If you’re one of the many people waiting for the release of the Google Stadia, you’ve probably done your due diligence to find out if your setup is good enough to handle the platform’s requirements. And if not, this is definitely something you need to do early on. While the Stadia doesn’t require any powerful hardware upgrades – since it will be its own console – there’s definitely a lot to think about in the way of internet connection capabilities. You need to make sure that you’ll be able to support the platform’s requirements, otherwise, it’s going to be a very disappointing ride.
No Hardware Upgrade Required
As we mentioned above, one of the great things about the Stadia is that it won’t require you to invest in any actual new hardware for your computer. You just have to buy the console unit itself, and that’s it. And due to the way the service works – essentially providing a video stream – you shouldn’t expect to need any upgrades for the console itself in the foreseeable future. Of course, this depends on how Google handles the initial launch. It’s possible that the first version of the console might have some issues, which will get ironed out in a future re-release, but that’s a different story.
The Importance of a Good Connection
The most important thing you’ll need to pay attention to is your internet connection quality. This is not something you can compensate for with anything else, and you have to make sure that you can actually support the bandwidth requirements of the Stadia. Don’t underestimate this – input latency can be a real joy killer, and it will be a real problem if you don’t have a good enough connection. Regular internet service providers might not be fit for the bill here, and you may need to look into more specialized companies that provide advanced internet solutions. Don’t worry about the price – this type of internet service can be surprisingly affordable, all things considered.
Investing Cautiously
Don’t forget that this is still a very fragile product, and market segment as a whole, and it’s important to tread cautiously. Don’t overinvest until you’re sure that the platform has real merits, and always put yourself in a position where you can backtrack relatively easily. So, for example, don’t set up a whole new Stadia room just for the console, and don’t purchase any peripherals for it until you know that you’ll be using it on a regular basis. That way, you can avoid most of the disappointment that comes with a failed launch.
Hopefully, the launch of the Stadia will be anything but a failed one though. Google has shown a lot of respect for this market so far, and they’ve made it clear that they want to approach it in a new, innovative way, which seems to have a lot of potential. It will take some time to see if the service really has any merit, but it’s entirely possible that this could be the next big thing in the entertainment scene.
