If you grew up during the height of the Super Nintendo/Sega Genesis era, you were treated to some fairly intense advertising. Facing an uphill battle against the Nintendo titan, Sega launched an ad campaign that was sometimes bewildering, but always entertaining. Today, Google finds themselves in a similar position, as they try to launch a new console in a market that already has three viable options in the form of PS4, Switch and Xbox One. It only makes sense, then, that Google would look to the successes of the past in order to sell gamers on their new gaming platform, Stadia.
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While the trailer certainly conjures up memories of those days of old, Stadia’s technology is quite a bit more advanced than that of the Sega Genesis. Stadia owners don’t actually own a console or games; instead, the system allows players to stream games directly to their screen of choice and play them with the Stadia controller. Despite the silliness on display, the trailer gives a nice idea of how the system will work, in theory.
Unfortunately, many gamers remain skeptical about just how well the system can live up to that promise. Stadia faces some big potential drawbacks. High speed internet will be required to get the most out of the console, and many worry how much input lag can be expected. A slight bit of lag won’t matter for many games, but for competitive gamers, even a slight delay could cause huge headaches.
The idea of less clutter promoted in the trailer will appeal to gamers looking to embrace the teachings of Marie Kondo, but the reality is that many gamers still feel rather attached to physical game releases. For that specific reason, publishers like Limited Run Games and Super Rare Games have found great success giving smaller, indie titles physical releases.
With Google Stadia now available in stores, it will be interesting to see how the general public reacts to the console. It could be a case of a company pushing a product out before the technology is truly ready, or it could change the entire gaming landscape. The latter option might seem a bit far-fetched, but there was a time that many saw Sega’s battle with Nintendo as just as ill-conceived. With a massive company like Google behind it, it’s not out of the realm of possibility. Time will tell.
Did you purchase a Stadia today? What do you think of the console so far? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
