|
 New information on Stadia, Google's upcoming cloud based gaming service, was revealed during yesterday's "Stadia Connect" stream. So far, three fighting games have
been
announced for Stadia: Mortal Kombat 11, Samurai Shodown (2019) and Power Rangers: Battle For the Grid. The concept of an "online only" stream-based gaming platform has been met with healthy skepticism by gamers, as physical copies, collector's editions, and offline modes will not exist for Stadia versions of games.
For Fighting Games in
particular, the enjoyment of multi-hour online sessions with friends is heavily dependant on minimal input lag and a high quality (preferably wired) internet connection. Not to mention, offline Practice Mode sessions can prove very beneficial.  For more casual gamers who primarily
stick to the mainstream games & genres, perhaps the convenience of being able to "instantly" stream current-gen titles to multiple devices with one universal platform will be the selling point?
In any case, Stadia's potential and capability to meet the current needs of serious online gamers / streamers / fighting game players has yet to be tested... but here's everything we know so far:
From the looks of it... you're going to need a top tier internet connection to enjoy fighting games on Stadia at a comparable quality to the current standards set by PC and PlayStation 4. A 35Mbps connection is required to stream games on Stadia with 4K resolution and 60fps, while a 20Mbps connection will support 1080p gaming. For 720p gaming, you'll
only need 10Mbps.
Stadia will only support Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet connections at launch. Since CPU and GPU power isn't used to process games at the highest settings, you'll need a powerful and dependable internet connection to stream games using Stadia. At launch, Stadia will support 4K at 60fps with surround sound and HDR. Google says they are also working on 8K
/ 120fps support in the future. Google also claims that users will be able to "watch a video about a game" and be able to play it "instantly in under 5 seconds without any download or lag."
The service will run on Google's Chrome browser - which can be accessed on a variety of platforms. Users can subscribe to Stadia for $10 a month or use the service for free to purchase games individually.
Google claims that Stadia users will be able to have the same experience whether connecting via phone, tablet, or computer - with access to the power of a custom AMD 2.7GHz x86 processor (16GB RAM), up to 484GB/s transfer speed, and a GPU that has 10.7 teraflops of power.
Stadia's mobile functionality will be limited at first, as it will only be compatible with Google's own Pixel 3 and 3a devices at launch. Users will be able purchase games and subscriptions with other mobile devices, which seems like a placeholder for Google's future plans to eventually make those other mobile
platforms compatible. How current-gen titles
(that aren't currently designed with touch-screen controls in mind) will function on mobile devices has not yet been addressed by Google (not to mention mobile internet speeds / roaming issues).
Since Stadia requires you to pay for some games, the platform is not a full "buffet style" service like Netflix. However, a select number of games will be readily available with a monthly subscription - as users won't have to "download" these titles. Stadia will launch this November with at least 31 games from 21 different publishers. Bandai Namco, Capcom, SNK, Sega, and NetherRealm Studios are on board.
|
Google Stadia - New Info / Announcements
• The Stadia controller will be sold separately and costs $70. The controller connects via Wi-Fi and directly to Google's servers for a "lag-free" experience.
Key features
include a built-in Google Assistant support button and a Capture button for saving and capturing gaming videos to YouTube.
• Google Stadia launches in November 2019 in the U.S.A, Canada, U.K., and 11 countries in Europe. Pricing will be $9.99 a month in the U.S. for
the Stadia Pro service, which includes access to a number of games under 1 subscription.
• Google is offering a limited "Founder’s Edition" version
that comes with a Night Blue color controller, Chromecast Ultra dongle, 3 months of Stadia Pro, full access to Destiny 2, a 3-month buddy pass for "Stadia Pro" to give to a friend, and first access to claim a Stadia handle. It will cost $129 in the U.S and is available to pre-order now.
• No exclusives for Stadia have yet been announced. However, at its
GDC 2019 keynote, Google announced "Stadia Games and Entertainment", a new first-party studio that will be working on exclusive titles for the platform. The studio is being led by Jade Raymond, producer and executive at EA and Ubisoft.
|
Below, you can watch the Stadia reveal trailer and the 30-minute "Stadia Connect" stream archive.
Do you think Stadia will be a useful platform for fighting games? Vote in our
Twitter poll.
Stay tuned on
FightersGeneration.com for Google Stadia / fighting game news.
|
