Google Stadia could make game demos popular again, but will early access pay the price?

Google unveiled new game streaming platform Stadia earlier today, and it's hard not to feel wrongfooted by what was showcased. We’ve been promised incredible streaming services before, of course, but none have quite lived up to the concept’s potential. Google’s offering, then - capable of streaming games at 4K HDR quality and 60 FPS on any device with just a screen and a high-speed internet connection - is astounding. The technology has the potential to change gaming in a number of ways, one of which might be to bring a relic of the past back to the forefront: game demos. During the ‘90s, demo discs were enough of a driving force that they convinced people to purchase a special pizza deal or a magazine to get a taste of new games. Their relevance has diminished over time as gaming shifted to digital distribution and the games themselves increased in size. After all, how many people want to spend an hour or two downloading a demo just to play 15 minutes of the latest triple-A title? The model simply stopped making sense for developers and players alike. Stadia may give publishers a new reason to create demos, however. Not only does it eliminate the issue of having to download a large file just to get a sliver of the experience, but accessing a demo will now be as easy as clicking a link on a YouTube video. If a demo is available, you just pause the vid and immediately check it out. This elimination of barriers is at the heart of Stadia's design and, if Google really can pull it all off, threatens to shake up the gaming landscape significantly.

from PCGamesN https://ift.tt/2HG4Fol