8 reasons to choose Stadia over PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, or PC
In many ways, Stadia is the first major gaming platform to challenge the Big Three since the Xbox launched in 2001. Despite ill-fated attempts from companies like OUYA to penetrate the market, nothing has been so ambitiously disruptive to the gaming industry as Stadia.
Although Google’s service is extremely young, its arrival brings new opportunities for platform alliances to be tested yet again. Do you stick with your current setup — Playstation, Xbox, Switch, or PC — or do you side with the underdog? For us, the choice is pretty easy. Here are eight reasons you should choose Stadia as your main gaming platform.
1. No downloads or updates
Unlike consoles and PCs where players have to wait for a game to install after purchasing, Stadia games are readily available on its servers at any given time. That means players can pay for a game and start playing in minutes, no extra downloads necessary.
The same goes for software updates. There’s nothing more frustrating than sitting down to play a game just to discover that it needs to download a 40gb patch. With Stadia, updates are delivered directly to the severs so that games are always up to date and ready to play.
2. Unlimited game storage and cloud saves
Stadia’s cloud-based roots liberate the service from many of the hardware limitations that hinder consoles and PCs. For instance, Stadia gamers never have to worry about filling up a hard drive or having to delete a game so that they can download a new title. All games also come with automatic cloud saves that enable gamers to maintain their progress, no matter which device they’re using or how much time has passed between sessions.
3. Instant access to content
Without a hard drive to fill, Stadia gamers never have to rotate their games collection for the sake of space. That means all purchased games, regardless of how long ago they’ve been played, are immediately accessible without having to redownload any titles. Simply launch the game and dive right back into the adventure.
4. No pricey hardware upgrades
Remember that line about Stadia not being held back by common hardware limitations? This concept translates to generational upgrades, as well. Stadia gamers will never have to worry about purchasing the latest Stadia “console,” graphics cards, or memory chips because Google maintains all of these elements through their servers. They will handle the hardware upgrades when it comes time for Stadia to receive a performance boost.
5. Superior power
Speaking of performance, Stadia as it exists today pushes up to 10.7 teraflops of computing power, which is more than the Xbox One X (6 teraflops) and Playstation 4 Pro (4.2 teraflops) can achieve together. At GDC 2019, Google even shared plans for Stadia to support 8K streaming in the future, which means the service will soon have even more power that’s likely to put it on par (or surpass) the upcoming Xbox Series X and Playstation 5. This will enable Stadia to not only play the same kinds of games offered on typical consoles, but it may even pave the way for developers to build experiences that could only be possible with Stadia’s power.
6. Versatile range of device form factors
One of the most impressive selling points of Stadia is its ability to offer a ubiquitous gaming experience on a variety of screen formats. As it stands today, Google’s cloud gaming service performs admirably on TVs with a Chromecast Ultra, most computers via a Chrome browser, and a number of Android phones. This flexibility doesn’t just empower gamers to play on their preferred screen formats, but it also encourages them to use Stadia in places where a console or gaming PC normally wouldn’t go, such as lunch breaks at work, vacation trips, and more.
7. Reduced server lag on multiplayer games
With conventional consoles and PCs, multiplayer games operate on a client that must relay information between the main server and players’ devices. Since each player owns a device with their own unique internet connections and speeds, players can sometimes experience connection issues, resulting in a reduced game experience.
On Stadia, the multiplayer server is connected directly to the cloud, which is then beamed to players. Although it doesn’t seem like a significant distinction, the direct integration of multiplayer and Stadia servers ensures players are always in sync with one another, rendering issues like lag, warping, and rubber banding an eyesore of the past.
8. Future proof
Although backwards compatibility has recently become a point of interest for console manufacturers, every new hardware generation has been historically dreadful at supporting the classic games many of us grew up playing. Stadia’s business model, however, is built for long-term compatibility.
Since Stadia positions its service as the console, the games you buy today will theoretically be playable on Stadia for the entire life of the platform. Not only that, but as Stadia receives regular hardware upgrades, older games will likely perform even better over time. How’s that for backwards compatibility?
What did we miss?
These are just some of the reasons we love Stadia, but we know there are plenty more. Leave a comment below, and tell us why you would choose a cloud gaming platform like Stadia over conventional PCs and consoles.
