First Impression and More
We heard rumors earlier this year that Google might be looking to break into the gaming industry and their recently revealed Project Stream is that rumor coming to fruition. Currently, in beta, Google is allowing users to play the new Assassin’s Creed Odyssey from a Chrome Web Browser. That’s right! No need to go out and buy a console, as long as you have a computer with a stable internet connection of “25 megabits per second”. Sound interesting? To make the deal even sweeter, Google is offering this for free if you are selected.
Like most, I was very skeptical about this concept of streaming a video game and how well it could play. However, after about 10 hours of gameplay, I can confidently say that I am thoroughly impressed. The graphics looked beautiful, even for my computer, which contains mostly parts that are around 6 years old by now. There was minimal to no lag between inputs and the graphics were rarely sacrificed to keep the game connection running. In fact, the only time I ever had an issue with the game was when I didn’t realize I had other programs downloading files in the background. I did get a frequent warning icon on the side of the screen about an unstable connection, but it never actually affected my gameplay so I did not give it much thought.
One thing to note about this, however, is that my download speeds are on average usually around 150+ Mbps and I tested this when no other applications were running through my household. Since this is all cloud-based, this is obviously a service that will be heavily impacted based on your connection. For those who don’t have a fast enough connection, you might not get the same smooth experience I did.
Regardless, with such an impressive feat that Google has shown to be possible, what does this mean for the future of gaming? There are still many unanswered questions around the service once the beta period ends around mid-January. This runs well for a single player game, but how will this work in a multiplayer environment where every second counts? Will this be a monthly service fee such as the Netflix model? Will we be able to actually own these games through this service? What type of games would even be available? How will this fare in an ecosystem of already existing consoles?
For answers to all these questions and more, make sure to keep an eye on Parallax Media!
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