Google Stadia has only been out for two days, and there is no end in sight for all its troubles. As it turns out, the gaming platform — hailed as futuristic by its creators — uses over 100 MB of data per minute at 1080p, and between 4.5 GB and 20 GB per hour, depending on the quality of your video feed.
Tests show that at 1080p and 60 fps, Red Dead Redemption 2 uses 1.55 GB of data during 13 minutes, which brings the whole thing to around 7.14 GB per hour. Since 4K is four times more defined than 1080p, that means the total hourly usage is around 20 GB, just as predicted. Since Red Dead Redemption 2 takes around 47 hours to beat, you're looking at 940 GB spent on this game alone if you're playing at 4K. Sure, lower resolutions mean less data used, but with many ISPs in the US (and elsewhere) capping data at around 1 TB per month, you're still looking at a very expensive gaming experience if you opt for Stadia.
The tests were done by Jeff Grubb of VentureBeat. He tracked the data usage by connecting his Chromecast Ultra and Stadia controller to his Android hotspot, thus using Android's built-in data tracker. Now imagine downloading Red Dead Redemption 2 to your PC. At some 150 GB, you're spending six times less data than through Stadia — and you're also not paying for its subscription service.
The math will presumably check out even with upcoming games. One of the most anticipated titles, Cyberpunk 2077, could also pose a challenge for Stadia: although the length of its gameplay is still heavily debated, it is expected to be at least as long as The Witcher 3, which took 51 hours to beat, according to HowLongToBeat.com. Cyberpunk 2077 also brings incredibly immersive gameplay, as well as full control over the camera and your character during cutscenes. All of this is bound to eat up your data if you decide to play the game through Stadia.
This is far from the only problem Stadia has encountered, and fans — who proclaimed it "dead on arrival" long before it even arrived — are not having it. Unfortunately, Google's response was exactly the wrong one, as they decided to make burner accounts on Twitter to defend the platform, to a general consensus of head shaking and tutting from the community. Considering how many crucial features the platform does not have at launch, the first impressions are not too good, and the predictions around it seem to be getting bleaker by the day.
Source: VentureBeat