Stadia is the most accessible, affordable way for a new player to get into gaming. While plenty of games exist on phones, non-gamers aren’t going to pay money for new gaming experiences when they don’t really understand what they’re getting. When they download a free title, consumers have learned to expect being nickel-and-dimed every time they engage with the game. Mobile games might be free, but most of them are also trash.
To the point, REAL gaming has always required a significant upfront investment from the player. What’s more, the initial cost of the game on top of that investment. Game consoles have always cost what is typically equivalent to a day’s wages or more. This has even been true of hand-held devices like the Game Boy or PSP. The cheapest the gaming market has ever seen consoles was the Nintendo 2DS at a mere $79 at retail. For the titles that released on the 3DS, that was bargain bin pricing for a fantastic console. But $79 is still nothing to sneeze it, especially since you’d need to buy a $40 Nintendo game to play on it.
Stadia is the first platform that has ever allowed the consumer to play console-quality games at no up-front cost. Almost everyone in Western society owns either a tablet or a computer. In the off chance they don’t own one of those, they still likely have access to a smart-tv or a smartphone. Stadia being accessible on essentially any computing device means gaming is now just as accessible as tv or radio, on devices that consumers already own and are familiar with. AAA gaming experiences that used to cost hundreds of dollars before the game was even turned on are now playable without so much as having to watch an ad. That’s immensely powerful stuff.
While the free-to-play movement in gaming has caused some harm to long-time fans it has also lowered the barrier of entry for video games to practically nothing. Ironically, games are now almost MORE accessible than tv or radio, because console free-to-play games rarely have any ads at all and the play session can continue indefinitely without interruption. While free-to-play games on mobile are often predatory, it at least has allowed consumers to become familiar with the idea of games being free, and that’s especially useful for users that are brand new to Stadia. Top quality F2P games like PUBG and Destiny 2 are great entry points for building a sense of value in the casual gamer, and can help convince them that paying $10 or $20 for a “premium” game isn’t just a great experience, but also a fantastic value long term.
Stadia Pro is well witin the price range of other subscription services like Netflix and Hulu too. With over 50 games in the library, a new player could spend a great deal of time exploring the world of gaming for an incredible price. Pound for pound, no other subscription service gives away more games at the $10 price point. While competitive, Playstation Plus Extra is $13 and Xbox Game Pass is $15. At this point in time, neither of those services provide options to buy games and continue to play them in the cloud without a subscription. In addition, those services require the use of proprietary controllers, which add an upfront cost to the experience. On Stadia, the player has a wide selection of compatible control styles, including their mouse and keyboard.
Finally, multiplayer is something that other consoles require a subscription for. On Stadia, multiplayer is completely free. That alone gives Stadia a $60 annual savings over Playstation and Xbox and a $20 advantage of Nintendo. Added up over 5 years, it equates to half the price of the console or more. Stadia’s multiplayer features aren’t just simple and intuitive, but a multiplayer session is never going to cost more than the simple effort of starting the game.
In a free market, the best value typically wins. In the gaming market in 2022, Stadia is hands-down the winner here, even before game discounts, subscriptions and free trials are factored in. All that’s left is educating the public on how easy it is to start enjoying some of the best games in the world.
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