An intro to Cloud Gaming
Gaming is fun, but there are some obstacles every gamer knows.
First of all, if you decide to buy an AAA-game, you need some high-end hardware, either an expensive gaming PC or the latest console which could be hard to obtain ;-)
Another downside is the huge downloads, with games like Cyberpunk 2077 which needs about 70 GB of data, or day-one-patches that are bigger than whole games a couple of years ago.
Cloud Gaming on the other hand offers a lot of freedom. You can play on your (maybe a little older) PC, your phone, tablet, TV and more. And since every game in Cloud Gaming is running on giant server farms, there is no need to download tons of data and install them on your platform. If you decide to try a new game, you simply choose it and instantly start playing.
Another advantage is the mobility, which is only known from the Nintendo Switch in a comparable way. You could start playing your game on your PC, but you can also switch immediately to your TV in the living room. And when you are visiting your best friend, you can spontaneously show the game to him on his device.
Seeing all the advantages above, it’s no surprise that analysts predict an excellent future for Cloud Gaming. By the end of next year, it is expected to be a billion-dollar market — and forecasted to be worth more than $5 billion by the end of 2023. Seeing these predictions, it’s no surprise that multiple companies are already offering their own Cloud Gaming services — here is a rough overview of some of them:
Stadia
Google’s Stadia is probably the best known Cloud Gaming platform right now.
Announced in 2018, it was meant to be a revolution in game delivery but had a rough start. While Google planned to create a whole bunch of games with internal studios, they were shutting down its internal game development studio in February 2021. Instead, the focus is on partnerships with other developers.
Stadia is free in it’s basic version, but does not contain any games. Every available game can be bought seperately, but with Stadia Pro (which comes with a monthly subscription) ,there is a range of free or discounted games. Stadia works for PC (Windows 10), iOS, Android, Chromecast and different Smart-TVs
Xbox Cloud Gaming
Compared to Google and it’s Stadia, Microsoft is relatively new in Cloud Gaming.
While the service was already teased in 2018, Microsoft announced in August 2021 at the Gamescom that Cloud Gaming would come to Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One this holiday.
With the November-Update, Microsoft rolled out the Beta for Xbox Cloud Gaming on Consoles.
One big advantage for Xbox Cloud Gaming is, that it is part of Microsoft’s own Game Pass. So it has a variety of games included and already a big User base with only a small hurdle to try out the Cloud Gaming feature.
The service is working on PC (Windows 10), Android, iOS, and soon on Xbox consoles.
PlayStation Now
PlayStation Now (former PS Now) is the Cloud Gaming Service from Sony and was already announced back in January 2014.
While there are over 800 games available, most of them are classics from PlayStation 2 and 3, but there are also some PlayStation 4 highlights included, which can be streamed through this service on the current-gen consoles. Most of these games can be downloaded to compensate unstable Internet Connections, which is a must-have for Cloud Gaming.
A monthly subscription is needed to use PlayStation Now. Besides the mentioned consoles, PlayStation Now is also available for PC.
GeForce Now
Nvidia launched the Beta of GeForce Now already in 2015, with a library of games, and got a licensing deal with Sega and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment later. After several licensing rights disputes in early 2020, Nvidia today runs with a “bring your own games” approach, and developers and publishers are required to opt into their services.
This approach brings the advantage that users do not have to buy the games they already own again because popular stores like Steam, Epic Games Store, … can be connected directly.
The basic model of GeForce Now is free but comes with a time limit of 1 hour, and users have to queue. With a monthly subscription, these queues can be skipped.
Luna
Luna is the Cloud Gaming platform developed by Amazon. While Luna is still in early access, there is already some share-worthy information about its service.
Lately, Amazon announced the “Luna Couch feature,” which will allow players to play local cooperative games and multiplayer with only one system online. Luna is a free service, but to get unlimited access to its games, there is a subscription-based service called Luna+. Additionally, there is an Ubisoft+ subscription to get access to 30 Ubisoft titles. With “New World,” an MMO lately released by Amazon Game Studios, a more significant title is considered to join Luna sooner or later.
Shadow
Shadow is a Cloud Gaming service slightly different from the others above:
Contrary to the above, Shadow is no “app-platform,” but it is more of a whole (online) Windows-PC in a high-end set-up. Every game or program can be installed as the users are used to with their PC, including Steam, Uplay, Epic Games, … also 3D-Rendering, Video-Editing, and can be accessed easily. Even though the subscription fee is higher than the others, there are also many more use cases.
As mentioned before, these are only a couple of examples of a fast-growing market. There are lots more Services and Companies that are investing in Cloud Gaming. For example, a Cloud Gaming Company called Ubitus, which calls itself a “cloud gaming enabler,” collected about $45 million from Tencent, Sony Innovation Fund by IGV, Square Enix, and Acto earlier this year. So we recommend keeping an eye on Cloud Gaming and maybe give it a try yourself.