Reflecting on Gaming Experiences during Stadia's Last Moments: Representing Its Peak Performances and Shortcomings

Google Stadia, a pioneer in cloud gaming, has bid its final goodbye, marking the end of an era for many gamers.

The platform, designed to cater to individuals without access to pricey PC gaming hardware or traditional console space, offered a viable option for those seeking a more accessible gaming experience. For some, it opened doors to games they might not have played otherwise, such as Risk of Rain 2, Orcs Must Die 3, and Little Big Workshop.

However, the benefits of Stadia were subjective, and it came with its share of challenges. For instance, playing on an ultrawide display resulted in black bars along the side, reducing immersion. The platform was locked at 60fps or less, while PC games could take advantage of a 75Hz refresh rate.

Network issues were another hurdle. Despite upgrading their networking equipment, users like the author experienced random disconnections. The performance of the platform was heavily dependent on internet connection quality, a factor that could not always be controlled.

Stadia's lack of console updates, lengthy download times, and storage woes were advantages for some users, but the quality of games and performance on Stadia was not as good as on other platforms. Graphical quality on Stadia was often lower compared to native games, with elements appearing fuzzy.

The closure of Stadia feels like the end of an era. EA, Ubisoft, and Google itself started to give Stadia less support, which was a sign of its impending demise. In its final hours, Stadia servers were being slowly ramped down, affecting game performance.

The total player count for Stadia can be inferred from dismal Destiny 2 stats. Despite these challenges, the people working on Stadia built something special despite being dealt a challenging hand.

In the twilight of Stadia, other cloud gaming services were prioritized for performance upgrades instead. NVIDIA GeForce Now, for instance, focused on performance upgrades through improved streaming quality and broader game library support.

The baton for the cloud gaming vision has been passed to other services. The ability to play games across devices remains a significant attraction, and it is hoped that future platforms will learn from Stadia's journey and build upon its innovations.

Risk of Rain 2 was the game played most frequently on Google Stadia by the author. The last game released to Stadia players, "Worm Game," symbolised a farewell from the team behind the platform.

As we look back at Stadia, we remember a platform that dared to challenge the status quo, offering a new way to play games. While it may not have reached its full potential, it paved the way for future cloud gaming innovations. Its legacy will continue to inspire and shape the future of gaming.