So is cloud gaming/game streaming good or bad now? I keep losing track.
(I don't have an issue with if by the way)
The
option is great, IMO. The overall direction, though, brings up a lot of questions.
It's awesome to just turn on a channel on some device and play your games if your console/PC is not convenient for some reason. (I used Luna a number of times and it was a surprisingly nice way to stream games out to the backyard... this was back when they gave access to some games free, though, and I fell off when charges started getting inconvenient.) I could see having streaming XB games leading to different game purchases depending on where and when you wanted to play types of games. There are a lot of games people aren't buying because big AAA games are clogging up their drive or just aren't the type of games they think of to play, but if streaming can catch on in certain environments beyond the standard AV room, we might see these genres find new life in different forms.
Streaming gaming has been maligned (for just reasons, in some cases; for just reasons of anger and disinterest in others,) but it's a promising new way to access games, as well as a potentially promising way to sell or make available subscription games, if any company can get the service right.
Problem is, more mistakes have been made in the rush to convert gamers into streaming gamers than successes (and greed will continue to push publishers towards what's good for them rather than what's good for customers, and further mistakes will be made.) And even though streaming has taken over most other entertainment distribution forms (for good or ill,) hardcore gamers have so far been vocally against this same future for gaming.