts feel that Google needs to do more if it wants Stadia to thrive and grow. Google Stadia came out at the tail end of 2019, bringing Google’s cloud gaming system to homes around the world. Since it’s release, Stadia has struggled to get its footing in the game streaming world. The latest move by the company still may not be enough to entice users, however, because free demos aren’t really what the service needs. "The biggest problem with Stadia is latency and connection issues," Rex Freiberger, CEO of Gadget Review told us in an email.More Than One Front
Freiberger isn’t the only one that feels like Google’s cloud gaming service is a laggy mess, either. In fact, Back in November of 2019, when Stadia hit the floor running, sites like The Washington Post warned users to steer clear until Google had sorted out the issues. While the concerns about Stadia’s connection are important, there are other issues that have plagued the service since it’s release, like a limited game library. Following recent announcements about some new games coming to Stadia, long-time users like KingKeeton97 took to Twitter to showcase their disappointment in Stadia’s game offerings, even second guessing the company’s marketing choices. Others like Twitter user ioneBear seem to be happy with the current state of Stadia’s offerings, who responded with "I’m a very happy customer," in a tweet to the Stadia Twitter account.Jacob Smith, a freelance travel and edtech blogger, thinks the demos are a great way to try before he buys. "The demos seem like a great option to me because they allow me to see the value of a game before I spend my money on it," he said in an email. Unlike other streaming services out there, Google Stadia doesn’t cost anything to use at its basic level. You’ll need to purchase the games that you want to play, and many of those come at the same price they would on other consoles. Since you have to pay full price for most titles, knowing whether a game plays well on your connection is important. Input lag is a huge concern with cloud gaming and it’s not uncommon to see input lag tests pop up on sites like Reddit, where users can see how the game responds to basic command inputs from controllers, keyboards, or mice. Still, Smith is sold. "I’m pretty much the epitome of cloud gaming’s target audience," he said. "The last dedicated gaming machine I purchased was the original Xbox, but I still really enjoy gaming."