Google Stadia conference with pricing, games, and release details set for June 6th at Noon EST/ 9 AM PST

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KBG29 said:
Phil Harrison sat down with Geoff Keighley and confirmed a few more things about Stadia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIs_rAml9Yg

-Online Multiplayer on Stadia will not be locked behind a Paywall. Online Multiplayer on Stadia is FREE.
-Free 2 Play titles will be available on Stadia.
-Subscription Services from 3rd party publishers will be supported by Stadia.
-Stadia Hardware will have regular upgrades, but no timeline is being talked about right now.
-Starting in 2020, players will be able to play Stadia Completely free of charge, using any device, and any controller they choose. Free 2 Play will be free, and gamers can subscribe to the services of their choice, or buy the specific titles they want.

I feel like this is the same situation as when the iPhone launched, and I told gamers, we need PSP and DS Phones, or Handhelds will die. I was laughed off out of the gaming community. Then Vita launched with 3G and Phone services, and I told gamers, you need to support this or Handhelds will disappear. I was told, "I already have a phone", "It is too expensive", "Handhelds are for Gaming", People will never give up Handhelds for touch only gaming". Well, here we are in 2019 and handhelds are gone.

So, I am telling you today, this is a serious threat to Consoles, and if core gamers want to continue to own Physical hardware, and Physical Software, then you need to take this seriously. Right now I am hearing the same types of things, "This is a complete joke", "People will never buy into a Game Streaming Platfrom", "No one will play games via streaming, the internet can not deliver a good enough experience", "Consoles are for Gaming, if I want to watch TV I have an SmartTV/Set Top Box, and if I want to browse the web or use apps I have a PC, Laptop, Tablet, or Smartphone".

Core gamers refused to allow Handhelds and Consoles to expand. They pushed back every time Sony and Microsoft tried to make the platforms more appealing to the wider audience. Gamers sabotaged Gaming 1st Devices, and now it may be too late to save them, gamers may be paying the final price for their actions.

I'm telling everyone here right now. If you want Consoles to survive, do not support Smart TV, do not support Set Top boxes, Do not buy these types of devices for friends or family, do not suggest these devices to anyone. Use your console for everything you do, show how consoles deliver a better experience than those devices, be happy to open up console to more people. Support the services on your consoles.

If console gamers don't support consoles, then this kind of gaming will die, and Streaming or PC will be your only option.

I am personally ready for whatever the future brings. I will game wherever gaming takes. I am just giving a history lesson, and a glimps of where the future could lead if the same path is followed again. Be inclusive, not exclusive.

Online multiplayer for free is a huge advantage for sure.

About smart devices killing handhelds. I don't know. 3DS still managed to sell 70m. It's not like the DS bubble but it's 70m. GBA sold 80m when there was no iPhone to compete. Besides NSW is a handheld console too and it's selling a lot. I guess the main reason handhelds aren't growing is because Western gamers and children have moved on from them. Kids played consoles as toys as they play tablets as toys. DS had a bubble, bringing non-gamers to the platform. So, considering 3DS success and NSW success now, I'd say that handhelds aren't dead yet.

About Stadia is a serious threat, I agree. But consoles had other serious threats before, particularly when games for PC became more popular. Back in the late 1990's, many said that there were no reason to own a console when you could get far more variety and superior graphics on PC. It turns out that PC didn't kill consoles, they co-exist.

Streaming is a way of having access to games. All companies will eventually offer it and Stadia as streaming only can co-exist with consoles.

I'm not saying that consoles may never die due to many other reasons. Maybe everything will be on a TV, for example. Maybe Sony will make money with a TV model with Playstation "inside". Something like that. But I still believe that many will still keep buying consoles due to the fact that the idea of everything converging to a single smart device didn't happen. People have watches, phones, tablets, TV boxes, and other things with a CPU inside. Actually people are buying more specialised devices for everything. Consoles can be another specialised device that millions will still be willing to pick up.

There's also the collector market. This market is huge enough to keep things co-existing. Millions still buy physical games and collectors edition. These people will not vanish. People still buy Blu-rays, they buy music, if not CDs, they buy digital music. This market will not vanish.

In case consoles gets devalued throughout the years, they still can make it a little bit cheaper convincing people to buy it. Actually, gaming as a hobby is not exactly cheap anywhere in the world, but consoles are the cheapest part in my opinion. After you buy a console for $350, you spend this lot of money again with games and services very quickly. Buying consoles are not going to get unreasonable that easily.

All forms of access to games can co-exist.