From movies and series to music albums and podcasts, we are increasingly consuming it on demand via streaming services. The games industry is lagging behind. Gamers are accustomed to going to the store and buying a game and putting it in a game console at home to play. Second, streaming games requires more processing power and bandwidth than streaming a movie or series. However, the latter has become less of an obstacle in recent years.
A Netflix subscription sounds ideal: you pay a fixed amount per month and in return you get a library with hundreds of games that you can play unlimited, without the need for a game console or a physical copy of the game. In practice we come across a few more variations and not every game subscription is straight forward.
Streaming vs Unlimited Gaming
Before we look at the different services, it is good to realize that when streaming movies and series, two things are usually combined. Namely that you no longer need a DVD player, but you do need a television or other screen to watch Netflix or Disney+. And the fact that these services come with a wide range of content.
In the games industry, when offering streaming services, an entire library of games is usually not immediately delivered. In addition, there are subscriptions that are called ‘Netflix for games’, but then do not offer the option to stream the games. Take Apple Arcade, which has a nice library of games available, which you can play unlimited with a subscription. Here you only get access to a collection of games that you must first download and install on a device in order to play them. There is no such thing as streaming like with Netflix.
The same goes for the subscription services of several major game publishers. Ubisoft, known for the Assassin’s Creed series, has its own subscription that allows you to play the games of that specific publisher unlimited. The same goes for EA, which scores well every year with the new FIFA game. For a fixed amount per month you get access to the games of the relevant publisher. That is certainly interesting if you are a fan of one or more franchises that the publisher manages. A real complete ‘Netflix for games’ is not there yet, although Xbox comes very close, but more about that later. First it’s good to see who came up with the idea of ​​​​streaming games over the internet.
Bumpy road
It was not one of the big tech giants that first came up with a game streaming service, but a young company called Gaikai, which was initially headquartered in Almere. The idea: streaming games or at least game demos over the internet. The company soon moved to California, where it was already noticed by major game companies. Publisher Electronic Arts, but also game giant Sony showed interest in the streaming technology. The latter was so interested in the technology that it bought Gaikai in 2021 for $380 million. The idea to offer demos with Gaikai and to advertise games in an interactive way was abandoned. Instead, Sony wanted to use Gaikai’s technology to stream full-length PlayStation games over the Internet.
That became the service we now call PlayStation Now and it was the first streaming service that the general public came into contact with. That is, if they had a PlayStation game console. Although PlayStation Now is now also available on PC, it was initially only usable with a game console from the manufacturer. With that, it lost some key benefits that you would normally expect from a streaming service.
Entry threshold
You couldn’t use PlayStation Now everywhere, but only via a PlayStation 4. In addition to the mobility limitations that this entailed, this also created a barrier to entry. A PlayStation 4 easily cost a few hundred euros. Then there were costs for playing games on top of that and only then you got access to titles from Sony’s older console: the PlayStation 3.
PlayStation now also has an app for PC to stream PlayStation games and the library has been expanded with newer PlayStation games. PlayStation’s streaming ambitions seem to end there. For the time being, the company has no plans for a PlayStation Now mobile app, so that you can also stream PlayStation games on the tablet or smartphone. PlayStation seems more interested in offering games in the traditional way in an (online) store, where a one-time payment is made for a game.
PlayStation Now & Plus
PlayStation currently offers two subscription plans, which are easy to confuse if you’re not familiar with them. PlayStation Now is the service that allows you to stream games from a library via the PlayStation Now app. PlayStation Plus is the subscription for PlayStation owners that allows them to go online and play against other gamers. In exchange for a monthly fee, subscribers get this multiplayer option and usually a few games that they can download at no extra cost. They can play these games as long as they are a subscriber. The main difference is that PlayStation Plus does not have a large library of games and that you still have to download the games.
Remote game computer
Not only PlayStation has been working on the road for a long time, hardware manufacturer Nvidia also has its own streaming service. GeForce NOW gives you access to a powerful game computer that should be able to play modern games. You pay a fixed amount per month for the use of this computer. Unfortunately, you don’t get any games with that, only the computer is at your disposal.
