With Stadia on the way out, what’s your preferred method for streaming games?
It’s been a few weeks since Google announced its intentions to shutter Stadia early next year, but that doesn’t mean cloud gaming as a concept is close to death. While Google’s platform — one of the earliest to arrive on the scene — was an unsuccessful attempt for the company to break into gaming, we’ve seen other services pull it off with more success. And as current-gen consoles remain difficult to buy and modern GPUs continue to rise in price, it’s easy to see how the cloud gaming landscape could appeal to plenty of gamers.
In fact, despite Stadia’s impending death, there’s been plenty of news surrounding game streaming lately. Xbox got a new progressive web app for streaming to Chromebooks, complete with 1080p support, improved stability, and reduced latency. Xbox Cloud Gaming — previously xCloud — remains attached to a Game Pass subscription, which might disappoint dedicated console fans who want to take their library of games on the go without paying a monthly cost. Still, it’s an impressive piece of tech, and makes it possible for any gamer to jump in and play dozens of titles without buying an expensive piece of hardware.
Speaking of ChromeOS, laptop makers aren’t missing out on the joys of cloud gaming either. We’ve seen a ton of new gaming-influenced Chromebooks arrive on the scene lately, complete with RGB lighting and excellent network performance. Despite Steam now in beta for ChromeOS, these laptops were built with streaming services in mind, and could make for an excellent middleground between standard low-cost Chromebooks and expensive gaming hardware.
And there are plenty of choices if you’re looking to get into cloud gaming. GeForce Now offers access to your own purchased Steam library, with the option to “rent” an RTX 3080-equipped gaming rig for incredible performance. Amazon Luna is a Stadia-like service powered by AWS, and its library continues to grow. And then, of course, you have in-home streaming options like Steam Link, Moonlight, and PS Remote Play. While they aren’t necessarily “cloud” gaming, these apps are built to make casting your AAA games to your TV or phone easier than ever.
Most of these services are designed to add flexibility to your gaming, whether it’s playing throughout your home or while stuck in the backseat on a road trip. I’m curious how many people are using them, especially in the wake of Stadia’s demise. Personally, I’ve dabbled with Xbox Cloud Gaming a few times, but usually rely on Moonlight and Remote Play for streaming around my home. I sit at my desk long enough during the day — I don’t need to spend more time at my PC playing games. Whichever you use, let us know in the poll below.
