Google's video game streaming service, Stadia, went live today but everything hasn't gone as smoothly as the tech giant would've hoped. Several users have voiced their frustration over the platform's latency issues.
Stadia is essentially the video gaming equivalent of Netflix, which allows users to stream video games up to 4K resolution at 60 frames per second with 5.1 surround sound on their handheld devices, computer or television screens. Being touted as a viable alternative to costly consoles and PC upgrades, users were salivating at the thought of playing their favorite video games on the streaming platform ever since Google announced in March.
Now, the service is live but users are far from happy about the service's latency issues, which is basically the time delay between your finger pressing a button and its corresponding effect in the video game. In fact, some users have reported more than a one-second lag that renders games unplayable despite having a high-speed internet connection.
Imagine missing a headshot in "Red Dead Redemption 2" because of lag or falling of a ledge in "Tomb Raider," moves that you would've otherwise nailed on a PS4 or on your PC using a mouse or keyboard.
Several gamers took to social media to express their anger over the platform horrendous input lag. "The Google Stadia has massive input lag, with almost an average delay of 1 second or sometimes ever [sic] more on a super high speed connection, wrote one user, while another commented, "For only $10 a month you can play old games with input lag, inconsistent quality, and destroy your data caps."
The Washington Post's Gene Park demonstrated how bad the platform's input delay was with the help of a GIF.
Forbes' Paul Tassi echoed Park's sentiments, experiencing lag that would result in the death of his in-game character across every title he played. He also pointed out a full-second of audio sync issues that only added to his frustration.
These tech-issues, if they're being experienced by a significant portion of gamers, could be disastrous for Stadia, especially when it's asking users to shell out $10 a month to get access to a small catalog of games (22 titles to be precise) and expect them to still pay full price for new titles, apart from a few free exceptions that come with a Pro subscription like "Destiny."
