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Looks like Google is trying to get into the Gaming Wars: Sources: Google Is Planning A Game Platform That Could Take On Xbox And PlayStation.

So what is this streaming platform, exactly? Like Nvidia’s GeForce Now, the Google service would offload the work of rendering graphics to beefy computers elsewhere, allowing even the cheapest PCs to play high-end games. The biggest advantage of streaming, as opposed to physical discs or downloads, is that it removes hardware barriers for games. Games like Call of Duty can reach a significantly bigger audience if players don’t need an expensive graphics card or console to play them. As one person familiar with Yeti described it: Imagine playing The Witcher 3 within a tab on Google Chrome.

humanrefutation wrote:Looks like Google is trying to get into the Gaming Wars: Sources: Google Is Planning A Game Platform That Could Take On Xbox And PlayStation.

So what is this streaming platform, exactly? Like Nvidia’s GeForce Now, the Google service would offload the work of rendering graphics to beefy computers elsewhere, allowing even the cheapest PCs to play high-end games. The biggest advantage of streaming, as opposed to physical discs or downloads, is that it removes hardware barriers for games. Games like Call of Duty can reach a significantly bigger audience if players don’t need an expensive graphics card or console to play them. As one person familiar with Yeti described it: Imagine playing The Witcher 3 within a tab on Google Chrome.

Interesting.

For the time being at least, getting into VG streaming is not going to take on Sony or Microsoft. Unless they are in the console space, they aren't going to honestly be taking those two on (or Nintendo, for that matter). However, I assume the intimation here is that Sony and Microsoft (and Nintendo) will eventually be getting out of the console market and everything will be PC-based, or mobile-based (phone/tablet/whatever is next). It's an assertion I'm not sure I agree with.

I think digital marketplaces are the future as soon as next gen; I'm not sure getting rid of consoles is that close.

MikeIsGood wrote:

humanrefutation wrote:Looks like Google is trying to get into the Gaming Wars: Sources: Google Is Planning A Game Platform That Could Take On Xbox And PlayStation.

So what is this streaming platform, exactly? Like Nvidia’s GeForce Now, the Google service would offload the work of rendering graphics to beefy computers elsewhere, allowing even the cheapest PCs to play high-end games. The biggest advantage of streaming, as opposed to physical discs or downloads, is that it removes hardware barriers for games. Games like Call of Duty can reach a significantly bigger audience if players don’t need an expensive graphics card or console to play them. As one person familiar with Yeti described it: Imagine playing The Witcher 3 within a tab on Google Chrome.

Interesting.

For the time being at least, getting into VG streaming is not going to take on Sony or Microsoft. Unless they are in the console space, they aren't going to honestly be taking those two on (or Nintendo, for that matter). However, I assume the intimation here is that Sony and Microsoft (and Nintendo) will eventually be getting out of the console market and everything will be PC-based, or mobile-based (phone/tablet/whatever is next). It's an assertion I'm not sure I agree with.

I think digital marketplaces are the future as soon as next gen; I'm not sure getting rid of consoles is that close.

Well, I think the competition comes from the notion that folks who don't have to purchase an expensive console or computer to game will flock to a streaming gaming service.

Internet bandwidth is the biggest barrier to this approach, IMO.

Is anybody else as pumped as I am for Mario Party 11 for Nintendo Switch?! I'm hoping its similar to Mario Party 2 or 3 as opposed to the latter games in the series...

humanrefutation wrote:

MikeIsGood wrote:

humanrefutation wrote:Looks like Google is trying to get into the Gaming Wars: Sources: Google Is Planning A Game Platform That Could Take On Xbox And PlayStation.

Interesting.

For the time being at least, getting into VG streaming is not going to take on Sony or Microsoft. Unless they are in the console space, they aren't going to honestly be taking those two on (or Nintendo, for that matter). However, I assume the intimation here is that Sony and Microsoft (and Nintendo) will eventually be getting out of the console market and everything will be PC-based, or mobile-based (phone/tablet/whatever is next). It's an assertion I'm not sure I agree with.

I think digital marketplaces are the future as soon as next gen; I'm not sure getting rid of consoles is that close.

Well, I think the competition comes from the notion that folks who don't have to purchase an expensive console or computer to game will flock to a streaming gaming service.

Internet bandwidth is the biggest barrier to this approach, IMO.

I can't speak for others around the country but even that seems like less and less of an issue. Like, if you're the kinda gamer who would be into this in the first place you probably already have the kind of bandwidth needed, especially as ISPs start offering ridiculous speeds as their baseline package.

humanrefutation wrote:

MikeIsGood wrote:

humanrefutation wrote:Looks like Google is trying to get into the Gaming Wars: Sources: Google Is Planning A Game Platform That Could Take On Xbox And PlayStation.

Interesting.

For the time being at least, getting into VG streaming is not going to take on Sony or Microsoft. Unless they are in the console space, they aren't going to honestly be taking those two on (or Nintendo, for that matter). However, I assume the intimation here is that Sony and Microsoft (and Nintendo) will eventually be getting out of the console market and everything will be PC-based, or mobile-based (phone/tablet/whatever is next). It's an assertion I'm not sure I agree with.

I think digital marketplaces are the future as soon as next gen; I'm not sure getting rid of consoles is that close.

Well, I think the competition comes from the notion that folks who don't have to purchase an expensive console or computer to game will flock to a streaming gaming service.

Internet bandwidth is the biggest barrier to this approach, IMO.

Good point. I think the barrier here is the kinds of games on consoles vs. the kinds of games on PCs, though. To me, they are different markets. There is some overlap - it's like a venn diagram - but I don't see console gamers (myself included) migrating away from that until the first party developers and console-exclusive developers do.

Now, with that said, maybe Google can pull them away. I heard that they have a small amount of cash.

ReasonablySober wrote:

humanrefutation wrote:

MikeIsGood wrote:
Interesting.

For the time being at least, getting into VG streaming is not going to take on Sony or Microsoft. Unless they are in the console space, they aren't going to honestly be taking those two on (or Nintendo, for that matter). However, I assume the intimation here is that Sony and Microsoft (and Nintendo) will eventually be getting out of the console market and everything will be PC-based, or mobile-based (phone/tablet/whatever is next). It's an assertion I'm not sure I agree with.

I think digital marketplaces are the future as soon as next gen; I'm not sure getting rid of consoles is that close.

Well, I think the competition comes from the notion that folks who don't have to purchase an expensive console or computer to game will flock to a streaming gaming service.

Internet bandwidth is the biggest barrier to this approach, IMO.

I can't speak for others around the country but even that seems like less and less of an issue. Like, if you're the kinda gamer who would be into this in the first place you probably already have the kind of bandwidth needed, especially as ISPs start offering ridiculous speeds as their baseline package.

Yeah, it's getting better, but it's nowhere near consistent enough or widely available enough nationally to enable everyone to be able to play. Even in Madison, the best available speeds (with few exceptions) was 60mbps up, 5mbps down. That recently got bumped up to 100mbps up/10mbps down. I'm not sure that's fast enough to maintain high quality streaming of video games, especially considering the dozens of connected devices that people have throughout their homes these days already sucking up bits of that bandwidth.

I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on how much bandwidth is necessary to accomplish the goal these streaming services are pursuing - like playing The Witcher 3 with high quality graphics via a stream. But when I get annoyed with my internet service buffering YouTube videos sometimes, I have trouble imagining that streaming a video game will work well right now.

Giannis is the cover athlete for 2k19, which is pretty awesome. I guess I'll have to end my boycott of the VC era for a year.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianmazique/2018/07/02/giannis-antetokounmpo-officially-revealed-as-nba-2k19-standard-edition-cover-athlete/#2ec6cb433a20

The imminent demise of net neutrality and now the idea of an entirely streaming console is only solidifying the gaming industry into a micro-transaction and Pay to Win death spiral. I mean, the idea sounds cool in theory, but......

jschligs wrote:

Sauce Boss wrote:Grabbed Far Cry 4 and Oxygen Not Included on Steam Sale, then Mario Tennis Aces. Debating on Lumines and the Mario+Ranbids season pass for the DK DLC this week. Really gotta curb the game spending though; I feel like I’m getting stuff I want while not having time to play a lot of it.

Thoughts on Aces? I'm on the fence about getting it now or waiting. What little bit of the beta I played was fun, but I want to know if it's worth $50-60?

