Google Stadia made its public debut this week on 19th November 2019. Google Stadia is completely new for many gamers, who have always been playing games locally on a Console (Xbox One / Playstation 4) or PC. With the prevalence of online gaming, the concept of playing games on our mobile device is very appealing. Even the casino industry is also employing the online casino gaming technology to make it easier and accessible for users to play games online. We wanted to know how the different platforms compare in terms of gaming performance and user experience. Let’s check out how the new gaming service from Google stacks up against the conventional gaming platforms.
How Does Google Stadia work?
Google Stadia basically allows you to play games without a gaming console like Xbox or Playstation. It’s best to think about Google Stadia as renting a gaming console or PC that is in the cloud (server) and you are streaming video output to a compatible device. It is kind of like streaming music or TV shows. It is a subscription based service. For $10 a month, you get 4K HDR stream. However, this just gets you into the service and you still need to purchase the games you want to play. There are 22 titles available at launch and subscribers will get some free games each month. There will also be a free base service available sometime next year but it will be limited to 1080p resolution and frame rate of 60 fps. The one good thing about buying the games using Stadia is that there is no download required, so you are ready to play as soon as you purchase the game. In our opinion, Stadia is for those individuals who do not want to spend money on a high end gaming console or PC, which typically cost around $400. Given the upfront cost of a gaming console, you can play using Google Stadia for around 3 years (40 months) before you will break even. Obviously, with a gaming console, you are the owner of the device and there are no additional monthly costs after the initial upfront cost. Google Stadia is more like leasing a car, you pay monthly for using the car (or gaming service) but you still have to pay for the gas (or games).
To setup Google Stadia, you just have to log in to your account, browse the games, and clicking away to launch the games. Depending on your connection type, you can two different performance profiles (Standard vs Pro) based upon what you set in the Google Stadia App connected to your account. If you have a better internet connection, you can take advantage of higher resolution feed.
Google also offers the Stadia Premiere Edition for $129, which includes Stadia Controller and a chromecast ultra for streaming games to your TV. If you are just streaming to your smartphone or PC, then you don’t really need the Stadia Premiere Edition. Note that non-pixel Android devices and iOS devices are not supported right now. The controller does have its advantages, it is wireless, comfortable, and has a Stadia button that brings you to the home screen.
| Features | Stadia Pro | Stadia Base |
| Resolution | Up to 4K | Up to 1080p |
| Frame Rate | 60 FPS | 60 FPS |
| Sound | 5.1 surround sound | Stereo |
| Ability to buy games | Yes | Yes |
| Free games released regularly? | Yes | No |
| Discounted games? | Yes | No |
| Cost | $9.99 / month | Free |
Stadia supports high resolution gameplay ranging from 720p to 4K. To play games in HD, you’ll need at least a 10Mbps connection. For 4K, you’ll want at least 35Mbps. Check out the video resolution and recommended connection speed in the chart below.
Games available with Google Stadia:
- Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Borderlands 3
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Darksiders Genesis
- Destiny 2: The Collection
- Destroy All Humans!
- DOOM
- DOOM Eternal
- DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE 2
- Farming Simulator 19
- FINAL FANTASY XV
- Football Manager 2020
- Get Packed
- Ghost Recon Breakpoint
- Gods & Monsters
- GRID
- GYLT
- Just Dance 2020
- Kine
- Marvel’s Avengers
- Metro Exodus
- Mortal Kombat 11
- NBA 2K20
- Orcs Must Die! 3
- Rage 2
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration
- SAMURAI SHODOWN
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
- Supercross 3
- SUPERHOT
- The Crew 2
- The Elder Scrolls Online
- Thumper
- Tom Clancy’s The Division 2
- Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
- Trials Rising
- Watch Dogs Legion
- Windjammers 2
- Wolfenstein: Youngblood
Google Stadia vs PC vs Consoles
The gaming performance with Google Stadia is good but it is not on the same level as the gaming consoles. Each time you start a game, the visuals looks much more compressed for the first minute or two. With Google Stadia, there are many visual artifacts and some objects (like trees and grass) don’t look as sharp as the console visuals. However, the fact that you are playing the games remotely, the visuals are still impressive. Even though Google provides the service at 4K, the compressed image feels much lower resolution than 4K. The textures and effects look as comparable to mid-high end PC. The gaming lag and responsiveness are a hit or a miss, as we found the game play to range from sluggish to acceptable. Playing over WiFi doesn’t help but Stadia is offering the service to those individuals who do not want to invest in a gaming setup with a PC or a console. Overall, we have to say that sometimes we found it harder to play fast-paced action games (like Destiny and Metro Exodus) on Stadia compared to a console. The latency is everything when it comes to fast paced games and depending on your connection speed, your experience may wary. However, it is impressive to be able to play graphic intensive games on your laptop or smartphone. The gaming sound is great as the stereo mode was clear and perfectly synced with visuals. Some users have found some problems with the Stadia controller as the WiFi connection would drop after playing using the cable.
Check out Digital Foundry’s in-depth analysis video of Red Dead Redemption 2 playing on Google Stadia vs Xbox One X vs PC
Final Thoughts
Google Stadia definitely lags behind the capability of PC and Consoles in terms of visual and performance aspect. It is a great start by Google and it definitely serves as proof of concept. We also have G-Force now and Shadow that do something similar to Google Stadia. It seems that Google Stadia needs more time to iron out some of the bugs. We can’t really give an final conclusions as this is just the start and Stadia will definitely improve with time. If you are tempted about Stadia, we would recommend holding off for now as the connections issues, bugs in gaming performance and limited games catalog doesn’t make a worthwhile subscription at this point in time. If you care about the gaming performance, then you are better off with a gaming console or high end PC as you will end up spending less money in the long run.
I am officially a tech addict and enjoy providing my views on matters related to this industry. I am always interested in trying out new tech gadgets and I have owned multiple smartphones including the legendary HTC One, SGS2, Nexus 4, iPhone 4, 5S, 6S, XR, Note 9. You can ask me any tech related questions in the comment section or on twitter @hookedNav