The advantage is that you can take some of your games from other libraries with you. Think of games on the platform Steam. Unfortunately, it doesn’t apply to all games in your libraries, because not every publisher wants their games to be played via GeForce NOW and then you are not allowed to install them on your remote gaming computer. For example, Blizzard has banned Nvidia from making its games playable via the service. That means no World of Warcraft or Overwatch.
Only with fast internet?
Streaming games often requires slightly more bandwidth than streaming a regular video. Both Google and Microsoft recommend at least an internet connection of at least 10Mbps for their game streaming services. More is of course always better for the quality of the stream, especially if you want to stream in higher resolutions. It is also important that the connection is stable. For example, Microsoft recommends a 5Ghz WiFi connection, instead of the 2.4Ghz connection from a router. You can also try to stream via 4G or 5G internet, but certainly if you are on the road by train, for example, this will not benefit the stream stability. In addition, it is good to keep an eye on your data bundle. Streaming in HD quality for an hour quickly costs more than 12 GB. Streaming games on the go is therefore a good way to quickly use your data bundle.
Google and Amazon join the fray
We know Google from the search engine, services such as Gmail and a large part of the population walks with a phone in their pocket that runs Google’s Android. Although games can also be played on these Android phones, Google was not directly associated with the games industry until the tech giant launched a game service in 2019: Google Stadia.
Not only was the arrival special because Google is a big player, but also because the company claimed that it could offer a good gaming experience via streaming. Anyone with a controller, television with a Chromecast Ultra and an internet connection that was fast enough (see box) had to be able to game via Google Stadia.
That was a bit rough in the beginning and the streaming service did not work for devices and households as smoothly. The games had to be paid full price, which is why Google received a lot of criticism. The quality of the streams has since improved and the range of games has been expanded. Google has also entered into a partnership with the aforementioned game publisher Ubisoft. At the time of writing, Ubisoft+ members can participate in a beta program that will allow them to stream Ubisoft+ games through Stadia.
Amazon has also announced a streaming service. We are not talking about Amazon Prime, with which series and movies can be streamed, but a real game streaming service. Amazon Luna is currently in the testing phase and not yet available.
Not everyone is excited
While Google, PlayStation and Xbox have been able to rally large and small game publishers behind them, there are also negative voices. CEO Strauss Zelnick of publisher Take-Two has said that he does not think the Netflix model is appropriate for games. According to Zelnick, it can work with small titles, but is not cost-effective for large games. The publisher is also reluctant to add its games to these kinds of libraries. This means that games such as Grand Theft Auto V and basketball game NBA 2K21 can only be played via streaming once months after release. In addition, they disappear from the library after a few months. Take-Two is not alone in this, because PlayStation is also still fully committed to purchasing games.
Xbox with xCloud
In recent years, Xbox and parent company Microsoft have increasingly seen streaming games via subscription as the future. With Game Pass, subscribers get a library of hundreds of games for a fixed monthly fee, which they can play on Xbox consoles without limits. That doesn’t just apply to games from a few years ago: the new part of the Forza Horizon series comes to the subscription service on day one, and the same goes for the new part in the Halo series.
Stream through Microsoft servers
The Game Pass subscription is now also available for PC at an additional cost, albeit with an even smaller library. If it is up to Xbox, playing games on even more devices will be possible, including smartphones. Obviously, the games that normally run on the powerful consoles or game computers cannot be played on a phone. Xbox uses streaming technology for this.
Initially this was possible by streaming images from your Xbox to your phone, but since the beginning of 2021 Xbox has also made streaming available via Microsoft’s servers. That means all you need is a Game Pass subscription and a device that supports the app or browser version of xCloud.
With this, Xbox combines streaming technology with a library of games that can be played without limit. Game Pass is the first service where we can speak of a Netflix for games. Now the streaming service is certainly still in the initial phase and not all games are available. Little by little, Xbox is adding more games that can be played via xCloud. Most games also require a controller to be connected, but a single game can also be controlled with screen touches.
The range of games is still a bit too limited to really call Xbox Game Pass the ‘Netflix for games’. In addition, the service is still officially in the beta phase and Xbox will give you a hand if the service falters or does not yet work optimally. That is why we have to wait for a full release. Still, the gaming branch of tech giant Microsoft is best on its way to the honorary title ‘Netflix for games’.
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