Google Stadia Players Are Starting To Revolt
Google Stadia has had its ups and downs since it launched back in November. Unfortunately, there have been way more downs than ups. The service's library is nothing to write home about, as its mostly full of older titles. Even worse, Stadia still doesn't have some of the features it promised.
Now the users of r/Stadia are making it known — they are not happy.
A user named Gizoogle broke things down pretty plainly. Stadia Pro subscribers — those who purchased the $129 Founder's Edition bundle for the service and got three months of Pro free — are nearing their renewal period. So far, Google hasn't done a whole lot to compel players into staying onboard. None of the 120 games promised last month have been explained in any detail. 4K gaming still doesn't work in a web browser. The wireless controller isn't completely wireless in certain use cases. And there's been no sign Stadia is getting close to working with phones that aren't Pixels.
On top of that, Google hasn't commented publicly on new Stadia games, features, or updates for 40 days.
"I don't think it's absurd to expect anything other than complete radio silence from a hyped product/service launch that had a $130 buy-in," Gizoogle said.
Many in the thread shared Gizoogle's sentiments.
"Man, I really wish they advertised this as some kind of paid Beta," one user said. "They over sold and under delivered."
"I am with you," said another. "I was completely on the Stadia hype train before release. I pre-ordered just minutes after announcement back in Spring. Now I feel like I got swindled. It's like they got my $130 and used my play data and then just skipped town."
A Google rep did show up in the comments to make their presence known, letting players know Google was taking the feedback into consideration.
"All the concerns you've brought to the table are completely valid, and I understand where your frustrations are coming from," they said. "Nobody likes to be left in the dark. While I don't have product updates to share right at this second, I can promise you that I have been, and will continue taking feedback posted to r/Stadia and other channels, like the Stadia Community Forum, back to the Stadia team."
Unfortunately, the "we're listening" message wasn't all that well received.
"Although I appreciate the message, it's incredibly hollow," one Redditor replied.
Some news — any news — would be good news in Stadia Town. Perhaps if Google were to share some of it, the subreddit around its streaming service would be a little more jolly. Let's hope that happens pretty soon.
Project xCloud may be eating Stadia's lunch
While Google Stadia is getting criticized by its early adopters, it seems at least one of the service's competitors in the streaming space is thriving. Project xCloud, the on-demand gaming platform from the folks over at Xbox, is winning a whole lot of praise — and is handling its launch the way Stadia probably should have.
Unlike Google Stadia, which launched its Founder's Edition in November 2019, Project xCloud has been clearly labeled as a work in progress from the get-go. This makes a long list of missing features and some occasional technical hiccups a lot easier to swallow. Players know they aren't using a finished product, so they're more apt to forgive any shortcomings.
Project xCloud also doesn't cost anything to use in its current form; all one has to do is sign up for the beta in order to gain access. Google Stadia's Founder's Edition requires a $129 buy in, and Stadia Pro will start costing early users $9.99 a month once February rolls around. To be fair, the Stadia Founder's Edition includes some equipment, such as a Stadia Controller and a Chromecast Ultra. But purchasing that package is mandatory for those who want to test Stadia's capabilities. There is no free tier available at this time.
And finally, xCloud is offering a slew of games to play while the service is in beta. Popular titles like Destiny 2 and Halo: The Master Chief Collection are available for those who want to push xCloud to its limits. And the best part? There's no additional charge for these titles; they're freely available in the xCloud library. Stadia, on the other hand, is giving away two games per month as part of its Stadia Pro subscription. Anything on top of that, however, will require a full purchase.
It'll be very interested to watch these two services compete as time goes on. While one could argue that xCloud and Stadia have different goals in mind, both platforms allow you to stream video games, and both are in their infancy. They have a lot in common, so the performance of one could ultimately impact the other.
We'll be keeping a close eye on both, and we'll let you know how things turn out once Stadia is available to a wider audience, and once Project xCloud launches as a full product. Stay tuned.