We Have Already Been Able To Test Google Stadia, And It Is The Future Of Video Games

These are our first impressions of Google Stadia after playing DOOM Eternal, one of the first games available with Google’s streaming game service. 2019 has become the year of streaming gaming services. PlayStation Now is finally in our territory; Microsoft has shown and allowed us to play Project xCloud, and Google wants to enter through the big door in the video game world with Stadia.

Stadia is a glimpse into the future of video games. If, with Game Pass, we said that it was the Netflix of the end of video games, with its nuances, with Stadia, we can talk about something similar to the streaming video platform. It is a service that will allow us to enjoy the future of video games without having to install absolutely nothing on a physical device or have the hardware to move those video games.

With a Chromecast Ultra from the founder’s pack and later on Pixel phones and any device with the Chrome browser, we can enjoy streaming video games. Thanks to a monthly subscription of 10 euros per month. That will give us the option to play 4K60 at some games from the Stadia catalog at no additional cost.
For the rest of the games, we will have to buy them, but for now, we already know that Destiny 2 will be one of the gratuitous ‘free. If you only want to play 1,080p60, buy digital games. And not have access to the permanent catalog, you can do so without a monthly subscription.

Theory tells us that the system is just ‘fair,’ ‘but… how about our impressions of playing Stadia? In the past Gamescom, we enjoyed a demo of DOOM Eternal in Stadia. And yes, by art ‘magic’ ‘it works.

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That is how to play DOOM Eternal in Stadia.

The DOOM Eternal demo was running at 1,080p60, consuming 25 Mbps. And putting the aluminum cap on my head, it’s something I can’t believe. At the event, they told us that it consumes those 25 Mbps and that, since they did not have a 4K TV, they had not put puesto ‘the device ‘to work in all its glory.

And being very skeptical about Stadia and its consumption, I can only say that I never thought. No matter how much faith I have in technology, that is a game like DOOM Eternal. Which has very dynamic gameplay and needs maximum precision; I would feel so comfortable when playing streaming.

The controller has no input lag, which is the excellent first news. According to Google, the Stadia controller connects directly to its servers, eliminating lag. Also, the image has a latency of about 60-70 milliseconds. Something that for a professional player (not a very good player, a pro of competition) is a lot. But that for the rest of mortals is acceptable. That is more than satisfactory.

Impressions from DOOM

Leaving the numbers aside, I can only say that my impressions of DOOM Eternal at Stadia are unbeatable. The image is sharp, we do not have the typical YouTube artifacts, and the control is precise. And as if you were playing with a controller on a PC, with a very stable frame rate.
It is true that visually I was not too surprised. I do not know if it is due to the quality of the textures due to streaming (something that we will check carefully, with more time, in our analysis of Google Stadia when we have it) or that the server does not. It was in Ultra. Still, the truth is that it looks very, very good. And most importantly, again, you feel great with the controller.

How Google Stadia data consumption will work

Something important before finishing with these impressions of Stadia is to say that the loading times are almost nil. And that the start of the game is swift. Now it only remains to check how when it works at 4K. Above all, if those 25 Mbps for 1,080p60 and 35 Mbps for 4K60 are ” for real ”… or a very optimistic estimate from Google.

Stadia is something that, on a personal level, excites me. I feel I betray the physical video game, a format I love. But that makes less sense due to my day’s particularities. And checking that Stadia works not only pleases me but gives me hope for a nearer future in which each developer has their gaming platform via service. With all the games within reach of a subscription and without worrying about whether I have the latest GPU or the new console on duty.

Yes, I know this is very personal, but in the end, they are my impressions of Stadia. And how Google has been able to get on the game bandwagon via streaming in a compelling way.