What They Say
Google is shutting down its Stadia cloud gaming platform from January 2023 it said in a blog post. Specialists in gaming suggest that the service suffered from a weak selection of games. Although it tried at one time to develop exclusive games, the operation was cancelled when costs spiralled. Google has not gone as far as Microsoft in buying game developers.
DTV Europe pointed out that the writing may have been on the wall – a new Logitech gaming handheld supports Xbox Cloud Gaming, Amazon Luna and Nvidia GeForce Now but now Stadia. The Logitech G Cloud Gaming Handheld will cost $349.99 and has a 7″ 1080p IPS display with 60Hz refresh. It is based on a Snapdragon 720G processor with 4GB of memory and 64GB of storage. The device is claimed to have 12 hours of battery life and it is said to be lighter than the Steam Deck (669 gms) and heavier than the Nintendo Switch (322 gms) at 463 gms. The device is reported to have been developed with Tencent which has added its Android expertise.
What We Think
Omdia has been very positive in supporting the idea that cloud gaming is going to be the ‘next big thing’ in gaming. However, the market remains pretty small at the moment compared to the rest of gaming and Google may have just decided it’s going to take too long to get back any investment. (BR)
