Stadia and WoW.

[Yriel]

People said the same shit about Netflix when it was new. Not to say you're wrong -- the US' internet structure is dogshit and gamers, generally, tend to be snobs about that type of shit... But it's usually never a good idea to full on dismiss emerging technology.

Even on the best google fiber connections stadia had a noticeable input lag.
I doubt that the internet infrastructure will change that much in a foreseeable future.
Latency in games is a whole different kind than when streaming movies. You can't buffer the next 30 seconds of gameplay...

[This One Time At Bandcamp]

I would quit the game if I didn't have addons. (Damage Meter, WA's and QoL improvements in general is a massive deal for me)

[kranur]

No, not "is WoW coming to Stadia" but rather I wonder how much Blizz is looking at what's being done with Stadia, especially as Google iterates on the platform to make it better.

I mean for the most part WoW isn't handled locally on your computer. You download a bunch of art files and sounds and then it's just down to input lag.

So what would be the downsides and upsides for WoW (or any MMO really) to swap to a streamed game?

Pros:
Protection from Data-mining.
Protection from weird addons that you might not want.
Players all get to play on the "best" settings.
Wider audience where you can basically have people spend $75 on a bluetooth keyboard and mouse with a dongle like a fireTV or chromecast rather than $400+ PC.

Cons:
Lack of addons - specifically in WoW - would be contentious since much of the audience requires those addons to perform at all. (Tell your guild you don't use weak auras and have a stock UI and see what response you get.)
Might require even heavier sharding for zones with multiple things going on and huge numbers connected. Think Crystalshard Dalaran levels of lag.
Less input for UI enhancement without a large modding community to draw inspiration from.

So is a possible WoW streaming service in the offing? Would you be willing to sign up for it? Would you expect to pay the same for it or would expect to pay more or even less?

Maybe for a week or two a year when I'm visiting my parents or my gf's parents for holidays. Otherwise no.
Sounds like a horrible and risky investment for blizz to do it.
At best you can hope they agree to let someone like nvidia do it since stadia wants you to buy the games from them.

[Azerate]

The lack of addons itself makes wow almost unplayable. You pretty much need addons for every activity in the game and they enhance the experience in major ways. Not just raiding, not just pvping, but even (or especially) the casual content. Imagine playing pet battles without rematch, pokemon trainer, battle pet id...etc, or collecting mounts or transmog without rarity, ATT, SavedInstances etc. Even the people who aren't hardcore raiders and don't have those popular mods like elvui, dbm, bigwigs, will still engage in those other activities and use addons specifically for them. Yes, technically you can play WoW without addons, but you can also technically not have sex for your entire life. Both are possible, but that doesn't mean them good ideas in any way.

Also, I don't get how "protection from data mining" is a good thing. "Protection" for whom exactly? Data mining works in your favor, or doesn't affect you, if you don't want to know in advance just ignore wow news.

Cloud gaming is retarded and has no foreseeable future, not because Google or the others can't make it work on THEIR side, but because of all the other things between Google and the gamers. Unless the internet that never dies and has no lag will be invented I see no reason to rely on any cloud bullshit, especially for gaming. The only thing I see cloud useful is backup for important data, but even that is a sensitive topic because of security, as Jennifer Lawrence and her tits can explain very well...

I don't like Stadia for many reasons, but this kind of internet has already been invented and is available in many places around the world. In most big European countries you can get 1gb+ connection without data caps dirt cheap. The horror stories about overpriced internet with low caps mostly come from the US.

[FelPlague]

Elvui is a pack of add-ons

First you say you use custom UI and then you don't.

...? alrighty then i think you have gone full random, never go full random.

[niztheundead87]

...? alrighty then i think you have gone full random, never go full random.

You contradict yourself never contradict yourself.

[Mosotti]

I don't like Stadia for many reasons, but this kind of internet has already been invented and is available in many places around the world. In most big European countries you can get 1gb+ connection without data caps dirt cheap. The horror stories about overpriced internet with low caps mostly come from the US.

The problem is not data, it's latency. Google is talking about "negative latency" and other crap, but of course it's bullshit, like the whole Stadia fiasco.

And I'm also sure that if people start actually consume a lot of data, there will be a cap in Europe too. Now it's unlimited because the vast majority of people don't even come close to 1TB / month or what the cap seems to be in US, since most countries have anti torrent/piracy laws now.

[Aeula]

As an option? Sure, I’d love to play WoW on my IPad while I’m on the shitter.

As a mandotory thing to stop datamining? Fuck off.

[Seranthor]

No, not "is WoW coming to Stadia" but rather I wonder how much Blizz is looking at what's being done with Stadia, especially as Google iterates on the platform to make it better.

I mean for the most part WoW isn't handled locally on your computer. You download a bunch of art files and sounds and then it's just down to input lag.

