The new streaming service from Google, Stadia, has been marketed as a kind of “Netflix” for gamers. A service that allows you to access a wide selection of games for a fixed amount. However, that is not the case. For €10 a month, there is currently only one game available without additional costs: Destiny 2.
This is what players had hoped for: After the announcement of Google Stadia, the service was described in the press as “Netflix” for gamers – that was in March 2019.
Even after the information on June 6, which clearly paints a different picture, Bild.de continues to refer to the service as “Netflix for gamers” – they are consistent in that.
One thought that for a monthly subscription of about €10, players could buy access to a library of current games.
The special gimmick: Subscribers could then play these games anywhere without needing their own console or gaming PC. It would be possible to stream these games, for example, on a low-performance laptop, an iPad, or even the huge TV in the living room in top quality.
Thanks to the power of the cloud and Google’s data centers.
Netflix – with only one series
This is how it really is: While there is a paid subscription service to Google Stadia called Stadia Pro, which actually costs €10.
This service currently includes only one free game: The Collection of Destiny 2.
The online shooter by Bungie is also particularly beautifully presented on the Google Stadia homepage.
Although additional titles are to be added to this service in the future, it is currently unclear which titles those will be and when exactly they will come.
Google Stadia Pro is currently thus “something like Netflix, if only one single series were running.”
How do you get games? Google Stadia is supposed to launch with 31 games – 28 of which are already known, while three more from EA, Capcom, and Rockstar are not yet known.
However, besides Destiny 2, Google Stadia customers currently need to purchase all other titles separately.
The prices are not yet known – but it is assumed that they will correspond to the “market standard prices.” However, subscribers of Google Stadia Pro can probably expect price discounts.
What are the €10 monthly costs for? The €10 subscription costs for Google Stadia Pro are primarily not for access to games, but for the use of the technology. Consumers get a powerful PC provided via cloud technology, which saves them the costs for hardware. This will be streamed to any monitor, smartphone, or television. For comparison: A 4k-capable gaming computer costs even more than €1500 if built from scratch.
Google Stadia can also be used for free, then you can continue playing the games you bought individually, but the resolution is limited to 1080p – with a subscription, it can go up to 4k.
It will be interesting to see whether Google’s Stadia offering can prevail in this way – or whether Microsoft with their “Game Pass” can outdo them. Because they truly have a kind of “Netflix for games.”
Anyone considering getting Stadia should take a look at this post:
