I mean, streaming *is* the way forward, the main question is a matter of when.

Google needs to supply me with cheap, gigabit internet first before I ever think about streaming videogames. I’ve tried it before and it feels like I’m playing a 480p Youtube video, gross.

Any talk of game streaming in the USA is pointless. ISP (capped) bandwidth, (capped) data, and (uncapped) greed wont allow it.

I have my doubts that it would be successful without doing something truly novel. Streaming tech still can’t handle the response times for games, and Valve showed that nobody is interested in “console-ized” computers, so if Google wants to succeed, they’re going to have to do something different.

Yes, you’re entirely correct, but we’re talking about Kotaku (as US based blog) that’s writing about a US based company (Google). Honestly, I don’t see Google or Amazon offering their streaming game services to other places in the world for a long time, if only because the market for games in the US is really only…

Same thought here. For being one of the wealthiest and most “innovative” tech giants, they sure do have a hard time making a decent messaging app and sticking with it long enough for anyone to remember it exists. 

Came here to say exactly this. In home LAN streaming still isn’t something I want to use all of the time. How about we work on that first. 

Add to that the dismantling of net-neutrality, and streaming ANYTHING at high speeds in the near future in the U.S. becomes a problem.

Again though it comes down to how good your ISP is, its one thing to play a game that uses P2P like Cuphead its a whole different beast when you are streaming an entire game from a remote computer.

This x1000.  If I were home right now I'd run a speed test and just post the results with a big "fuck you" to every developer who wants to make me stream everything.  That's not including if one has data caps either.

the ability to stream games without having to buy expensive hardware is insignificant compared to the freedom you have over your own hardware (mods,hacks,cheats,piracy)

I think a lot of folks judging here aren’t looking at the younger generations that are coming up. Many of which don’t invest into desktops or consoles like older gen-x/y’ers did/do.

Not everyone has the quality connection that you do.

Game streaming isn’t where it needs to be yet. Especially with neutrality neutered.  Hard pass for the time being.

I think all of the people saying that streaming is the way forward are looking through some pretty limited lenses. Like you say in the article, the majority of the country has access to less-than-optimal broadband; and the price of that shitty connection isn’t worth what they’re getting.

I have one of the Steam…

With all this talk of streaming consoles, etc., you’d think we’d also be hearing more - or indeed anything - about pressure applied or incentives offered to ISPs to...you know...not be terrible.

If Google still supported its internet service, they could easily kick in Sony and Microsoft, considering the big two rely on telecoms, who are quite stingy with the speed.

As an Android user I look forward to google pushing this initiative SUPER hard for a year and then completely abandoning it 

Only thing i enjoy more than the clack clack clack is the sound of my own voice.

We really need to work on the taxonomy of switches.