Google Stadia Cloud Gaming, First Impressions
By: Vince Tabora
Tags: Google, Gaming, Cloud, Technology, Entertainment

Moving compute resources from on-premise to off-site has led to tremendous benefits for utilizing cloud computing. This is a revolutionary break through which allows the use of virtual compute resources connected to the public Internet like it were a local resource. This allows users to leverage platforms that offer storage, compute and microservices for applications. That results in lower costs of operation that make local data centers unnecessary and thus less staff to administer and maintain information assets.

Google is bringing the same experience to gamers as a Gaming-as-a-Service offering i.e. Cloud Gaming. The idea is brilliant if you think about it. What Google claims to offer is a backend platform for gamers. It was meant as a replacement of the traditional gaming console (e.g. PS, Xbox, etc.) by putting hardware resources like the CPU and GPU to work from the cloud while the only functionality the gamer needs from their location is a display and game controller. This would also allow gamers to play games on their smartphone and other devices as long as it has an Internet connection and display. That is quite radical since this will change the gaming industry by bringing the gaming experience directly from the Internet via the cloud.

Is this really a great idea? Let us go over the pros and cons, but before that I will discuss what the cloud is and what a traditional or what may become the legacy game console is first.

The Cloud

The Cloud is a collection of servers in data centers that provide a service over a public Internet connection. Big tech companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle and Google offer these services for business productivity. A company can use the cloud to run their business without requiring a dedicated IT staff and on-premise data center. The cloud provides a platform for business (e.g. Software-as-a-Service, etc.) to run their operations at lower cost of maintenance since a provider will deal with the lower layers of the system. Most importantly, the company is provisioned virtual or physical servers along with hardware resources that can be paid for based on usage or contract agreements. That allows a company to focus on developing their applications and content creation without the hassle of maintaining their own equipment.

The Cloud is basically a collection of data centers that provide resources online via the public Internet.

The idea of a console-less gaming experience is what the cloud can offer. All hardware is actually virtualized on the cloud as instances. These instances are also scalable as the number of gamers increases. In a typical console or gaming PC, the GPU is important in accelerating performance. By putting these resources on the cloud, gamers will not have to worry about purchasing, upgrading or replacing these components. It will all be handled by the provider like Google, so it means less things to worry about for gamers. The gamers can also make decisions on what resources to use, making it more convenient to switch between hardware (e.g. choosing a different GPU). This also removes the complexity of installing drivers to make a GPU work on a PC or update firmware on a game console.

Game Console

If you ever had an Atari or Nintendo Gameboy, that is your typical game console. Later the PlayStation, Game Cube and XBox came with a more updated design and applying the latest technology features. A game console is basically the input device and processing unit that loads the game into memory for gamers to play. Its main function is to provide a way to execute instructions from the game media (e.g. CD, bluray, etc.) and send it to the display (e.g. TV screen, monitor, etc.). Older game consoles used cartridges that are inserted into a slot and read by a processing chip and loaded into memory for display.

Typically video games are played with a physical device, like a game console or high-end PC. This loads the game and provides the interaction between the game and the user.

The game console is a specific type of computer which is needed to run the game. Think of it as your hardware, while the games are the software. Consoles are not exclusively the only hardware that can run games. There is a serious community of PC (Personal Computer) gamers who build customized systems primarily for playing video games. In many cases, these systems are even more powerful than a game console in terms of memory and processing power.

Now think of putting these hardware resources on the cloud and accessed via the Internet. That is what you call Cloud Gaming. This is the offering of Google’s new service called Stadia (launched November 19, 2019). Aside from providing the hardware acceleration using the cloud, Google also claims downloading the games will not be needed. It will be streamed over the Internet via the cloud as well. That could mean gamers can ditch their game consoles or gaming PC in favor of this new service. Hold on …. NOT SO FAST! I am going to give an initial review of what gamers have been experiencing since the launch, based on user experience.

The Google Stadia logo. (Source Google)

Stadia

Google initially offers Stadia with the Founder’s Pack, which includes a Chromecast Ultra, a controller, 3 months of Stadia Pro service and an additional 3 months of Pro service to give a friend. This is the tier package provided to gamers who first sign up. Stadia can be used from the Chromecast or Chromecast Ultra connected to a TV with WiFi connectivity and a computer or smartphone with the Chrome browser.

The Google Stadia Founder’s Pack (Source Google)

A box is delivered that contains the Founder’s Pack. Google has developed actual controllers that come with the pack. According to Wikipedia:

“The controller includes two thumbsticks, a directional pad, four main face buttons, two sets of shoulder buttons, and five additional controller face buttons. The controller has the capability of connection over a wireless network, rather than through the device that the user is playing on, as to reduce the latency of controller communication with Stadia services. The controller is available in a variation of four colors at its launch.”

Google Stadia game controllers. (Source Google)

The controllers requires a WiFi connection for wireless use. It probably would have been better if there was a bluetooth option, but the idea is to connect through the Internet rather than to a device (the console-less concept). It also has an option for wired USB-C connection for gamers who want to use it for their smartphone.

There are going to be 2 tiers for Stadia. There is the paid subscription service called Stadia Pro (Premiere Edition) which targets enthusiasts who need to have access to the library of games at high resolution. This also provides more perks for a monthly fee that starts at $9.99/month. There will also be a free tier (for 2020) called Stadia Base that allows anyone to sign up and play. However, it is limited to 1080p resolution and no additional benefits. This is why gamers who want more will get the Stadia Pro subscription. The free Stadia Base will most likely be sponsored by ads, but it may likely to be sponsored directly by Google as well. With free cloud gaming offerings, it will likely not be ad free.