Speaking of Mario sports games, has there been any rumors or announcements of Mario Golf? That would make me cry with joy.

Seriously, I'm itching for Mario Golf.

Any way, to answer: It's a multiplayer fighting game. The story is whatever and short, so don't buy it if your goal is just to play that. The meat is in playing other people. I moved to Madison within the last month and my friends came to visit this weekend at my new apartment, and we had a blast playing it locally against each other. I played my first game online the other day to unlock Koopa Troopa as a playable character and had an intense match filled with mind games about when to use build and expend power, trying to catch each other rotating by slicing back to the same side or using a drop shot when overcommitting to the backline. It was fantastic and feels really good. The game feel is fantastic and something they really nailed; it's just fun to play. I don't know if I'll get 60 hours out of it for my $60, but I'm not disappointed with what I've played.

Sauce Boss wrote:

jschligs wrote:

Sauce Boss wrote:Grabbed Far Cry 4 and Oxygen Not Included on Steam Sale, then Mario Tennis Aces. Debating on Lumines and the Mario+Ranbids season pass for the DK DLC this week. Really gotta curb the game spending though; I feel like I’m getting stuff I want while not having time to play a lot of it.

Thoughts on Aces? I'm on the fence about getting it now or waiting. What little bit of the beta I played was fun, but I want to know if it's worth $50-60?

Speaking of Mario sports games, has there been any rumors or announcements of Mario Golf? That would make me cry with joy.

Seriously, I'm itching for Mario Golf.

Any way, to answer: It's a multiplayer fighting game. The story is whatever and short, so don't buy it if your goal is just to play that. The meat is in playing other people. I moved to Madison within the last month and my friends came to visit this weekend at my new apartment, and we had a blast playing it locally against each other. I played my first game online the other day to unlock Koopa Troopa as a playable character and had an intense match filled with mind games about when to use build and expend power, trying to catch each other rotating by slicing back to the same side or using a drop shot when overcommitting to the backline. It was fantastic and feels really good. The game feel is fantastic and something they really nailed; it's just fun to play. I don't know if I'll get 60 hours out of it for my $60, but I'm not disappointed with what I've played.

Sounds like a ton of fun, I just don't have many gamer friends that live in the same area anymore. The ones that live near me aren't much for gaming haha, the ones that are gamers live hours away. I'm not a huge "fighting" game fan, and I mostly stick to games I can play alone for a long period of time or online games that can be easily paired up with strangers.

Thankfully I just built a PC for a friend who lives a ways out and we've been playing a lot of PUBG duos. It's amazing what strategy can do for that game haha

Anybody play Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes (mobile game)?

Sigra wrote:Anybody play Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes (mobile game)?

I downloaded it for a day when a few friends were into it. Wasn't my cup of tea.

Nice seeing you around here, Sigra. How are your Bulls treating you?

I'm really enjoying Pyre.

ReasonablySober wrote:I'm really enjoying Pyre.

Good to hear. I randomly had a lot of money on my psn and bought a ton of games during a sale recently including Pyre, Furi, Bastion, etc. Haven't cracked into any of them yet. Playing Dark Souls Remastered still which has consumed me. I find those shorter games I get on psn to be nice pallet cleansers between the Dark Souls/Horizons/Witchers.

Bastion is awesome. Played it years ago - definitely a good pickup.

Waffling on if I should pick up Octopath Traveler. I have an extra 10% off all Amazon purchases as part of a promo from moving, so I can get it relatively cheap. The demo was gorgeous and I dug the music, just not sure if it'll kind of sit there lost in the clutter.

I plan to wait a bit on Octopath - I just have too many other things to play right now. I haven't even played the second demo yet.

Anybody play State of Decay 2 yet? Been meaning to give it a go but I've yet to really here any reviews on it, positive or negative.

MikeIsGood wrote:I plan to wait a bit on Octopath - I just have too many other things to play right now. I haven't even played the second demo yet.

Yeah, I feel like I should, but I can also get it for $38 right now which isn't too shabby. I played a bit of demo #2 and it really started to sell me; just an absolutely gorgeous game that reminds me of some great old school RPGs. I'll probably break because I have no willpower when it comes to buying video games.