So what would be the downsides and upsides for WoW (or any MMO really) to swap to a streamed game?

Pros:
Protection from Data-mining.
Protection from weird addons that you might not want.
Players all get to play on the "best" settings.
Wider audience where you can basically have people spend $75 on a bluetooth keyboard and mouse with a dongle like a fireTV or chromecast rather than $400+ PC.

Cons:
Lack of addons - specifically in WoW - would be contentious since much of the audience requires those addons to perform at all. (Tell your guild you don't use weak auras and have a stock UI and see what response you get.)
Might require even heavier sharding for zones with multiple things going on and huge numbers connected. Think Crystalshard Dalaran levels of lag.
Less input for UI enhancement without a large modding community to draw inspiration from.

So is a possible WoW streaming service in the offing? Would you be willing to sign up for it? Would you expect to pay the same for it or would expect to pay more or even less?

I dont see the 'pros' as pros... not to mention all the cons you listed... AND... its against the TOS...

[Gaidax]

I think given 3-5 years services like Stadia will be mature up and people will start going for it, instead of buying expensive hardware to run games. Infrastructure in big cities and such will also get up to snuff to support it and if this whole thing picks up there will be Stadia pops near every such big city or at least multiple pops per country depending on size.

IMO WoW on Stadia is not out of realm of possibility, especially if you have strong connection and low latency as is.

Also... Data caps for home internet? People are living in 90s or what? Last time it was a thing here was back 1998 or some shit like that.

[Shelly]

I dont see the 'pros' as pros... not to mention all the cons you listed... AND... its against the TOS...

Really?

You don't see how paying just $15 or $20 a month for a game that you no longer need a computer for is a good thing?

Or how everyone being able to play on the highest settings is now somehow bad?

Or that companies don't actually like people data mining since it leads to a lot of assumptions in the consumer base and sometimes there are things in the patches that won't go live and in fact may never go live.

And I'm not sure what you mean by "it's against the ToS." I'm going to presume you are saying using a remote app to play the game on your computer. Which is kind of a weird argument for you to make since Blizz creates those terms of service. Or when you were learning how to drive did you get mad that your parents drove 60mph in a vehicle they told you you weren't allowed to go more than 55?

[Seranthor]

Really?

You don't see how paying just $15 or $20 a month for a game that you no longer need a computer for is a good thing?

Or how everyone being able to play on the highest settings is now somehow bad?

Or that companies don't actually like people data mining since it leads to a lot of assumptions in the consumer base and sometimes there are things in the patches that won't go live and in fact may never go live.

And I'm not sure what you mean by "it's against the ToS." I'm going to presume you are saying using a remote app to play the game on your computer. Which is kind of a weird argument for you to make since Blizz creates those terms of service. Or when you were learning how to drive did you get mad that your parents drove 60mph in a vehicle they told you you weren't allowed to go more than 55?

Yes, Really...

I'll add one more... its a really dumb idea...

Enjoy.

[Shelly]

Yes, Really...

I'll add one more... its a really dumb idea...

Enjoy.

Ya know, after all the talk about the technological limitations and requirements as well as personal gaming preferences and what people need to really enjoy the game it's kinda refreshing to have such an uncomplicated look at things.

[Moor Shadows]

When was the last time anyone brought a PC for $400 that could play games?? 1999??

For only a little over that you can get a PC with a decent enough processor and a GtX 1060. Not amazing, but workable.

[Seranthor]

Ya know, after all the talk about the technological limitations and requirements as well as personal gaming preferences and what people need to really enjoy the game it's kinda refreshing to have such an uncomplicated look at things.

I am in the camp of, 'Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you SHOULD do it'

[munkeyinorbit]

No. you still have to buy each individual game at full retail price and think of it more like watching a stream. There are no graphics sliders/options menu besides generic "Low, Medium, High". (So you can't adjust shadows or other features). If you want to stream 4k then its upwards of 16-25 GB an hour of data usage. It's DOA.

16 to 26gb per hour is nothing. My connection easily supports that. My connection can handle 300GB an hour. What you think is extreme is only 160mbit per second. That's only using half your bandwidth at 160mbit. It's not DOA for the majority of the western world.

[Shelly]

I am in the camp of, 'Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you SHOULD do it'

Thank god the entirety of the human race isn't so cowardly.

[Cæli]

google thought that not owning games through renting "streaming" would be a nice move, very happy to see it fail ahah
they really do retarded things sometimes, it makes them learn

[Seranthor]

Thank god the entirety of the human race isn't so cowardly.

Wow... you know, I had something all typed out then it dawned on me that you weren't worth the infraction.

[Crillam]

Streaming games is a bad idea atm, it just is. But so was streaming movies a few years ago. I remember when someone had uploaded The Phantom Menace trailer on the internet back in the late 90s. It took a few hours to load... Now we have smooth 4k streaming. So lets wait a few more years to see what happens