Once you have Stadia, you still have to purchase games from the Google Store. There will be free games available, but the more popular titles require purchase.

The Takeaways

Google is selling the idea of a Netflix-for-Games, in which users can stream and play their favorite titles. It is a brilliant idea, but when it comes to reality it is usually not the same as expectations. Let me go over the major issues reported by early adopters.

Lag

This is because game play is dependent on the speed of the Internet. Users who have plenty of bandwidth will get little to very minimal issues with lag, which is caused by latency or delays on the network. That means for Stadia to work like you were playing a game locally on a console, you would need a really fast Internet connection.

According to Google, the minimum bandwidth requirement for Stadia is 10 Mbps. That is for non-4K high resolution display standard for 720p. This is fine for Stadia Base users, but for Stadia Pro the requirements are much higher. You would need at minimum 30 Mbps or higher for high resolution gaming with high frame rates.

You can test your Internet speed by going to this link and you should see something similar to give an idea of the download and upload speed. In this case the download speed (traffic coming from Stadia) is what to look for.

This is speed test result of a 4G connection. It just barely made it above 10 Mbps for a minimum of 720p resolution, and pushing it a little toward 1080p.

The lag causes pauses and jitter while playing games. This can disrupt the flow of game play, resulting in annoying moments for gamers. It can also cost a gamer the game since that can disrupt eye and hand coordination.

One way to improve this is to use a wired connection to the Internet instead of WiFi. An ethernet cable (CAT6 and higher) connection to the TV or computer with Stadia is much more reliable and faster than WiFi. For smartphone users, 4G is fast but the connection may still be susceptible to latency.

Resolution and Audio

Stadia Pro gamers would benefit the most with high resolution because it is part of what they are paying for. Another consideration for high resolution is a UHD 4K display (2160p). It would be useless with standard HD resolution, since those displays cannot go up to UHD. Consider having the right type of resolution display. For audio playback it is the same. You will need high end 5.1 SRS systems.

The requirements for Internet speed.

The other issue here is that it is being reported that some games are not displaying in the promised 4K resolution (2160p @ 60 fps). According to a Verge report “developers behind Destiny 2, and confirmed that Stadia’s version of the game isn’t the same 4K version as on other platforms.” Google’s version of Destiny 2 is rendered in 1080p and then upscaled, which is not real UHD 4K. It is also done with other game titles (e.g. Red Dead Redemption 2), so at this point there is really no benefit with having a 4K resolution display. This is the situation at the moment, so eventually the service can deliver true UHD 4K and even higher in the future.

Overheating

According to PC Mag, Chromecast Ultra sticks overheating is becoming familiar with using Stadia. For those who don’t own a Chromecast stick, when it overheats it will shut down. This affects the game play of users who are probably used to marathon gaming that could be longer than 4 hours (think 12 hours non-stop gaming!). In this case, this has been the experience gamers were having with the Chromecast Ultra … after just 10 minutes in some report, so this is unusual.

Google has denied any claims to factory defects. Perhaps it is just due to how much energy is drawn from streaming games to the device. This is massive amounts of data being downloaded at once. While the Chromecast sticks work fine for streaming movies, games are totally different. It seems fine with no overheating issues when used with the Pixel smartphone and computers with the Chrome web browser (though Chrome can quickly drain battery power on laptops). More reports on this issue will probably arise.

Game Quality

When it comes to playing on the cloud versus the console, check out this tweet:

It doesn’t get anymore obvious than this I suppose. What you get on a gaming PC or console is still far more superior than what Stadia can deliver in its early stage.

The truth is game consoles still offer the most bandwidth because they are locally connected without the lag from an Internet connection. The pipelines are directly faster on consoles while the Internet experiences latency especially on slower Internet connections. A console that is running the game from a blu-ray disc at 1080p resolution will not experience the same lag as from the cloud because it has local 54 Mbps connection from the console. For 4K titles, the console supports speeds up to 128 Mbps, which allows features like HDR and Dolby audio.

Another thing to take note of is even if your display is 4K, it is not guaranteed (since the games themselves are not true UHD 4K). This is because when the network bandwidth is too saturated or poor, the resolution will also go down along with the frame rate. So gamers who think they are playing in UHD will suddenly realize that when their connection is not good it can go down to full HD or even to standard HD.

Final Thoughts

Stadia is having a rocky start. Not a smooth and easy beginning for cloud gaming. It is not yet time to ditch the console or PC for the cloud.

According to 9to5Google:

Google Stadia is an ambitious project that, unfortunately, is off to a rough start, thanks to lofty expectations, head-scratching decisions, and annoying hiccups.

Here is the fact about games, they are rendered in real time. It is not like streaming a Netflix movie, which is not in real time. That means it can be buffered in order to speed up downloads. Games do not require or use buffering techniques like that with movies. When you play a game it is live, so you don’t really buffer anything. Games require fast graphics at high frame rates to deliver smooth playback. The key here is still to have the most bandwidth available i.e. “Fast Internet”. Gigabit Internet via fiber and 5G for wireless, once they become more widely available, will help provide that bandwidth which cloud gaming needs.

The cost of subscription is also another issue. Many consumers are already paying other monthly streaming services (e.g. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, etc.). With so many monthly subscriptions, wouldn’t it make sense if Stadia came as a packaged deal with other streaming services? It remains to be seen if something like this can be worked out.

The good news is that this is opening up the cloud gaming market to competition to provide the best service. Microsoft with its Xcloud is a competing service to Stadia for streaming video games that is getting positive reviews. As more providers are available, the infrastructure to support it must also be there. Faster Internet speeds and developing games using different algorithms that support streaming could further improve Stadia and cloud gaming for all gamers to enjoy.